This Day in History Class

On this day in 1937, North America’s first recorded corpse flower bloom took place at the New York Botanical Garden.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1968, the first theme park dedicated to LEGO bricks opened in the company’s hometown of Billund, Denmark. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, Richard Hollingshead opened the world's first drive-in theater in Camden, New Jersey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1956, the town of Santa Cruz, California, issued a blanket ban on rock and roll at public gatherings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1855, roughly 3,000 people stormed city hall in Portland, Maine, looking for a secret stash of alcohol that had been illegally purchased by the mayor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1985, a convoy of nearly 600 New Age travelers was assaulted by British police on its way to an annual event at Stonehenge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1880, cycling fans from across the U.S. gathered to establish the League of American Wheelmen, the first national organization dedicated to the bicycle.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1971, with its first shipment of shoes set to go out the next day, the Blue Ribbon Sports company changed its name to Nike, Inc.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, the animated short “Three Little Pigs” premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1828, a teenage boy with a mysterious past appeared alone in the public square of what is now Nuremberg, Germany. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1981, a 25-year-old acrobat named Dan Goodwin completed the first external climb of the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world at the time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1830, “Mary’s Lamb” was released as part of a small book of children’s poems written by Sarah Josepha Hale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1921, the Broadway musical “Shuffle Along” debuted at the 63rd Street Music Hall.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1899, Jacob German spent a night in jail after committing the first speeding infraction in the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1962, at a fundraising event for the Democratic Party, Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, triggered by a powerful earthquake, Mount St. Helens volcano erupted in Washington state, killing 57 people and forever changing the surrounding landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1965, after more than a year of investigation, the FBI Laboratory delivered inconclusive results about the lyrics of the popular song “Louie Louie.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1866, the U.S. Congress ordered the minting of the first nickel-based five-cent coin.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1637, a French clergyman ordered the blades of his dinnerware to be rounded off at the edges, thus creating the first known version of the butter knife. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1928, Buster Keaton’s silent-era masterpiece Steamboat Bill, Jr. premiered at the Rialto Theatre in New York City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1949, French authorities exhumed the body of Léon Besnard and found telling evidence that he may have been murdered by his wife. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, more than 25,000 books were destroyed during a series of book burnings held in college towns throughout Germany.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1914, by order of presidential proclamation, Mother’s Day was officially established as a national holiday in the United States.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1970, professional skier Yūichirō Miura became the first person to ski down Mount Everest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1921, the iconic perfume Chanel No. 5 was sold for the first time at Coco Chanel’s boutique in Paris.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.