Today in 1844, in Hartford, Connecticut, Dr. Horace Wells convinced Dr. John Riggs to pull one of Wells’ teeth out after administering nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The operation was a success, though Wells in fact, didn’t need his tooth removed. It was the first public demonstration of dental anesthesia.
Today in 1884, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain was first published in the UK and Canada. Due to printing error, it wasn’t published in the United States until February 1885.
Today in 1896, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel died. He made most of his fortune from his invention of dynamite, and used it to start the Nobel Prizes. The first Nobel Prizes were handed out on this day in 1901.
Today in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Today in 1919, NL voted to ban the spitball's use by all new pitchers.
Today in 1920,the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Woodrow Wilson. Though in truth, he had been tapped to receive the honor a year earlier for his work on founding the League of Nations (which was created to ensure world peace after the slaughter of millions of people in the First World War)
Today in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the civil rights movement.
Today in 1992, Senator Bob Packwood of Oregon apologized for “plain wrong” sexual advances towards female employees, but refused to resign. He told the conference at the Capital, “I just didn’t get it. I do now.” Fast forward to 1995…when he was about to be expelled from the Senate…and Packwood finally gave up and stepped down.
Today in 1998, a judge approved the House Judiciary Committee’s articles of impeachment against President Clinton. Democrats vowed opposition after lawyers clashed in closing arguments over alleged "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Today in 1999, after three years under suspicion of being a spy for China, computer scientist Wen Ho Lee indicted on charges of removing secrets from the Los Alamos weapons lab. Lee later plead guilty to one count of downloading restricted data to tape and was freed. The other 58 counts were
Today in 2008, Gary Sinise, who played the fictional "Lieutenant Dan" in “Forest Gump,” was honored with the Presidential Freedom Medal from President Bush in the Oval Office.
Today in 2009, President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
Today in 2013, Mary Barra of General Motors became the first female CEO of a major automotive company.
Today in 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growth, sale and use of marijuana.
Today in 2015, scientists at Cornell University announced world's first IVF puppies successfully born from a surrogate dog.