Today in history

1908 General Motors was founded by William Crapo “Billy” Durant. The company was formed by merging the Buick and Olds car companies. 1924 Jim Bottomley knocked in 12 runs in a single game setting a major league baseball record. 1940 U.S. President Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, which set up the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history. 1940 Samuel T. Rayburn of Texas was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He served for 17 years. 1953 The St. Louis Browns of the American League were given permission to move to Baltimore, MD, where they became the Baltimore Orioles. 1963 “The Outer Limits” premiered on ABC-TV. 1965 “The Dean Martin Show” debuted on NBC-TV. 1968 “The Andy Griffith Show” was seen for the final time on CBS. 1972 “The Bob Newhart Show” premiered on CBS-TV. 1974 U.S. President Ford announced a conditional amnesty program for draft-evaders and deserters during the Vietnam War. 1976 The Episcopal Church formally approved women to be ordained as priests and bishops. 1987 The Montreal Protocol was signed by 24 countries in an effort to save the Earth’s ozone layer by reducing emissions of harmful chemicals by the year 2000. 1988 Tom Browning pitched the 12th perfect game in major league baseball. 1994 Two astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery went on the first untethered spacewalk in 10 years. 1998 Universal paid $9 million for the rights to the Dr. Seuss classics “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.”