This Day in History Class

On this day in 1937, North America’s first recorded corpse flower bloom took place at the New York Botanical Garden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1968, the first theme park dedicated to LEGO bricks opened in the company’s hometown of Billund, Denmark.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, Richard Hollingshead opened the world's first drive-in theater in Camden, New Jersey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1956, the town of Santa Cruz, California, issued a blanket ban on rock and roll at public gatherings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1855, roughly 3,000 people stormed city hall in Portland, Maine, looking for a secret stash of alcohol that had been illegally purchased by the mayor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1985, a convoy of nearly 600 New Age travelers was assaulted by British police on its way to an annual event at Stonehenge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1880, cycling fans from across the U.S. gathered to establish the League of American Wheelmen, the first national organization dedicated to the bicycle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1971, with its first shipment of shoes set to go out the next day, the Blue Ribbon Sports company changed its name to Nike, Inc. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, the animated short “Three Little Pigs” premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1828, a teenage boy with a mysterious past appeared alone in the public square of what is now Nuremberg, Germany.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1981, a 25-year-old acrobat named Dan Goodwin completed the first external climb of the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world at the time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1830, “Mary’s Lamb” was released as part of a small book of children’s poems written by Sarah Josepha Hale.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1921, the Broadway musical “Shuffle Along” debuted at the 63rd Street Music Hall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1899, Jacob German spent a night in jail after committing the first speeding infraction in the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1962, at a fundraising event for the Democratic Party, Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, triggered by a powerful earthquake, Mount St. Helens volcano erupted in Washington state, killing 57 people and forever changing the surrounding landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1965, after more than a year of investigation, the FBI Laboratory delivered inconclusive results about the lyrics of the popular song “Louie Louie.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1866, the U.S. Congress ordered the minting of the first nickel-based five-cent coin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1637, a French clergyman ordered the blades of his dinnerware to be rounded off at the edges, thus creating the first known version of the butter knife.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1928, Buster Keaton’s silent-era masterpiece Steamboat Bill, Jr. premiered at the Rialto Theatre in New York City.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1949, French authorities exhumed the body of Léon Besnard and found telling evidence that he may have been murdered by his wife.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, more than 25,000 books were destroyed during a series of book burnings held in college towns throughout Germany. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1914, by order of presidential proclamation, Mother’s Day was officially established as a national holiday in the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1970, professional skier Yūichirō Miura became the first person to ski down Mount Everest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1921, the iconic perfume Chanel No. 5 was sold for the first time at Coco Chanel’s boutique in Paris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1979, in celebration of Margaret Thatcher’s election victory, members of the Conservative Party took out a newspaper ad proclaiming, “May The Fourth Be With You, Maggie."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1978, marketing manager Gary Thuerk sent the first unsolicited mass email, or as it’s better known today, “spam.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, Scottish newspaper The Inverness Courier published an account of a local couple who claimed to have seen the legendary Loch Ness Monster.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1967, Aretha Franklin's hit song "Respect" was released as a single on the Atlantic Records label.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1962, armed with nearly 800 pounds of explosives, a team of firefighters led by Red Adair extinguished a massive natural gas well fire in the Sahara Desert.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1667, English poet John Milton entered into an agreement to publish his epic poem Paradise Lost.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1778, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington rode more than 40 miles overnight to warn American militiamen of an impending British attack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1983, the Kremlin released a letter from Soviet leader Yuri Andropov to Samantha Smith, an 11-year-old American girl who was anxious about the threat of nuclear war.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1964, the second New York World's Fair opened at Flushing Meadows Park in the Queens borough of New York City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, a 26-year-old New Yorker named Rosie Ruiz cheated her way to victory at the 84th annual Boston Marathon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1841, Edgar Allan Poe published “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a tale widely considered to be the first modern detective story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1927, stage actress Mae West was found guilty of crimes of obscenity and sentenced to 10 days in a women’s prison in New York City.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1915, French pilot Lieutenant Roland Garros was captured by German forces during an attack on occupied Belgium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1924, publisher Rand McNally released the first of its famous guide books, the Rand McNally Auto Chum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1881, a gunfight at a saloon in downtown El Paso, Texas, left four men dead in five seconds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1360, a sudden storm killed a thousand English soldiers while they were camped outside the gates of Chartres, France.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1985, the chief veterinarian of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a famous circus animal alleged to be a unicorn was, in fact, a goat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1870, Lord Muncaster of Britain and four other tourists were captured in Marathon, Greece, by a gang of outlaws. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth for the top spot on baseball’s all-time list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1795, the basis for the metric system was officially defined and adopted by the revolutionary government of France.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, Post-it Notes were sold in U.S. stores for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1943, ten miles off the coast of Brazil, a family of fishermen rescued the sole survivor of a German U-boat attack. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1841, President William Henry Harrison died after serving only 32 days in office. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1957, as an April Fools Day prank, the British Broadcasting Corporation aired a made-up report about harvesting spaghetti from trees. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein's groundbreaking musical "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway at St. James Theatre. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.