This Day in History – October 11, 2011

1614 Adriaen Block and 12 Amsterdam merchants petition the States General for exclusive trading rights in the New Netherland colony. 1776 American Revolutionary War: Battle of Valcour Island On Lake Champlain a fleet of American boats is defeated by the Royal Navy, but delays the British advance until 1777. 1809 Along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at an inn called Grinder’s Stand. 1811 Inventor John Stevens’ boat, the Juliana, begins operation as the first steam-powered ferry (service between New York, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey). 1864 Campina Grande, Brazil is established as a city. 1890 In Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded. 1899 The Western League is renamed the American League. 1906 San Francisco public school board sparks United States diplomatic crisis with Japan by ordering Japanese students to be taught in racially segregated schools. 1910 Former President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane. He flew for four minutes with Arch Hoxsey in a plane built by the Wright Brothers at Kinloch Field (Lambert-St. Louis International Airport), St. Louis, Missouri. 1922 1st woman FBI “special investigator” appointed (Alaska Davidson) 1925 NY Giants play 1st NFL game, lose to Providence 14-0 1927 Lou Gehrig elected MVP 1929 JC Penney opens store #1252 in Milford, Delaware, making it a nationwide company with stores in all 48 U.S. states. 1932 1st political telecast (Democratic National Committee) at CBS, NYC 1950 Television: CBS’s mechanical color system is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. 1957 Space Race: M.I.T. scientists calculate Sputnik I’s booster rocket’s orbit. 1958 Pioneer program: NASA launches the lunar probe Pioneer 1 (the probe falls back to Earth and burns up). 1962 1st appearance of a Gabor sister on the Merv Griffin Show 1962 Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years. 1968 Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard. 1975 The NBC sketch comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the host and Andy Kaufman, Janis Ian and Billy Preston as guests. 1976 George Washington’s appointment, posthumously, to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by congressional joint resolution Public Law 94-479 is approved by President Gerald R. Ford. 1981 Unknown rocker Prince opens for Rolling Stones at LA Coliseum 1983 Last hand-cranked telephones US went out of service as 440 telephone customers in Bryant Pond, Maine, were switched over to direct-dial 1984 VP candidate debate-Geraldine Ferraro (D) & George Bush (R) 1984 Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk. 1985 Pres Reagan bans importation of South African Krugerrands 1986 Reagan & Gorbachev open talks at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland 1987 200,000 gays march for civil rights in Washington 1990 Oil hits a record $40.42 per barrel 1991 Anita Hill testifies Clarence Thomas sexually harrassed her 2000 NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission, using Space Shuttle Discovery. 2001 The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.]]]]> ]]>