1842 – Adhesive postage stamps were used for the first time by the City Dispatch Post (Office) in New York City.
1898 – The USS Maine exploded on this day in el Puerto De Habana, Cuba, marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.
1903 – The first Teddy bear went on sale when toy store owner and inventor Morris Michtom placed 2 stuffed bears in his shop window.
1946 – Edith Houghton, age 33, was signed as a baseball scout by the Philadelphia Phillies; the first female scout in the major leagues.
1950 – Walt Disney’s Cinderella opened in theatres across the U.S.
1965 – Canada adopted its new red and white Maple Leaf flag, which replaced the old Red Ensign standard.
1965 – Singer Nat ‘King’ Cole died in Santa Monica, CA, at age 45.
1984 – Broadway legend Ethel Merman died in New York.
1986 – Whitney Houston reached the #1 spot on the music charts with her single, How Will I Know, which replaced a song recorded by her first cousin, Dionne Warwick (That’s What Friends Are For).
1998 – Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 on his 20th try. The day also marked the 40th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 and the 50th Anniversary of NASCAR.
Chief Writing Wolf 