1884 – The first roller coaster in the U.S. opened at Coney Island in New York City.
1890 – Actor – comedian Stan Laurel (Arthur Stanley Jefferson) was born in Ulverton, England.
1896 – A tsunami that some estimates say reached heights of 115 feet ravaged the Kamaishi and Sanriku coasts of Honshu Island Japan, killing more than 20,000 people.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company was incorporated when Henry Ford and other prospective stockholders met in Detroit to sign the official paperwork.
1907 – Actor Jack Albertson (Chico & The Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Poseidon Adventure) was born in Malden, MA.
1961 – Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev defected during a stopover in Paris.
1963 – Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space as she blasted off in the Vostok 6 spacecraft for 3 days in orbit.
Chief Writing Wolf 