Today in 1821, Spain officially ceded Florida to the United States.
Today in 1867, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine was established in Boston. It was the first dental school in America.
Today in 1893, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) was founded. This stage union became the primary labor organization in the movie industry.
Today in 1917, the British royal family adopted the "Windsor" name.
Today in 1918, the Romanov royal family and several of their retainers were executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of Ipatiev House, in Yekaterinburg, Siberia.
Today in 1935, the entertainment trade publication, “Variety,” ran its famous headline, "Sticks Nix Hick Pix" – which might be translated as "rural Americans reject rural-themed movies."
Today in 1937, Elmer J. Fudd made his animation debut in the Warner Bros. cartoon, "Egghead Rides Again.”
Today in 1938, aviator Douglas Corrigan took off from New York, saying he was headed for California. He ended up the next day in Ireland, earning himself the nickname "Wrong Way Corrigan."
Today in 1954, the Brooklyn Dodgers made history as the first team with a majority of black players.
Today in 1955, Arco, Idaho – and its 1,300 citizens – became the first community in the world to receive all of its light and power from atomic energy.
Today in 1955, Disneyland ceremoniously opened in Anaheim, California. In the park's first year of operation, some four-million people visited the attractions at the park.
Today in 1960, Francis Gary Powers pled guilty to spying charges in a Moscow court after his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison – though he ultimately spent less than two years behind bars. What got him freed? In February 1962, he and Soviet agent Rudolf Abel became the subjects of the first “spy swap” between America and the Soviet Union.
Today in 1961, Ty Cobb succumbed to prostate cancer at the age of 74. Cobb was considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time.
Today in 1972, Susan Lynn Roley and Joanne E Pierce were sworn in as the first women FBI agents.
Today in 1975, an Apollo spaceship docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit. It was the first link up between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Today in 1981, the film, "Arthur," starring Dudley Moore as the loveable drunken millionaire who falls for a shoplifter (played by Liza Minelli), opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1981, 114 people were killed when a pair of walkways above the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed during a "tea dance."
Today in 1984, President Reagan signed a bill giving states until October 1st, 1986, to raise the legal drinking age to 21, or face a 5% cut in federal highway funds.
Today in 1987, the film, "Robocop," starring Peter Weller, opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1987, the 50-year-old Walt Disney movie classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", was re-released. The film was the most popular animated film in motion picture history. It grossed almost $20-million in its first two weeks of re-release.
Today in 1990, the Minnesota Twins became the first team in major league history to pull off two triple plays in one night. The Twins were playing the Red Sox at Boston's Fenway Park.
Today in 1991, the U.S. Senate stealthily voted 53-to-45 to give itself a $23,200 pay raise – while at the same time banning outside speaking fees.
Today in 1995, “Forbes” announced Bill Gates as the richest man in world…with a net worth of $12.9-billion dollars. Fast forward? At last check, At last check, his current net worth is about $112-billion.
Today in 1996, the Paris-bound flight, TWA 800, exploded and crashed off Long Island, New York, shortly after leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 230 people aboard.
Today in 1997, after 117 years in business, the Woolworth Corporation closed its last 400 stores.
Today in 1998, prosecutors in the Monica Lewinsky case questioned President Clinton's Secret Service agents before a grand jury. This, after Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist denied an extension of the temporary stay.
Today in 1998, the movie, "The Mask of Zorro," starring Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins, opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1999, a search began for the missing plane that was carrying John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, on a flight from New Jersey to Massachusetts. The plane had crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard the night before, killing all three aboard.
Today in 2005, Tiger Woods won his tenth major, winning the British Open Championship by five strokes. He became only the second golfer in history to win each major more than once.
Today in 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 crashed upon landing during rain in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The incident marked Brazil’s deadliest aviation accident in history with 199 deaths.
Today in 2009, legendary CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite died from a stroke in New York at the age of 92.
Today in 2013, U2 singer Bono was named a Commandeur of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettre (the Frenchie version of being knighted in Britain).
Today in 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed over Eastern Ukraine killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. And while the Russian has continually put the blame on Ukrainians, it’s been widely accepted that Russian separatist troops were responsible.
Today in 2014, Eric Garner, an unarmed black man accused of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, died shortly after being wrestled to the ground by New York City police officers. He had been put in an unauthorized chokehold by officer Daniel Pantaleo. A video of the takedown showed Garner repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” (Garner’s family received $5.9-million from the city in 2015 to settle a wrongful death claim.)
Today in 2015, Marvel's "Ant-Man", starring Paul Rudd, arrived in theaters nationwide.
Today in 2015, scientists solved mystery of so-called "sleeping sickness" in two villages in northern Kazakhstan - uranium mining had caused increase in carbon monoxide.
Today in 2018, the oldest evidence of bread, made from wild grains, was discovered by archaeologists in 14,000 year-old dig in the Black Desert, Jordan. What was it? A pita.
Today in 2018, amid criticism from within his own party, President Donald Trump said he had simply misspoken when he said during his summit with Vladimir Putin that he saw no reason to believe Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.
Today in 2019, Mexican drug cartel head Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in New York.
Today in 2019, Bulgaria announced that five-million people – virtually every adult – had their personal information exposed after national tax agency hacked.