Poor Gabriel's Almanac

Interesting things that happened April 16th:

Birthdays on this date:

In 1844 Anatole France (in France), novelist
In 1867 Wilbur Wright, of aeroplane fame
In 1889 Charlie Chaplin, actor, comedian, movie director
In 1904 Clifford Case, US Senator (R-NJ, 1955-79)
+ Lily Pons, opera diva
In 1921 Peter Ustinov, actor (Fiddler on the Roof, Death on the Nile)
In 1924 Henry Mancini, composer, flutist
In 1927 Edie Adams (in Kingston, PA), singer, actor (Call Me Bwana)
In 1930 Herbie Mann, musician
In 1935 Bobby Vinton, The Polish Prince of Song
In 1939 Dusty Springfield (in London, England), singer
In 1947 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, tall person, basketball star, actor

Events worth noting:

+ Feast of St. Bernadette, patron of bodily illness sufferers
In 1789 George Washington heads off for first Presidential inauguration.
In 1818 Senate ratifies Rush-Bagot ammendment (unarmed US-Canada border).
In 1862 District of Columbia outlaws slavery.
+ Pres. Davis approves conscription act for white males between 18-35.
In 1866 Nitroglycerine at the Wells Fargo and Co. office explodes.
In 1879 Marie Bernarde Soubirous, later canonized as St. Bernadette, died at the convent of Notre-Dame de Nevers at age 35.
In 1912 Harriet Quimby flies the English Channel, first woman to do so.
In 1917 Lenin returns to Russia to start Bolshevik Revolution.
In 1926 The "Book-of-the-Month" Club opens for business.
In 1929 Yankees become first team to use numbers on uniforms.
In 1935 First broadcast of "Fibber McGee and Molly".
In 1940 First televised baseball game, WGN-TV, (White Sox vs Cubs exhibition).
+ Bob Feller hurls an opening day no-hitter.
In 1943 In Basel, Switzerland, Dr. Albert Hoffman, a chemist, accidentally consumed LSD-25 (lysergic acid diethylamide), a synthetic drug he had created in 1938 as part of his medical research. Dr. Hoffman was disturbed by unusual sensations and hallucinations.
In 1947 Lens to provide zoom effects demonstrated, NY city.
+ SS Grandcamp explodes in Texas City, TX. Over 500 deaths result.
In 1959 Yankees unveil their first message scoreboard.
In 1962 Walter Cronkite begins anchoring CBS news.
In 1967 Yankees beat Boston 7-6 in 18 innings.
In 1972 Apollo 16 takes off for the Moon.
In 1977 Alex Haley finds his Roots in Juffure, Gambia.
+ Actor David Soul score a #1 pop hit -- "Don't Give Up on Us."
In 1979 15th Mayor's Trophy Game, Yanks and Mets tie 1-1.

And remember ...

America's Heartland Development Month
Cancer Control Month
Math Education Month
National Poetry Month

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Although efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, several errors have been found in the past. Don't place any bets on the basis of what you find here. If you spot an error, write to Poor Gabriel at poorgabriel@mystery.com .