Parking Meter

On today’s date in 1935, the first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The meter was invented by Carl Magee. Fifteen minutes of parking cost a nickle. The title character in “Cool Hand Luke”, played by Paul Newman, was imprisoned for cutting the heads off of parking meters.

Rosetta Stone

On today’s date in 1799, French Army engineer Captain Pierre-François Bouchard, found The Rosetta Stone in Rosetta, Egypt. The stone, written in 2 Egyptian languages and Greek, was a decree of tax amnesty for priests. The Rosetta Stone was the critical artifact that cracked the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The stone is 45 inches high and weighs approximately 1700 lbs.

Lasagna Month

House Ad

Hollywoodland

On today’s date in 1923, The Hollywoodland sign was officially dedicated. The sign was originally built as an advertisement for a housing development. It became such a universally recognized symbol that the L.A. Chamber of Commerce took over its care with the stipulation that the “LAND” be removed to reflect the district of Hollywood rather than the housing development. The original sign was five feet taller than the current version and each letter was illuminated with roughly 4,00 light bulbs.

Roswell

On July 8, 1947 the Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release stating that they had recovered a “flying disk.” Hmm.

Scopes "Monkey Trial"

On today’s date in 1925, The Scopes “Monkey Trial” began in Dayton, Tennessee. The trial featured two brilliant American attorneys Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. The case decided whether evolution could be taught in classrooms. It remains one of America’s most famous cases.

Goodbye Michael