Wednesday, June 29

This Day In History

• 1767   The British Parliament approved the Townshend Revenue Acts, which imposed import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea shipped to America.
• 1776   The Virginia state constitution was adopted and Patrick Henry was made governor.
• 1860   The last stone was laid at Minot’s Ledge (Massachusetts) Lighthouse. The stone tower replaced an iron-pile Lighthouse that had been destroyed by a storm in April 1851. The new lighthouse was built of 1,079 blocks (3,514 tons) of Quincy granite dovetailed together and reinforced with iron shafts. Minot’s Light has lasted through countless storms and hurricanes, a testament to its designer and builders. The first 40 feet is solid granite, topped by a storeroom, living quarters and work space.
• 1901   The first edition of "Editor & Publisher" was issued. It was a newspaper for the newspaper industry.
• 1925   A patent for the frosted electric light bulb was filed by Marvin Pipkin.
• 1946   British authorities arrested more than 2,700 Jews in Palestine in an attempt to stamp out alleged terrorism.
• 1966   The United States bombed fuel storage facilities near the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong.
• 1967   Actress Jayne Mansfield, 34, and two male companions died when their car struck a trailer truck east of New Orleans.
• 1972   The Supreme Court ruled the death penalty could constitute ''cruel and unusual punishment.''
• 1992   A divided Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to abortion, but the justices also weakened the right as defined by the Roe v. Wade decision.
• 1995   For the first time, a U.S. space shuttle (Atlantis) linked up with a Russian space station (Mir). They remained docked until July 4. The joined craft were visible from earth as a fast-moving, shiny, star and carried a record 10 people (6 Americans and 4 Russians).
• 1995   A department store in Seoul, South Korea, collapsed, killing 501 people and injuring more than 900.
• 2001   U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was elected to a second term.
• 2002   President Bush transferred presidential powers to Vice President Dick Cheney for more than two hours during a routine colon screening that ended in a clean bill of health.
• 2002   Singer Rosemary Clooney died at age 74.
• 2003   Actress Katharine Hepburn died at age 96.

Happy Birthday To

• 1861   Dr. William Mayo (physician, surgeon; founder [w/sons William and Charles] of the Mayo Clinic [Rochester MN]; died in 1939)
• 1901   Nelson Eddy (actor, singer [w/Jeannette MacDonald])
• 1919   Slim Pickens (Louis Bert Lindley Jr.) (actor: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Howling, The Apple Dumpling Gang, In Harm’s Way, One-Eyed Jacks, The Outlaws, Hee Haw; Cowboy Hall of Famer; died Dec 8, 1983)
• 1944   Gary Busey (actor)
• 1948   Fred Grandy (actor: The Love Boat; politician: U.S. congressman)