Saturday, August 13, 2005

Saturday, August 13

This Day In History

  • 1521   Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez captured present-day Mexico City from the Aztec Indians.
  • 1704   The Battle of Blenheim was fought during the War of the Spanish Succession, resulting in a victory for English and Austrian forces.
  • 1784   The Continental Congress met for the final time in Annapolis, Maryland. It moved a few more times, from Philadelphia, PA to New York City and, finally, to its permanent seat of government in Washington, DC.
  • 1818   Suffragist Lucy Stone was born in West Brookfield, Mass.
  • 1889   William Gray of Hartford, CT patented the coin-operated telephone.
  • 1899   Movie director Alfred Hitchcock was born in London.
  • 1907   The first taxicab took to the streets of New York City.
  • 1931   Elk City, Oklahoma dedicated its new community hospital. It was the first of its kind in the United States.
  • 1932   Adolf Hitler rejected the post of vice-chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out ''for all or nothing.''
  • 1934   The comic strip ''Li'l Abner,'' created by Al Capp, made its debut.
  • 1942   Walt Disney's animated feature ''Bambi'' premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
  • 1960   The first two-way telephone conversation by satellite took place with the help of Echo 1, a balloon satellite.
  • 1981   President Ronald Reagan signed a historic package of tax and budget reductions in a ceremony at his California ranch .
  • 1995   Baseball hall-of-famer Mickey Mantle died of liver cancer at age 63.
  • 2003   Libya agreed to set up a $2.7 billion fund for families of 270 people killed in the 1988 Pan Am bombing.
Happy Birthday To
  • 1422   William Caxton (printer: 1st to print a book in English language: Recuyell of the Histories of Troy; died in 1491)
  • 1818   Lucy Stone (women’s rights activist: member of first Woman’s Rights Convention [1850]; founded [w/husband]: American Suffrage Association; died Oct 18, 1893)
  • 1860   Annie Oakley (Phoebe Anne Oakley Mozee) (sharpshooter, performer: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show; died Nov 3, 1926)
  • 1895   Bert Lahr (Irving Lahrheim) (actor: The Wizard of Oz, Rose Marie, Ship Ahoy, The Night They Raided Minsky’s; died Dec 4, 1967)
  • 1899   Alfred (Joseph) Hitchcock (‘The Master of Suspense’: director: Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds, Rear Window, Rebecca, To Catch a Thief, Frenzy, Notorious, Suspicion, The Thirty-Nine Steps; TV host: Alfred Hitchcock Presents; died Apr 29, 1980)
  • 1912   Ben Hogan (golf champion: Masters [1951, 1953], U.S. Open [1948, 1950, 1951, 1953], British Open [1953], PGA [1946, 1948]; died July 25, 1997)
  • 1926   Fidel Castro (Ruz) (Cuban guerrilla/dictator)
  • 1929   Pat Harrington (Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor: One Day at a Time [1983-84]; The Jack Paar Show, The Steve Allen Show, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, The Danny Thomas Show)
  • 1930   Don Ho (singer: Tiny Bubbles; Waikiki entertainer, host: The Don Ho Show)

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