Today in history

1851 Isaac Singer was issued a patent on the double-headed sewing machine. 1865 Disinfectant was used for the first time during surgery by Joseph Lister.

1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and made the first sound recording.

1879 The first National Archery Association tournament took place in Chicago, IL.

1918 Regular airmail service began between Washington, DC, and New York City.

1937 Red Skelton appeared on network radio for the first time on the “Rudy Vallee Show” on NBC.

1939 “The Wizard of Oz” premiered in Oconomowoc, WI. Judy Garland became famous for the movie’s song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The movie premiered in Hollywood on August 15th.

1953 The Soviet Union secretly tested its first hydrogen bomb. 1960 The balloon satellite Echo One was launched by the U.S. from Cape Canaveral, FL. It was the first communications satellite.

1964 Mickey Mantle set a major league baseball record when he hit home runs from both the left and ride sides of the plate in the same game.

1969 The Boston Celtics were sold for $6 million. At the time it was the highest price paid for a pro basketball team.

1973 Jack Nicklaus won his 14th major golf title. The win broke the record that had been held by Bobby Jones for 50 years.

1977 The space shuttle Enterprise passed its first solo flight test. 1981 IBM unveiled its first PC.

1986 It was announced by NASA that they had selected a new rocket design for the space shuttle. The move was made in an effort at correcting the flaws that were believed to have been responsible for the Challenger disaster.

1994 Major league baseball players went on strike rather than allow team owners to limit their salaries. The strike lasted for 232 days. As a result, the World Series was wiped out for the first time in 90 years.