On this date in . . .
1929: At the Victor Records studio in New York
City, Jimmie Rodgers recorded 11 songs, including "Desert Blues" and "Any
Old Time." He was already America’s first country music superstar.
1947:
Edwin Land demonstrated his
Polaroid Land camera, which could produce a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds.
1964: A company in Britain exported 24-thousand
rolls of Beatles wallpaper to the U.S.
1965: The Rolling Stones released their third
single, Buddy Holly’s "Not Fade Away." It became the group’s first Top
Ten British hit.
1970:
The Jackson-5 made its TV debut on
"American Bandstand."
1983: Donald Davis set a world record at the
University of Hawaii by running a mile backwards in 6 minutes 7.1 seconds.
1984: Meeting in New York, toy manufacturers showed
off their top dolls of the year, including Menudo, Michael Jackson, and Mr. T. dolls, and
Judy Garland from "The Wizard of Oz."
1988: Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart confessed tearfully
to his Baton Rouge congregation that he had sinned. Media reports linked Swaggart to a
prostitute.
1993: An 80-year-old Tel Aviv man refused once
again to grant his wife a divorce. Under Israeli law both spouses must agree to a divorce,
and one who refuses can be imprisoned until he or she consents. Yahiya Avraham had been in
prison for 31 years.
1995:
Chicago adventurer Steve Fossett landed in
Leader, Saskatchewan, after becoming the first person to fly solo across the
Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
1996:
Nutritionists
at the Centre for Science in the Public Interest reported that a typical American family
breakfast of sausage, eggs, bacon and pancakes provided nearly a day's worth of fat and
more than 1,100 calories.
2000: A
Tehran taxi driver was so upset by tough traffic regulations that he walked around in a
hat and full-length dress made from 200 parking tickets. But the protest did no good. The
54-year-old cabby told an Iranian newspaper he was arrested and charged by police with
spreading lies. He was freed on bail.
2000:
David Letterman returned to his
"Late Show" five weeks after emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery
2005:
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush wrapped up their tour of tsunami-ravaged nations with a
visit to the Maldives.
Birthdays:
