Today in history

1776 The American Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington’s troops in New York. 1792 S.L. Mitchell of Columbia College in New York City became the first Professor of Agriculture. 1808 The leather-splitting machine was patented by Samuel Parker. 1847 A 10-hour work day was established for workers in the state of New Hampshire. 1872 The doughnut cutter was patented by John F. Blondel. 1878 The corncob pipe was patented by Henry Tibbe. 1922 Johnny Weissmuller became the first person to swim the 100 meters freestyle in less than a minute. 1935 Norman Bright ran the two mile event in the record time of 9 minutes, 13.2 seconds at a meet in New York City. 1951 U.S. President Truman asked Congress to formally end the state of war between the United States and Germany. 1953 New York Airways began the first commuter passenger service by helicopter. 1968 The first All-Star baseball game to be played indoors took place at the Astrodome in Houston, TX. 1985 Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals was named the Most Valuable Player in the United States Football League (USFL). 1985 Joe Namath signed a five-year pact with ABC-TV to provide commentary for “Monday Night Football”. 1997 Mike Tyson was banned from the boxing ring and fined $3 million for biting the ear of opponent Evander Holyfield. 2005 Danny Way, a daredevil skateboarder, rolled down a large ramp and jumped across the Great Wall of China. He was the first person to clear the wall without motorized aid.