On This Date...
In 1991, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics stole his 939th base, making him the all-time leader in that category; the same night, Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitched his seventh career no-hitter (breaking his own record). In 1978, Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, became the first person to reach the North Pole alone. In 1971, Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) was formed to take over U.S. passenger rail service. In 1956, the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was made available to the public; the same day, a doctor in Japan reported an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system," marking the official discovery of Minamata disease. In 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City. In 1930, the dwarf planet Pluto was officially named. In 1927, the first cooked meals on a scheduled flight were introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris. In 1840, the Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom. In 1785, Kamehameha, the king of Hawai'i defeated Kalanikupule and established the Kingdom of Hawai'i. And in 1751, the first cricket match was played in America. Happy Birthday Tim McGraw (1967), Ray Parker Jr. (1954), John Woo (1946), Rita Coolidge (1945), Judy Collins (1939), Art Fleming (1924-1995), Joseph Heller (1923-1999), Jack Paar (1918-2004), Glenn Ford (1916-2006), Louis Nye (1913-2005), Kate Smith (1907-1986) and Calamity Jane (1852-1903). RIP Spike Jones (d. 1965) and David Livingstone (1873).