1732 – 1st mass celebrated in 1st American Catholic church, St. Joseph’s, Philadelphia.
1773 – Construction authorized for Walnut St. jail (Philadelphia) (1st solitary).
1869 – 15th Amendment guaranteeing right to vote sent to states to ratify.
1893 – 2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge, Michigan.
1907 – US Congress raised their own salaries to $7,500.
1917 – 1st jazz records recorded – “Dixie Jazz Band One Step” and “Livery Stable Blues” by Original Dixieland Jazz Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
1919 – Congress forms Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
1930 – 1st red & green traffic lights installed (Manhattan, NYC).
1941 – 2 fighters unable to continue slugfest, referee declares double KO.
1947 – 4th Golden Globes: The Best Years of Our Lives, Gregory Peck, & Rosalind Russell win.
1953 – 10th Golden Globes: The Greatest Show on Earth, Gary Cooper, & Shirley Booth win.
1961 – 3rd Daytona 500: Marvin Panch wins (149.601 MPH).
1973 – Triple Crown horse Secretariat bought for a record $5.7m.
1973 – 8th Academy of Country Music Awards: Merle Haggard and Donna Fargo win.
1983 – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album goes #1 & stays #1 for 37 weeks.
1987 – NBA’s Michael Jordan’s 58 points in one game is a Chicago Bulls record.
1998 – Oprah Winfrey found not guilty in beef defamation trial brought by Texas Cattlemen.
2004 – The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that lasted for 23 years.
2012 – 84th Academy Awards: “The Artist” wins five Oscar and becomes the first silent film to win since 1927, Jean Dujaridin & Meryl Streep also win.