| In 1879, milk was sold in glass bottles for the first time in the U.S. They were introduced by the Echo
Farms Dairy Co. of New York.
Milk bottles are reusable glass bottles used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh milk by milkmen. Customers were expected to rinse the empty bottles and leave on the doorstep for collection. The standard size of a bottle was 1 pint or 1 quart, although cream may be delivered in smaller bottles. Before milk bottles, milkmen filled the customers' jugs. British milk bottles were first produced by the Express Dairy Company in 1880. They were delivered by horse-drawn carts and delivered four times a day. The first bottles used a porcelain stopper top held on by wire. In 1889, Anthony Hailwood developed a pasteurisation process for milk which allowed it to be sterilized and be safely stored for longer periods. Milk could now be delivered once a day. |
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| Invention of the ice cream soda is usually attributed to Robert M. Green, who operated a soda water concession in Philadelphia. Green, who sold a mix of carbonated water, cream, and syrup, apparently ran out of cream and substituted ice cream, hoping his customers wouldn't notice. But they did, and his daily sales climbed from $6 to $600! |
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| The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was authorized in April 1935 to put unemployed workers back to work on public projects. The WPA not only created manual labor jobs in construction and other industries, it also created jobs for white-collar workers and helped those in the performing and fine arts. |  |
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| "One World" was a plea for international peacekeeping after the war. Extremely popular, the book sold millions of copies and helped to bring the U.S. out of its isolationist slumber. Also in 1943, together with Eleanor Roosevelt and other Americans concerned about the mounting threats to peace and democracy, Wilkie helped to establish Freedom House. |  |
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| Estimated at 7 billion square miles, or an area of 6100 millionths of the Sun's visible hemisphere. Sunspots are areas of somewhat cooler surface than the surrounding solar gases, and appear as dark spots on the solar surface. Astronomers measure the sizes of sunspots as millionth fractions of the Sun's visible area. Typically, a big sunspot measures 300 to 500 millionths, whereas the entire surface area of the Earth is only 169 millionths of the solar disk. |  |
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| "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake" spent 10 weeks at number 1. It was so popular that there were four more hit versions by various artists including Georgia Gibbs and even a duet by Ethel Merman and Ray Bolger. |  |
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| The domestic struggles of Truman's last year in office sometimes seemed like those of his first. In April 1952, workers and management in the steel industry failed to agree to terms, and a strike loomed. A frustrated Truman seized the mills. The courts invalidated the seizure, and a strike began. After more than seven weeks, the president convinced the parties to settle -- at terms nearly identical to those proposed months before. The episode seemed to characterize Truman's domestic reform -- contention, more contention, and little glory. |
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| A Musical in Two Acts, 15 Scenes. Book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields.
Music by Arthur Schwartz. Lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
"By the Beautiful Sea" moved October 4, 1954 to the Imperial Theatre and closed November 27, 1954 after 270 performances. |
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| In 1959 baritone Richard F. Knauss conceived the idea of putting together a Pittsburgh
supergroup when he heard bass Fred Johnson sing. They added second tenor Gene J. Bricker from a third group
and soon found their first tenor, Ron “Bingo” Mundy. The toughest part was finding an exciting lead, but
when they heard Cornelius Harp they knew they had something special.
Stu Phillips, A&R director for Colpix, liked their demo tape enough to bring the group to New York. Though he was under orders to concentrate solely on another act, he liked the Marcels so much he snuck them into the studio after the other artist’s session. Stu asked them to do “Heart and Soul” but no one knew the song, so they opted for an evergreen called “Blue Moon.” The recording was done in two takes, which was lucky for the Marcels since they only had eight minutes left in the studio. An overzealous promo man for Colpix heard the Marcels master and played it for WINS disc jockey Murray the K. The soon-to-be “fifth Beatle” was so knocked out by it he reportedly played “Blue Moon” 26 times during his four-hour show. Even the label wasn’t prepared for what happened next. In four weeks it was number one on both the Pop and R&B charts, having pushed no less than Elvis Presley out of the top spot. |
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| Known as "Cowboy Steve," Brooks grew up breaking and riding horses and became a professional
jockey in 1938. He was the top money winner with $1,316,817 in 1949, when he rode Ponder to victory in the Kentucky
Derby. Shortly afterward, he rode eight mounts at Churchill Downs, winning six races, placing second once,
and placing third in the eighth race. As a jockey for Calumet Farms, Brooks won the prestigious Hollywood Gold Cup aboard Citation in 1951 and was also the rider in Citation's final race, when the horse became the first in history to win more than $1 million. |
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| Gemini 1 was the first unmanned test flight of the Gemini spacecraft. Its main objectives were to test the structural integrity of the new spacecraft and modified Titan II. It would also be the first test of the new tracking and communication systems for the Gemini program and provided training for the ground support crews for the first manned missions. |  |
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| A Soviet Communist politician, Brezhnev rose in the Communist Party under Khruschev to become Soviet President - then a powerless position - in 1960. In October 1964 he helped lead the overthrow of Khruschev and became General Secretary of the Communist Party, the most important position in the hierarchy. Brezhnev reversed many of Khruschev's internal reforms, stiffened controls on society and reinforced party authority. |  |
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| 1967 became The Turtles' most successful year in the charts, with another song written by Bonner and Gordon, "She'd Rather Be With Me", which reached #3 on the US charts in the late spring, and actually outcharted "Happy Together" overseas. Two other top-15 singles followed, "You Know What I Mean", and "She's My Girl", which marked a shift by the band towards psychedelic music as the genre became more popular. Golden Hits was released later that year, charting in the top 10. |
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| In addition, both the National Basketball League and National Hockey League postponed their playoffs. |
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| The melody (piano intro) was taken from Humphrey Lyttelton's 50s British jazz classic
titled"Bad Penny Blues," combined with the rock n' roll horn section, made the perfect marriage for this song
at a time when 50s rock was making its reappearance. It should be noted that "Bad Penny Blues," was also
produced by Sir George Martin. And, using the melody of another was no big deal because this is all The
Beatles used, and you can't copyright a rhythm, plus Lyttelton borrowed the same melody from Dan Burley.
