This Day in History Class

On this day in 1981, a 25-year-old acrobat named Dan Goodwin completed the first external climb of the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world at the time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1830, “Mary’s Lamb” was released as part of a small book of children’s poems written by Sarah Josepha Hale.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1921, the Broadway musical “Shuffle Along” debuted at the 63rd Street Music Hall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1899, Jacob German spent a night in jail after committing the first speeding infraction in the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1962, at a fundraising event for the Democratic Party, Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, triggered by a powerful earthquake, Mount St. Helens volcano erupted in Washington state, killing 57 people and forever changing the surrounding landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1965, after more than a year of investigation, the FBI Laboratory delivered inconclusive results about the lyrics of the popular song “Louie Louie.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1866, the U.S. Congress ordered the minting of the first nickel-based five-cent coin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1637, a French clergyman ordered the blades of his dinnerware to be rounded off at the edges, thus creating the first known version of the butter knife.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1928, Buster Keaton’s silent-era masterpiece Steamboat Bill, Jr. premiered at the Rialto Theatre in New York City.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.