Today in 1683, 13 Mennonite families from Germany founded Germantown, Pennsylvania, which later became Philadelphia.
Today in 1893, Cream of Wheat was unveiled at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Today in 1926, Babe Ruth hit a record three home runs in a World Series game, as the Yanks beat the Cards 10-5.
Today in 1948, Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey found the first partial fossil skull of Proconsul africanus, an ancestor of apes and humans on Rusinga Island, Kenya.
Today in 1966, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) was first declared illegal in state of California, other states followed suit.
Today in 1976, President Gerald Ford infamously said during a presidential debate with Jimmy Carter that there is "no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration." It’s said that statement played a major role in Ford’s failed attempt to capture the presidency outright, after the impeached President Richard M. Nixon resigned amid the Watergate Scandal.
Today in 1979, John Paul II became the first Pope to ever visit the White House, when he arrived to meet with President Jimmy Carter.
Today in 1991, University of Oklahoma law professor Anita F. Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her while she worked as his personal assistant. The majority of the U.S. Senate found the charges groundless and he was later confirmed to the court.
Today in 1992, for the first time since formally entering the presidential race, Ross Perot appeared in a paid, 30-minute broadcast on CBS-TV in which he appealed for Americans to join his independent bid. Perot dazzled the audience with the help of his charts and graphs. It drew a larger audience than "Seinfeld" or "The Simpsons" on the other networks.
Today in 1998, in a tragedy that shocked the world, Matthew Shepard, a gay college student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside of Laramie, where he died five days later. Russell Henderson later pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping. A second suspect, Aaron McKinney, was later found not guilty of premeditated murder, but guilty of felony murder. While that might’ve meant death, Shepard's parents brokered a deal that resulted in McKinney receiving two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Today in1998, Michael Carneal pleaded guilty – but mentally ill – to the shooting death of three fellow students and the wounding of five other people at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. Carneal was later sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for 25 years.
Today in 1999, the NFL awarded its newest franchise to Houston instead of Los Angeles, leaving the second-largest TV market in the nation without a football team.
Today in 2007, Jason Lewis completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.
Today in 2010, Roy Halladay pitched the second no-hitter in MLB Postseason History during Game 1 of the NLDS versus the Cincinnati Reds.