ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY--FEBRUARY 24TH

Every so often I like to switch things up on the blog, usually when I’m stuck for a topic for the day. That’s when I check to see what sort of interesting facts and trivia I can find about a particular date. February 24^th turns out to be the anniversary of quite a few interesting events. Here are a few of them:

On this date…

…in 1786 Wilhelm Grimm, one half of the fairy tale writing duo, was born, eventually giving rise to the creation of Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, and other characters.

…in 1857 Congress received the first shipment of perforated postage stamps.

…in 1874 Honus Wagner was born. His baseball card is now the most valuable collector’s item in the world of sports memorabilia.

…in 1900 the mayor of New York City signed a contract for the construction of New York’s first rapid transit tunnel. The tunnel would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.

…in 1903 Cuba leased Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. for a naval base, which we still use.

…in 1931 Dominic Chianese, the uncle we loved to hate in The Sopranos, was born.

…in 1940 Frances Langford recorded “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Jiminy Cricket became famous for singing it in Pinocchio.

…in 1943 Beatle George Harrison was born. It wasn’t until 1992 that he learned February 24^th was his actually birthday. He had previously thought it was February 25^th.

…in 1956 Cleveland, Ohio invoked a 1931 law barring people under eighteen from dancing in public without an adult guardian. (And to think, Cleveland is now home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!)

…in 1964 the Beatles made their third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

…in 1981 Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer. (In hindsight, maybe she should have turned him down?)

…in 1987 an exploding supernova was discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.

…in 1988 shock rocker Alice Cooper announced he’d run for governor in Arizona as a member of the Wild Party. (He lost.)

…in 1992 Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were married (another match that didn’t end so well.)