Written primarily by Paul, the song was a celebration of motherhood. Paul got the idea when one day he was looking through an African magazine and saw a picture of an African lady with a baby. The caption read, "Mountain Madonna." Paul said to himself, this isn't right, it should be "Lady Madonna, and from this write the song. |
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| The Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City in 1955 but after thirteen unlucky seasons, the A's continued westward to Oakland. Baseball plugged the gap left by the A's departure by awarding Kansas City a franchise under the aegis of pharmaceutical magnate Ewing Kauffman. The team was named the Royals as a respectful nod to the legacy of the legendary Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League. |
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| Montreal was on a solid winning streak in the late 1960's. The World's Fair, called Expo '67
was a success, the city opened a new subway system and it won the bid for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games.
To top it off, they also won one of the four expansion franchises awarded by Major League Baseball for 1969.
On the field, the Expos had a heck of a first ten days. They won their inaugural game by outslugging the New York Mets 11-10 at Shea Stadium on April 8, 1969. On April 14, they thrilled fans at Jarry Park by beating the Cardinals 8-7 in the first Major League game played outside the United States. The topper came on April 17 when Bill Stoneman threw a 7-0 no-hitter against the Phillies. The Expos snapped up veteran talent in the expansion draft, including Maury Wills, Ron Fairly and "Le Grande Orange" — the nickname given to Rusty Staub for his red hair and the seventy-eight home runs he hit in his three seasons in Montreal. |
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| With constant sunshine, warm weather and a rich history in the Pacific Coast League, San Diego was a natural choice for a Major League expansion team in 1969. The franchise was awarded to a local business entrepreneur named C. Arnholt Smith and the Padres opened their history with a 2-1 win over Houston on April 9, 1969. |
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| Seattle was awarded one of the four expansion franchises given out by baseball for
its centennial celebration in 1969. Former college and minor league players Dewey and Max Soriano were the
recipients, backed by the money of William Daley, a former owner of the Cleveland Indians, who had once
considered moving the Indians to the northwest. The Seattle Pilots lived only one year, finishing in last place in the American League West at 64-98. |
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| In April 1970, New York State enacted a law permitting local communities to operate pari-mutuel off-track betting facilities. New York City OTB was the first, which started in 1971. Schenectady OTB followed in 1971, and then Western OTB commenced in 1974. Nassau OTB opened its first branch on January 31, 1975 followed by Suffolk OTB in April 1975 and Catskill OTB in 1976. At the time, simulcasting consisted of an audio signal, which was transmitted to the betting facilities. Simulcasting a live audiovisual signal was first authorized by the State Legislature in 1984 on an experimental basis and was extended permanently in 1990. |
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| America formed in 1970 in England as the sons of Air Force military men. The trio wrote some of the seventies most beautifully crafted songs, merging both elements of folk and rock. Their first hit "A Horse With No Name" became a huge hit in 1972, soon to be followed by "Sandman" and "I Need You" all of which were on their debut top selling album "America". |  |
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| The largest crowd in Braves history (53,775) watched Hank Aaron break the record on April 8, 1974 with a home run in the 4th inning off Los Angeles pitcher Al Downing. The ball landed in the Braves bullpen where reliever Tom House caught it. While cannons were firing in celebration and Aaron rounded the bases, two college students appeared and ran alongside of him before security stepped in. Aaron's mother ran onto the field and into the arms of her son, tears brimming in her eyes. Mrs. Aaron wasn't just proud of her son; she rushed the plate because she thought her son had been shot. On October 2, 1974, Aaron hit his 733rd and final home run as a Brave. |
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| Jackie Robinson opened the door to Major League baseball's clubhouse. And in 1975, Frank
Robinson opened the door to the manager's office, and called it his own. Robinson, the Reds and Orioles great, was nearing the end of his playing days when he got the call he had been waiting for: the Indians wanted him to manage, and play, in Cleveland. The hiring of Robinson broke another big racial barrier, and made banner headline news. But Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to downplay the event. "I'm not going to get up and shout that this is something for baseball to be exceptionally proud of," he said, "because it is so long overdue." Overdue, yes, but still a great moment: Opening Day, Cleveland. Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel, throws out the first ball. Frank Robinson steps to the plate in the bottom of the first inning. Figuring that leading by example is as good as any other technique, he hit a home run. The Indians won his debut, 5-3, over the Yankees, and Robinson led the Indians to their first winning season since 1968. |
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| 1977’s "Saturday Night Fever" prompted a cultural revolution, became the highest selling
soundtrack in history with No. 1 hits "Stayin’ Alive," "Night Fever" and "How Deep Is Your Love," and made the
Bee Gees the biggest group in the world. It was followed in 1978 by "Spirits Having Flown" which sold 20 million
copies and produced 3 more million selling singles ("Too Much Heaven," "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out").
