Saturday, July 28th
On this day:
In 1866, the metric system was authorized for the standardization of weights and measures throughout the United States.
In 1868, the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included people of African heritage who had just been freed from slavery after the Civil War.
In 1875, the first nine-inning Major League Baseball no hitter was pitched by Joe Borden.
In 1896, the community of Miami, Florida, was incorporated.
In 1933, the first singing telegram was delivered. It was a birthday greeting sent by a fan to Hollywood singing star Rudy Vallee.
In 1939, Judy Garland recorded the song “Over the Rainbow.”
In 1939, Dr. William James Mayo died. He was co-founder of the Mayo Clinic.
In 1945, 14 people died when a B-25 bomber crashed into the side of New York’s Empire State Building.
In 1951, Disney’s film “Alice in Wonderland” was released by R-K-O Pictures.
In 1954, The Crew Cuts reached the top of the music charts with their hit “Sh-Boom.” The song is considered by many to be the first rock and roll record.
In 1973, “Six Million Dollar Man” star Lee Majors married Farrah Fawcett of TV’s “Charlie’s Angels.”
In 1978, “National Lampoon’s Animal House” opened in movie theaters around the country. The movie went on to become the highest grossing comedy of its time and launched “Saturday Night Live” cast member John Belushi into superstardom.
In 1982, comedian Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler Jerry Lawler brawled during a live taping of NBC’s “Late Night With David Letterman.” The shouting match, which began with Kaufman’s taunts of the wrestler, escalated into violence as Lawler knocked Kaufman to the floor with a blow to the head. Kaufman retaliated by throwing a cup of coffee on the wrestler. The brawl was later confirmed as a setup.
In 1984, the 23rd Summer Olympic games opened in Los Angeles, California.
In 1998, former White House intern Monica Lewinsky was granted blanket immunity in exchange for providing full testimony to a grand jury investigating President Bill Clinton.
In 2002, a new postage stamp was unveiled bearing the likeness of late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Marshall was the country’s first Black Supreme Court Justice. He served on the court for 24 years until his retirement in 1991. He died in January 1993.
In 2003, from Hollywood to the White House, an outpouring of sentiments flooded television and radio airwaves as fans and admirers weighed in on the death of entertainment legend Bob Hope. Hope died one day earlier of pneumonia. He was 100 years old. Hope’s daughter, Linda Hope, said the comedy legend died just the way his legions of fans would have expected him to: With a smile on his face. She described his final moments as “peaceful and lovely.”
In 2006, Oscar-winning director and actor Mel Gibson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after he was caught speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway in California. He reportedly became abusive and made anti-semitic remarks during his arrest.
In 2009, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, sending her nomination to the full Senate for approval.
In 2015, Walter Palmer admitted to killing the beloved lion, Cecil, In Zimbabwe. The Minnesota dentist paid over 54-thousand dollars for the opportunity to kill Cecil, who was reportedly lured out of a national park. The incident sparked worldwide outrage.
In 2015, prison worker Joyce Mitchell pleaded guilty to helping two men escape from Clinton Correctional Facility. Mitchell provided Richard Matt and David Sweat with tools and was supposed to be their getaway driver when they broke out of the New York facility.
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