This Day In History

[MedicCook]

August 5th

1861
For the first time, the U.S. government levied an income tax.

1864
Union Adm. David G. Farragut is said to have given his famous order "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" as he led his fleet against Mobile Bay, Ala., during the Civil War.

1884
The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island.

1914
The first electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.

1921
The first play-by-play broadcast of a baseball game was done by Harold Arlin. KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, PA described the action between the Pirates and Philadelphia.

1924
The comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" by Harold Gray made its debut.

1957
"American Bandstand," hosted by Dick Clark, made its network TV debut on ABC.

1960
For the first time two major league baseball clubs traded managers. Detroit traded Jimmy Dykes for Cleveland's Joe Gordon.

1962
Actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home at age 36. Her death was ruled a probable suicide from an overdose of sleeping pills..

1962
Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.

1963
The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union signed the limited Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater.

1969
The U.S. space probe Mariner 7 transmitted pictures of Mars.

1999
Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 500th career homerun. He also set a record for the fewest at-bats to hit the 500 homerun mark.

Birthdays
79 Neil Armstrong Astronaut
64 Loni Anderson Actress ("WKRP in Cincinnati")
62 Rick Derringer Rock singer
53 Maureen McCormick Actress ("The Brady Bunch")
53 Fred Ottman Proffesinal wrestler (Tugboat, Typhoon)
48 Tawney Kitaen Actress
47 Patrick Ewing Basketball Hall of Famer
45 MCA Rapper (The Beastie Boys)
40 smokinjoe69 Cigar Asylum Inmate
36 foomanto Cigar Asylum Inmate
34 Eicca Toppinen Rock musician (Apocalyptica)
32 Eric Hinske Baseball player (New York Yankees)
~ Shadow Cigar Asylum Inmate