1876 - ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL received a patent for his TELEPHONE.
1897 - DR. JOHN KELLOGG served the world's first "CORNFLAKES" . . . to his patients at a mental hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan.
(--Part of the reason he invented them was because he believed they would help people abstain from having RELATIONS . . . which he was a STRONG supporter of.) (True!)
1911 - The United States sent 20,000 TROOPS TO THE MEXICAN BORDER as a precaution in the wake of the Mexican Revolution. By the way: A 10-pound bag of oranges only costs a buck at many freeway off-ramps.
1933 - MONOPOLY was invented.
1964 - Capitol Records was bombarded with requests for heavyweight boxing champ CASSIUS CLAY'S ALBUM, "I AM THE GREATEST".
(--It was in big demand because of Clay's defeat of SONNY LISTON the month before. Cassius Clay's humble quote about his musical accomplishment: "I'm better and prettier than Chubby Checker.")
1973 - "DUELING BANJOS", from the film "DELIVERANCE" . . . went Gold! (--Ned Beatty worked his ASS off making this movie. Literally! But ironically, it was one of the OTHER actors who delved the deepest into Ned's character.)
1981 - The FIRST HOMICIDE at DISNEYLAND occurred when an 18-year-old ruffian-type hooligan was stabbed to death near the old Skyway. The guy might not have died, but Disneyland nurses refused to call an ambulance with those "scary" attention-getting red lights.
(--Instead, a Disneyland van drove through traffic to a nearby hospital . . . but by that time, the guy had bled to death. It's the Happiest Place on Earth!)
1983 - TNN (The Nashville Network) went on the air! Since August of 2003, it's been called Spike TV. Now it's known for pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. So it has totally distanced itself from its redneck past. (???)
1985 - "WE ARE THE WORLD" WAS RELEASED!
1987 - MIKE TYSON defeated James "Bonecrusher" Smith to win the second leg of the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Mike Tyson is quite the movie expert, ya know. Enjoy video of Mike discussing his Oscar picks with Leonard Maltin here.
1993 - "Diff'rent Strokes" superstar TODD BRIDGES was arrested for stabbing a fellow apartment tenant.
1994 - AXL ROSE'S then-wife, Erin Everly, sued him for assault. FYI: Axl Rose has an average-sized package, but HUGE gonads.
1994 - The U.S. Navy issued its first permanent orders assigning WOMEN to regular duty on a COMBAT SHIP . . . the U.S.S. Eisenhower.
1999 - STANLEY KUBRICK died in England of natural causes, at age 70.
2000 - Country legend FRANK "PEE WEE" KING died in Louisville, Kentucky, at age 86.
(--You can preview Tuesday's Back in the Day events here.)