This Day in History
1862: The Confederate ironclad Merrimack and the U.S. Navy's ironclad Monitor battle inconclusively off Hampton Roads, VA, marking the end of the era of wooden fighting ships.
1864: Ulysses S. Grant officially becomes commander of all Union armies in the Civil War.
1933: The "100 Days" special session of Congress begins for the passage of New Deal social and economic measures.
1959: The first Barbie dolls go on sale.
1983: Anne Burford resigns as head of the EPA over charges the agency mishandled toxic waste cleanup.
1989: Eastern Air Lines files for bankruptcy.
Today's Birthdays
1451: Amerigo Vespucci, explorer (Florence, Italy; died 1512)
1918: Mickey Spillane, writer (Brooklyn, NY)
1926: Irene Papas, actress (Chiliomedion, Greece)
1930: Ornette Coleman, composer/saxophonist (Fort Worth, TX)
1934: Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut and first person to travel in space (Gzhatsk, USSR; died 1968)
1936: Mickey Gilley, country singer/musician (Natchez, MS). Marty Ingels, actor (Brooklyn, NY)
1940: Raul Julia, actor (San Juan, Puerto Rico; died 1994)
1943: Bobby Fischer, chess champion (Chicago, IL). Trish Van Devere, actress (Tenafly, NJ)
1948: Jeffrey Osborne, musician/songwriter (Providence, RI)
1960: Linda Fiorentino, actress (Philadelphia, PA)
1964: Juliette Binoche, actress (Paris, France)
1965: Brian Bosworth, football player (Oklahoma City, OK). Benito Santiago, baseball player (Ponce, Puerto Rico)
