This Day in History – July 28, 2011

1586 Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe 1588 Spanish Armada sails to overthrow England’s Queen Elizabeth I 1830 Revolution in France replaces Charles X with Louis Philippe 1851 Total solar eclipse captured on a daguerreotype photograph 1866 Metric system becomes a legal measurement system in US 1868 14th Amendment ratified, citizenship to ex-slaves 1896 City of Miami incorporated 1931 Congress makes “The Star-Spangled Banner” our 2nd national anthem 1933 1st singing telegram delivered (to Rudy Vallee), NYC 1933 NFL divides into 2, 5 team divisions 1943 Pres FDR announces end of coffee rationing in US 1945 US Army bomber crashes into 79th floor of Empire State Bldg, 14 die 1951 Walt Disney’s “Alice In Wonderland” released 1959 Hawaii’s 1st US election sends 1st Asian-Americans to Congress 1983 AL Pres Lee MacPhail threw out umpire’s decision & allows George Brett’s 2 run HR against Yanks on July 24 (pine tar game) 1984 23rd modern Olympic games opens in Los Angeles 1986 NASA releases transcript from doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith could be heard saying, “Uh-oh!” as spacecraft disintegrated 2061 31st recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet]]]]> ]]>