1849 - The first ship full of greedy GOLD RUSHERS arrived in San Francisco.
1854 - Fifty people opposed to slavery met at a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, and formed what went on to become the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
1976 - The CAPTAIN & TENNILLE won the Grammy for Best Record with "Love Will Keep Us Together"! PAUL SIMON won Best Album for "Still Crazy After All These Years", and the Best New Artist was former heroin-whore NATALIE COLE.
1978 - PHILIP AHN, who WAS Master Kan on "KUNG FU", died at the age of 72.
1979 - MR. ED died. Why the long face? OH . . . SCREW YOU!
1983 - At the end of its 11th season, the final episode of "M*A*S*H" aired on CBS. The special two-and-a-half-hour finale was watched by a record 125 million people.
1984 - MICHAEL JACKSON won a record EIGHT Grammy awards, including Album of the Year for "THRILLER" and Record of the Year for "BEAT IT".
(--THE POLICE won for Best Song with "Every Breath You Take", and CULTURE CLUB won Best New Gay Artist!)
1986 - TRAGEDY STRUCK WHEN WHAM! ANNOUNCED THEY WERE BREAKING UP! GEORGE MICHAEL went on to have a brilliant solo career . . . in more ways than one.
1986 - "PRETTY IN PINK" WAS RELEASED . . . STARRING MOLLY RINGWALD. (--She has "the fire down below" ya know.)
1989 - "COACH", starring CRAIG T. NELSON, debuted on ABC. (--It lasted until 1997.)
1993 - A 51-day standoff in Waco, Texas, began after four federal agents and six Branch Davidians were killed as agents tried to serve warrants to DAVID KORESH and his followers.
1996 - SEAL won the Grammys for Record and Song of the Year with "Kiss from a Rose". ALANIS MORISSETTE won four awards, including Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for "Jagged Little Pill".
(--PEARL JAM won Best Hard-Rock Performance for "SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE", and HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH were named Best New Artist.)
2005 - 50 Cent kicked The Game out of his G-Unit . . . AND GUNFIRE WAS THE RESULT. Game did not die.
(--You can preview Tuesday's Back in the Day events here.)