1825 - Ezra Daggett and his nephew Thomas Kensett got a patent for their process of storing food in TIN CANS.
1840 - ANTARCTICA was discovered by Charles Wilkes.
1953 - LUCY gave birth to DESI ARNAZ JR., during a regularly scheduled episode of "I LOVE LUCY". The scriptwriters had gambled that LUCILLE BALL would have a boy, and wrote the script accordingly.
(--Two-thirds of the country's television viewers watched that episode.)
1955 - A presidential news conference was filmed for TV for the first time, with the permission of PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.
1988 - The first episode of "48 Hours" airs on CBS.
1993 - FLEETWOOD MAC reunited to perform at BILL CLINTON'S inauguration. Clinton had used "Don't Stop" as the theme for his campaign . . . and also as his inner mantra when women told him they weren't interested in his sexual advances. (???)
1994 - The Animals, The Band, Duane Eddy, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Marley and Rod Stewart were inducted into the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME.
1998 - Rockabilly pioneer CARL PERKINS died in Nashville from complications following a series of strokes. Perkins' songwriting and guitar work influenced ELVIS PRESLEY and THE BEATLES, to name just two.
(--He wrote and recorded "BLUE SUEDE SHOES" in 1956, and his version sold two million copies before Elvis' version became a hit.)
2000 - I think BECK said it best for all of us, when he sang these profound words of wisdom: "Freaks flock together . . . and make all the lesbians scream." (???)
2006 - Soul singer WILSON PICKETT . . . of "Mustang Sally" fame . . . died of a heart attack at the age of 64.
2006 - (Underground rapper) SAIGON was STABBED IN THE TEMPLE with a broken bottle during an attempted robbery. So he HAILED A CAB to go to the hospital . . . because HE DIDN'T WANNA GET BLOOD IN HIS BENZ!!!
2010 - U.S. navy troops deliver food, water and equipment to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
(--You can preview Thursday's Back in the Day events here.)