1721: John Copson becomes America's first insurance agent; colonists quickly learn to duck into a doorway or alleyway whenever they see him coming.
1895: Oscar Wilde is sentenced to 2 years hard labor for sodomy; sentence is extended when he giggles at the word "hard."
1961: JFK sets goal of putting a man on Moon before the end of decade and himself on Marilyn Monroe by the end of the week.
1945: Arthur C. Clark proposes relay satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
1962: Isley Brothers release Twist & Shout.
1977: Star Wars released; mutant race of basement-dwelling nerds is born.
1983: Return of the Jedi released.
1986: "Hands Across America," an event in which 7 million people formed a human chain by holding hands from California to New York happens; there was a reason for this but we forget what it was.
1986: A 95-year-old woman scores a hole-in-one on a golf course in Florida; unfortunately, everyone else in the country is holding hands, so she doesn't get much in the way of applause.
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