Today in history

1869 Mary Ellen “Mammy” Pleasant officially became the Vodoo Queen in San Francisco, CA.

1896 Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary MA degree from Howard University.

1922 The American Professional Football Association took the name of The National Football League.

1940 TV cameras were used for the first time in a political convention as the Republicans convened in Philadelphia, PA.

1941 U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt pledged all possible support to the Soviet Union.

1947 Kenneth Arnold reported seeing flying saucers over Mt. Rainier, Washington.

1964 The Federal Trade Commission announced that starting in 1965, cigarette manufactures would be required to include warnings on their packaging about the harmful effects of smoking.

1968 “Resurrection City,” a shantytown constructed as part of the Poor People’s March on Washington D.C., was closed down by authorities.

1971 The National Basketball Association modified its fouryear eligibility rule to allow for collegiate hardship cases.

1982 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that no president could be sued for damages connected with actions taken while serving as President of the United States.

1986 The Empire State Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

1997 The U.S. Air Force released a report titled “The Roswell Report, Case Closed” that dismissed the claims that an alien spacecraft had crashed in Roswell, NM, in 1947.

1998 AT&T Corp. struck a deal to buy cable TV giant TeleCommunications Inc. for $31.7 billion.

1998 Walt Disney World Resort admitted its 600-millionth guest. 2002 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juries, not judges, must make the decision to give a convicted killer the death penalty.

2010 Apple released the iPhone 4.