Today in 1859, Jules Leotard, a circus performer who specialized in the high wire and trapeze,first wore the leotard in public.
Today in 1946, the first drive-up banking facility opened at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, Illinois. There were 10 teller windows with slide-out drawers.
Today in 1954, Ellis Island,the famed immigration center in New York Harbor, closed. During its 62 years in service, it had been the gateway to America for over 20-million people. Following a renovation, which began in 1984, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened in September 1990. Today, the facility is visited by almost 2-million people each year.
Today in 1975, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas retired because of failing health, ending a record 36½-year term – the record still holds.
Today in 1996, in Pontiac, Michigan, Jonathan Schmitz, a guest on "The Jenny Jones Show,"was convicted of second-degree murder for shooting Scott Amedure, a gay man who'd revealed he had a crush on Schmitz during a taping of the program. Schmitz was later sentenced to up to 50 years in prison. At the moment, his earliest release date is set for July 2017.
Today in 1998, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley filed a $433-million lawsuit against the firearms industry, declaring that it had created a public nuisance by flooding the streets with weapons deliberately marketed to criminals.
Today in 2001, 260 people died when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Queens, New York.
Today in 2015, “Out” magazine named Barack Obama 'Ally of the Year' –making him the first sitting American President to pose for cover of a gay magazine. The irony? For many years Obama had gone back and forth on the notion of same sex couples being married.
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