On This Date...
In 1999, Nancy Mace became the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel military college. In 1976, the first steel coaster with a vertical flip opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain. In 1914, Paramount Pictures was formed. In 1886, pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented a carbonated beverage that would later be named "Coca-Cola." In 1877, at Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opened. In 1541, Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River and named it Río de Espíritu Santo. Happy Birthday Enrique Iglesias (1975), Melissa Gilbert (1964), Ronnie Lott (1959), Alex Van Halen (1953), Keith Jarrett (1945), Ricky Nelson (1940–1985), Sonny Liston (1932–1970), Don Rickles (1926) and Friedrich Hayek (1899-1992). RIP Shel Silverstein (d. 1999) and Robert A. Heinlein (1988).