It happened This week!

● President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation making Hawaii the nation’s 50th state in 1959. Although Americans consume more coffee than any other country in the world, Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows it, producing seven to nine million pounds of Kona and other coffee beans each year!

● Disney’s animated comedy Valiant— the story of a lowly wood pigeon who dreams of serving his country in Great Britain’s Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service—was released in theaters in 2005. Set in the year 1944, it’s based on the true stories of hundreds of pigeons that helped the Allies win World War II. In fact, after the war, 32 pigeons were awarded U.K. bronze medals for gallantry!

● Hollywood heartthrob John Stamos— best known as General Hospital’s Blackie Parrish and Uncle Jesse on Full House— was born in Cypress, California, in 1963. While pursuing his dream of becoming an actor and musician, Stamos supported himself flipping burgers at his family’s fast-food eateries— a job he kept for several months even after his big soap-opera break!

● Women won the right to vote when Congress ratified the 19th Amendment in 1920— by a single vote! Young Tennessee legislator Harry Burn had a last-minute change of heart and cast the deciding “yes” vote after receiving a letter from his mother asking him to “hurry and vote for suffrage.”

● The blockbuster hit Dirty Dancing twirled its way into theaters in 1987. The love story between Baby (Jennifer Grey) and her dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) became an instant classic. Although their on-screen chemistry is convincing, in reality, Swayze had to beg Grey to be in the film, which she was considering turning down because she’d so disliked working with him in the past!

Photos: courtesy of vendor (11); Warner Bros/courtesy of Everett Collection; Artisan Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection; Hemis.fr Rm/getty Images; Mediabakery; Backup-images.com; E+/ Getty Images; Mike Marsland/ Wireimage; Flickr Select/getty Images.