Today in 1829, James Carrington patented the coffee mill.
Today in 1860, the Pony Express began service between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. The service offered 1900-mile mail delivery in only 10 days! 18 months later the invention of the telegraph made the system obsolete.
Today in 1882, famed outlaw Jesse James was shot to death in St. Joseph, Missouri, by Robert Ford – a member of his own gang.
Today in 1933, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt informed newspaper reporters that beer would be served at the White House once prohibition was over.
Today in 1953, "TV Guide” magazine first hit the newsstands.
Today in 1968, less than 24 hours before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Junior delivered his famous "I’ve Been To The Mountaintop"speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers.
Today in 1973, the first portable cell phone call was made in New York City.
Today in 1974, President Nixon agreed to pay back taxes of $432,787.13 plus interest for the years 1969 through 1972.
Today in 1975, Russia's Anatoly Karpov was proclaimed the world chess champion after America’s Bobby Fischer refusedto defend his title.
Today in 1996, Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski was arrested, accused of being the Unabomber. He pled guilty in January of 1998 to five Unabomber attacks in exchange for a life sentence without chance for parole.
Today in 2007, the conventional train world speed record was set as a French TGV train on the LGV Est high speed line clocked 2-mph.
Today in 2010, the first Apple iPad was released.
Today in 2014, the United States confirmed that Cuban text message service Zun Zuneo (dubbed the ‘Cuban Twitter’) was created by a United States government aid agency that ran from 2009 to 2012.
Today in 2019, Lori Lightfoot was elected first female African American Mayor of Chicago.