On this date in:
1851- Maine became the first state to enact a law prohibiting alcohol.
1886- President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, 21, in a White House ceremony.
1897- Mark Twain was quoted by the New York Journal as saying “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”
1924- Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all American Indians.
1941- Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig died at age 37 of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
1946- The Italian monarchy was abolished in favor of a republic.
1953- Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was crowned in Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI.
1979- Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.
1981- The Japanese video arcade game “Donkey Kong” made its U.S. debut.
1997- Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
1998- Voters in California passed Proposition 227, requiring that all schoolchildren be taught in English.
2010- Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga lost his bid for a perfect game against Cleveland with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admitted he’d blown.
2011- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
2012- Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison after a court convicted him on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him from power.
Today’s Birthdays:
Rock musician, Charlie Watts, (Rolling Stones) turns 74 years old today.
Sally Kellerman, Actress, 78
Stacy Keach, Actor, 74
Charles Haid, Actor, (“Hill Street Blues”) 72
Jerry Mathers, Actor, (“Leave it to Beaver”) 67
Joanna Gleason, Actress, 65
Dennis Haysbert, Actor, (“24”) 61
Dana Carvey, Comedian, (“Saturday Night Live”) 60
Michael Steele, Rock musician, (The Bangles) 60
Kyle Petty, Auto racer, 55
Wayne Brady Actor, comedian, (“Whose Line is it Anyway”) 43
Wentworth Miller, Actor, (“Prison Break”) 43
Zachary Quinto, Actor, (“Heroes”) 38
Dominic Cooper, Actor, 37
Nikki Cox, Actress, 37