Today in history

1816 Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th American state.

1862 The 1st dental use of nitrous oxide was at Hartford, Ct.

1872 America’s first black governor took office as Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback became acting governor of Louisiana.

1880 Louis Pasteur (57), French scientist, began an experiment to identify the microbe that causes rabies.

1902 Matthias Hohner (b.1833), German clockmaker and harmonica manufacturer, died. He began making harmonicas in 1857. Exports to America began in 1862.

1945 B-29 Superfortress shattered all records by crossing the U.S. in five hours and 27 minutes. 1946 The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established. The organization received a Nobel Prize in 1965.

1951 Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from baseball.

1961 “Please, Mr. Postman” by Marvelettes was released.

1967 The Concorde, a joint British-French venture and the world’s first supersonic airliner, was unveiled in Toulouse, France.

1967 The Concorde, a joint British-French venture and the world’s first supersonic airliner, was unveiled in Toulouse, France.

1972 Challenger, the Lunar Lander for Apollo 17, touched down on the Moon’s surface. It was the last time that men visited the Moon.

1978 Six masked men bound 10 employees at Lufthansa cargo area at NY Kennedy Airport & made off with $5.8 M in cash & jewelry. Nicholas Pileggi wrote “Wise Guys,” which described his participation in the heist. The robbery inspired the movie “Goodfellas.”