1817 – Writer – philosopher Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, MA.
1854 – George Eastman, inventor of the Kodak camera and flexible roll film, was born in Waterville, NY.
1861 – The Confederate States of America signed a treaty with the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, giving them several Indian allies during the Civil War.
1862 – The U.S. Congress authorized the Medal of Honor.
1864 – Botanist George Washington Carver was born in Diamond Grove, MO.
1895 – Lyricist – songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II was born in New York City.
1908 – Actor – comedian Milton Berle (The Milton Berle Show, Texaco Star Theatre; actor: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Oscar, Side by Side) was born in New York City.
1917 – Artist Andrew Wyeth (the Helga pictures, Christina’s World, Young Swede, Adrift, Wind from the Sea, Knapsack) was born in Chadds Ford, PA.
1960 – The first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale.
1982 – E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial broke all box-office records by surpassing the $100-million mark of ticket sales in the first 31 days of its opening.
1984 – Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale announced that he’d chosen Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, making her the first woman to run on a major party ticket.
Chief Writing Wolf 