Today in 1656, the first Jewish doctor – Dr. Jacob Lumbrozo – arrived in the colonies.
Today in 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at a mill in northern California, prompting the beginning of the Gold Rush.
Today in 1908, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, a general in the British Army, organized the first Boy Scout troop in England.
Today in 1922, Christian K. Nelson patented the Eskimo Pie.
Today in 1935, the first beer in cans were introduced by the Krueger Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia. The product? Krueger’s Cream Ale.
Today in 1985, Penny Harrington became the first woman police chief of a major city when she assumed the duties in Portland, Oregon. An early proponent of what we now know as “community policing” (something she introduced with much resistance), she was forced out 17 months later.
Today in 1989, confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair as 500 people cheered outside.
Today in 1993, retired Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 84.
Today in 1995, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman delivered the Republican response to President Clinton's State of the Union address, becoming the first governor and the first woman to give such a reply.
Today in 1997, Publix Super Markets, accused of relegating women to dead-end, low-paying jobs, agreed to pay $81.5-million to settle a class-action lawsuit.
Today in 1997, the White House released guest lists showing that in the year and a-half before his re-election, President Clinton had invited more than 400 of his party's top financial supporters for informal chats about his policies.
Today in 1999, halfway through "Dateline NBC," the network mistakenly reported that ailing baseball legend Joe DiMaggio had passed away. The network ran a correction 15 minutes later and later, a spokesman said that the premature news of DiMaggio's death appeared on screen because a technician had hit the wrong button. The baseball legend, who was also known as “Joltin’ Joe,” died the following March.
Today in 2000, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young kicked off their first tour together in more than a quarter century in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Today in 2003, the United States Department of Homeland Security officially began operation.
Today in 2018, former US Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar was found guilty of molesting over 150 girls, sentenced up to 175 years in prison.