The Bee Gees are unique in British history, having scored No. 1 chart singles in each of four decades (60’s. 70’s, 80’s, 90’s). |
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| Stunts and contests were a mainstay of Top 40 broadcasting, with stay-awake marathons among the most popular. Peter Tripp did a 206-hour marathon for WMGM in 1958. But in 1981, Larry "Snortin'" Norton - then the midday jock at Buffalo's 97 Rock WGRF) - set out to stay on the air for 484 consecutive hours. Under the rules set by the Guiness Book of World Records, Norton could take a five-minute break every hour, or save up those breaks and take a two-hour rest every day. That's what he did, sleeping from 2-4 a.m. and broadcasting for 22 consecutive hours for 20 straight days. When it was over, Norton got a well-deserved trip to the Virgin Islands and yes, some sleep. |
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| One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his ML debut but lasts only 42/3 innings in California's 70 loss to Seattle. Abbott, who bypassed the minors completely after starring at the University of Michigan, will finish the season 12-12 with a 3.92 ERA, the most ML wins in a first pro season since the Browns Ernie Wingard won 13 in his 1st pro season, in 1925. |  |
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| The group took their name after the movie 'The Fine Young Cannibals' (1960) staring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood. Their first hit in 1985 was 'Johnny come home,' Their biggest hit was 'She drives me crazy' from their million selling album 'The raw and the cooked.' |  |
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| Punch was costing £40,000 ($58,000) per issue to produce but subscriptions had sunk
to only 6,000, he said.
Punch was launched in the summer of 1841, at a time of an upsurge in radical politics, and took a stance as the "defender of the oppressed and scourge of all authority." Punch's heyday came in the 1940s, when its circulation peaked at 175,000 per issue. |
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1766 First fire escape patented, wicker basket
on a pulley & chain
1862 John D Lynde patents aerosol dispenser
1879 Milk is sold in glass bottles for first time
More ...
1893 The "Critic" reports that the ice
cream soda is our national drink
More ...
1935 Works Progress Administration approved by
Congress
More ...
1943 Wendell Wilkie’s "One World"
was published for the first time.
More ...
1947 Largest recorded sunspot (7,000) observed.
More ...
1950 “If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked
a Cake" by Eileen Barton topped the charts
More ...
1952 President Harry Truman seizes the steel mills
to prevent a strike
More ...
1954 "By the Beautiful Sea" opens at
the Majestic Theater on Broadway
More ...
1961 "Blue Moon" by The Marcels topped
the charts.
More ...
1963 Steve Brooks became only the fifth race jockey
to ride 4,000 career winners.
More ...
1964 Unmanned Gemini 1 launched
More ...
1966 Leonid Brezhnev elected Secretary-General
of communist party
More ...
1967 "Happy Together" by the Turtles
topped the charts
More ...
1968 Baseball's Opening Day is postponed because
of Martin Luther King Jr assassination
More ...
1968 The Beatles receive a gold record for the
single, "Lady Madonna".
More ...
1969 Expansion teams
Royals,
Expos,
Padres &
Pilots
win their first games
1971 First legal off-track betting system begins
(OTB-New York)
More ...
1972 "A Horse with No Name" by America
topped the charts
More ...
1974 Hammerin' Hank Aaron hits 715th homerun,
breaks Babe Ruth's record
More ...
1975 Frank Robinson debuts as first black baseball
manager
More ...
1978 "Night Fever" by The Bee Gees topped
the charts
More ...
1981 Larry "Snortin" Norton from WGRQ-FM,
on the air for 20 days, four hours.
More ...
1989 1-handed pitcher Jim Abbott debut but lasts
only 4 2/3 innings
More ...
1989 "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young
Cannibals topped the charts
More ...
1991 Oakland A's Stadium becomes first outdoor
arena to ban smoking
1992 After 151 years Britain's "Punch Magazine"
final issue
More ...
1994 Smoking banned in Pentagon & all US military
bases
1997 Microsoft Corp releases Internet Explorer
4.0
1997 Hooshan Bral received a patent for an automatically
rinsing baby bottle