History of All Kinds

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Wednesday August 5,2026

1884
- On Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid.

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

1923 - Henry Sullivan became the first American to swim across the English Channel.

1957 - American Bandstand made its network debut on ABC-TV. The show was hosted by Dick Clark.

1963 - The Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. The treaty banned nuclear tests in space, underwater, and in the atmosphere.

1969 - The Mariner 7, a U.S. space probe, passed by Mars. Photographs and scientific data were sent back to Earth.

1984 - Torontos Cliff Johnson set a major league baseball record by hitting the 19th pinch-hit home run in his career.
 


Aug 6, 2012

NASAs robotic vehicle Curiosity (also called Mars Science Laboratory) landed on Mars and soon began transmitting images of the planet’s surface.

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Today is Thursday, August 6, 2026

The History of Today

1879 - The first Australian rules football game to be played at night took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was to promote the introduction of electricity to the city of Melbourne.

1890 - The electric chair was used for the first time when Auburn State Prison in New York executed convicted murderer William Kemmler.

1914 - Austria-Hungary declared war against Russia. Serbia declared war against Germany.

1945 - The American B-29 bomber, known as the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb on an inhabited area. The bomb named "Little Boy" was dropped over the center of Hiroshima, Japan. An estimated 140,000 people were killed.

1960 - Chubby Checker performed "The Twist" on American TV for the first time on "American Bandstand."

1962 - Jamaica became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.

1996 - NASA announced the discovery of evidence of primitive life on Mars. The evidence came in the form of a meteorite that was found in Antarctica. The meteorite was believed to have come from Mars and contained a fossil.
 
Today is Friday, August 7, 2026

The History of Today

1789 - The U.S. War Department was established by the U.S. Congress.

1888 - Theophilus Van Kannel received a patent for the revolving door.

1914 - Germany invaded France.

1963 - The movie "Beach Party" debuted.

1974 - French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.

1989 - A small plane carrying U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland, D-TX, and 15 others disappeared during a flight in Ethiopia. The wreckage of the plane was found six days later. There were no survivors.

1998 - The U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were bombed killing 224 people and injuring over 5,500. Osama bin Laden was later indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in connection with the attacks.

1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres got his 3,000th hit of his major league career.



 
Today is Saturday, August 8, 2026

The History of Today

1588 - The Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet ending an invasion attempt.

1945 - During World War II, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan.

1963 - The "Great Train Robbery" took place in Britain. A gang of 15 thieves stole 2.6 million pounds in bank notes.

1975 - Hank Williams, Jr. fell 500 feet down a mountain in Montana. After, two years of surgeries he returned to music.

1992 - James Hetfield (Metallica) was injured by a stage explosion at a concert in Montreal. A riot occurred at the same show when Axl Rose cut Guns 'N' Roses' set short because of a sore throat.

1999 - Wade Boggs got his 3,000th hit of his major league baseball career.

2000 - The submarine H.L. Hunley was raised from ocean bottom after 136 years. The sub had been lost during an attack on the U.S.S. Housatonic in 1864. The Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink a warship.
 


Aug 8, 2026

Max Scherzer passed Walter Johnson (the Big Train) for sole possession of 10th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list, recording the 3,516th punchout of his career with a sixth-inning K of Kyle Schwarber during Saturday night’s 7-5 win at Citizens Bank Park.

My man Mad Max has a heart the size of Texas. He pitches like every batter insulted his family, and his dog. Beneath all that fire, he’s one of the most respected, loyal, team‑first guys in the game. Despite his intensity, players, coaches and managers across the league, hitters included, speak of Max with nothing but respect. They see him as a throwback, the kind of player who would’ve fit right in during the Big Train’s era.

As much as I admire Max, Walter Johnson will always be the strikeout king in my book. The Big Train played in an era when hitters didn’t fan 100-200+ times a season. During Walter Johnson's era, power hitters were rare. Most hitters focused on making consistent contact, taking pride in avoiding strikeouts.

The greatest hitter of all time - Ty Cobb describing the first time he ever faced Johnson. “Something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger.” Cobb thought Johnson was just a tall, awkward rookie… until that first pitch took his breath away.

Ty Cobb talking about the greatest pitcher he ever faced. “We couldn’t touch him… every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ballpark.” That’s Ty Cobb - the fiercest competitor of his era - admitting Johnson overpowered the entire Tigers lineup. Ty Cobb respected almost no one. But Walter Johnson? He talked about him like a force of nature.

One final Ty Cobb quote about the Big Train. This one appears on Walter Johnson’s Hall of Fame page - that’s how iconic it is. “Just speed, raw speed, blinding speed, too much speed.”
 
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Today is Sunday, August 9, 2026

The History of Today

1854 - "Walden" was published by Henry David Thoreau.

1936 - Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics. He was the first American to win four medals in one Olympics.

1965 - Singapore proclaimed its independence from the Malaysian Federation.

1969 - Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered at Tate's residence in Los Angeles, CA. Charles Manson and several members of his cult were later convicted of the crime.

1981 - Major league baseball teams resumed play at the conclusion of the first mid-season players’ strike.

1989 - 112 people were killed when a train fell into the San Rafael River in Mexico. The incident was caused by a bridge that collapsed.

 
Aug 9, 1930

On this day in 1930, Betty Boop made her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes. She already had her signature curls, big eyes, and “boop-oop-a-doop” catchphrase—but there was one small difference: she was a dog. Over the next year she transformed into the flapper icon audiences know today, later surviving a famous lawsuit over the inspiration for her unforgettable voice and style.

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Today is Monday, August 10, 2026

The History of Today

1792 - King Louis XVI was taken into custody by mobs during the French Revolution. He was executed the following January after being put on trial for treason.

1846 - The Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the U.S. Congress. The "Nation's Attic" was made possible by $500,000 given by scientist Joseph Smithson.

1947 - William Odom completed an around-the-world flight. He set the solo record by completing the flight in 73 hours and 5 minutes.

1948 - On ABC, "Candid Camera" made its TV debut. The original title was "Candid Microphone."

1954 - Elvis Presley made an appearance in Memphis where he debuted "That's All Right (Mama)."

1977 - The "Son of Sam," David Berkowitz, was arrested in Yonkers, NY. Berkowitz, a postal employee, had shot and killed six people and wounded seven others.

1981 - Pete Rose hit a single and broke the National League all-time hit record with his 3,630 hit.

1988 - U.S. President Reagan signed a measure that provided $20,000 payments to Japanese-Americans who were interned by the U.S. government during WW2


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