1854 – Charles Miller received a patent for the sewing machine that stitches buttonholes.
1876 – Alexander Graham Bell of Salem, MA received a patent for his invention – the telephone. Bell initially called his device a “harmonic telegraph.”
1911 – President William H. Taft ordered 20,000 troops to patrol the U.S. – México border in response to the Mexican Revolution.
1911 – Willis Farnsworth of Petaluma, CA received a patent for the coin-operated locker.
1918 – Finland became an independent nation upon reaching a peace settlement with Germany.
1936 – Adolph Hitler violated the 1919 Treaty of Versailles by sending German military forces to occupy the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone along the Rhine River in western Germany.
1954 – Russia defeated Canada 7-2 to capture the world ice-hockey title in Stockholm, Sweden. It marked the first time that Russia participated in the ice-hockey competition and started a dynasty – until being checked by Team USA in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, NY.
1965 – Alabama state troopers and a sheriff’s posse broke up a march by civil rights demonstrators in Selma.
1973 – Sheikh Mujib Rahman became Bangladesh’s first democratically elected leader.
1987 – World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champ, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, became the youngest heavyweight titlist ever as he beat James Smith in a decision during a 12-round bout in Las Vegas.
1994 – In Campbell vs. Acuff-Rose Music Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a parody mocking an original work can be considered “fair use” and doesn’t require the copyright holder’s permission.
2010 – Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar for her work on 2009’s The Hurt Locker.
Chief Writing Wolf 