It was on this date in 1862 that Ralph Waldo Emerson met President Abraham Lincoln at the White House. And it was on this date in 1964 that Governor Matthew Welsh of Indiana banned the song "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen.

It was on this date in 1949 that the first American television soap opera aired on NBC. It was called These Are My Children and centered on an Irish widow and her struggles to run a boarding house as well as help her three children and new daughter-in-law. And it was on this date in 1950 that President Harry S. Truman announced to the world that America would develop the hydrogen bomb.

It was on this date in 1813 that Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice was published. And it was on this date in 1934 that the first ski rope tow in the U.S. opened at Clinton Gilberts Farm in Vermont.

It was on this date in 1967 that the Apollo 1 tragedy occurred. A fire engulfed the interior of the spacecraft during a test run, leading to the deaths of astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White II, and Roger Chaffee. And it was on this date in 1976 that Laverne and Shirley debuted on television.

It was on this date in 1875 that George Green patented the first electric dental drill. And it was on this date in 1924 that the first gold medal of the Winter Olympics was awarded.

It was on this date in 1858 that Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" was first played at the royal marriage of Princess Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, the daughter of Queen Victoria. This wedding started the practice of a full choral procession from the church entrance. And it was on this date in 1949 that the first Emmy Awards were held at the Hollywood Athletic Club.

It was on this date in 1848 when James W. Marshall discovered gold on the property of James A. Sutter while building a sawmill near present-day Paloma, CA. This discovery kicked off the California Gold Rush. And it was on this date in 1935 that The Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered the first cans of beer to drinkers in Richmond, VA.

It was on this day in 1789 that William Hill Brown published The Power of Sympathy, the first American novel. And it was on this date in 1789 that King Louis XVI of France assembled the Estates-General for the first time since 1614. It represented the three "estates" of the French people - the nobles, the clergy, and the commons. The commons would later declare itself the National Assembly thus leading to the French Revolution.

It was on this date in 1949 that Harry S. Truman became the first U.S. President to be inaugurated on television. And it was on this date in 2009 that the first African-American was sworn in as U.S. President. He was Barack Obama.

It was on this date in 1961 that filming began on the Dick Van Dyke Show.

It was on this date in 1943 when Soviet forces pushed the Nazis back, thus ending the siege of Leningrad. And it was on this date in 1980 that Pink Floyd's rock opera album, The Wall, hit number one on the Billboard charts.

It was on this date in 1920 that Prohibition began due to the passing of the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution the year before.