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.
