This Day in History – June 20, 2011

1782 Congress approves Great Seal of US & the eagle as it’s symbol 1793 Eli Whitney applies for a cotton gin patent 1819 Savannah becomes 1st steamship to cross any ocean (Atlantic) 1837 England issues its 1st stamp, 1P Queen Victoria 1837 Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne following death of  uncle King William IV Ruled for 63 years ending in 1901 1863 1st bank chartered in US (National Bank of Davenport Iowa) 1863 West Virginia admitted as 35th US state 1867 Pres Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska 1871 Ku Klux Klan trials began in federal court in Oxford Miss 1874 1st US Lifesaving Medal awarded (Lucian Clemons) 1893 Lizzie Borden found innocent in New Bedford Mass 1895 1st female doctor of science earned (Caroline Willard Baldwin) 1911 NAACP incorporates (NY) 1939 Test flight of 1st rocket plane using liquid propellants 1944 Congress charters Central Intelligence Agency 1947 Pres Truman vetoes Taft-Hartley Act 1967 Muhammad Ali convicted of refusing induction into armed services 1969 150,000 attend Newport ’69, Jimi Hendrix gets $120,000 to appear 1977 Oil enters Trans-Alaska pipeline exits 38 days later at Valdez 1978 1st 6 teams of Women’s Pro Basketball League (WBL) granted-Iowa, NJ, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minnesota & Dayton 1988 Price is Right model Janice Pennington is knocked out by a TV camera 1990 Nelson Mandela lands in NYC to begin a tour of the US]]]]> ]]>