On this date in . . .
1795: The University of North Carolina
became the first U.S. state university to admit students. Hinton James was the only
student on campus the first two weeks.
1937: The NFL Boston Redskins moved to
Washington, D.C.
1959: Mattel toy partner Ruth Handler gave birth to
an 11-inch teenager named Barbie, the first doll with developed breasts. Mattel sells over
20-million Barbies a year.
1965: 16-year-old Peggy Fleming won the
U.S. Ladies Senior Figure Skating Title at Lake Placid, New York.
1967: The Beatles released "Penny Lane" and
"Strawberry Fields Forever" in the U.S.
1972: The musical Grease, starring Barry
Boswick and Adrienne Barbeau opened on Broadway. It became one of Broadways
longest-running shows.
1983: Singer Karen Carpenter died at 32 of
anorexia.
1988: Singer Michael Jackson bought a
ranch in Santa Ynez, California. He named it "Neverland."
1990: TV talk show host Geraldo Rivera said he
would become more socially relevant and investigative, that "the nuts and sluts"
would be on other peoples programs.
2000: The last original Sunday
"Peanuts" comic strip appeared in newspapers. Peanuts creator, artist
Charles M. Schulz, had died the day before.
2002: A man in New Jersey who allegedly
stole dozens of lottery tickets was arrested trying to cash a winning $12.50 ticket.
Stolen ticket serial numbers had been circulated, and a store's alert cashier had the
suspect fill out a claim form with his name and address. Police arrested the 39-year-old
suspect at his home.
2003: Dan Price completed a 4,000-mile
cross-country tricycle ride from his home in Joseph, Oregon, to Key West, Florida, to make
people aware of the benefits of environmentally-friendly travel. He averaged 50 to 60
miles a day, carried a compact tent, and camped out at night.
2003: Clara Harris, who'd run down her
husband with her Mercedes after catching him with his mistress, was convicted by a Houston
jury of murder despite her claim that she'd hit him accidentally while in a daze. She was
sentenced to 20 years in prison.
2005: Ray Charles' final album, "Genius Loves
Company," won eight Grammy awards.
2007:
Dutch police caught a 62-year-old man who had been driving around
for 47 years without a drivers license. The man had managed to avoid getting caught by
passing himself off as his brother, who had a license. His lucky streak ended when police checked his identity
and found he was lying.
Birthdays: