This week!

It happened

● Disney’s animated film Pocahontas arrived in theaters nationwide in 1995. Loosely based on the true story of a Native American princess and an English soldier’s struggle to bring about peace between settlers and her tribe— the movie was released on the 400th anniversary of the real Pocahontas’ birth!

● The highest observation deck in the U.S., the Sears Tower Skydeck, opened in Chicago in 1974. On a clear day, visibility is more than 40 miles, making it easy to see four states— Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan!

● The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940. Today, the home of the Blizzard has more than 6,000 restaurants worldwide, yet— just like CocaCola and Kfc—the recipe for its soft-serve ice cream is so secret, it’s kept in a safe deposit box for which there are only a few keys!

● The first major exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s artwork—75 paintings total— opened in Paris in 1901. In what was truly a self-fulfilling prophecy, the first word uttered by the artist who would ultimately create over 50,000 drawings, paintings and sculptures was “lapis,” Spanish for pencil!

● Three-time Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep was born in Summit, New Jersey, in 1949. After she overslept and missed her law school interview, she considered it an omen, and decided to study drama instead!

● The most popular song in the English language—“Happy Birthday to You”— was published in 1893. The song started off as a classroom greeting called “Good Morning to All” before the lyrics were changed in 1924. Before entering the public domain, it generated more than $2 million in royalties annually!

Photos: courtesy of vendor (8); Brent N. Clarke/filmmagic; Buena Vista Pictures/photofest; istockphoto.com; Photodisc/getty Images; istockphoto.com; shutterstock.com; E+/getty Images.