- 1877] Phonograph sighting: Thomas Edison invents the phonograph and makes the 1st sound recording. Clive Davis signs the Tom Edison Band to a longterm contract...
- 1960] Looking for an echo: The first balloon satellite, Echo 1, is launched by the U.S...
- 1969] For Sale...SOLD: The Boston Celtics are sold for $6 million. The highest price for an NBA franchise at the time...
- 1977] O Solo Mio: The space shuttle Enterprise passes its first solo flight test by taking off atop a Boeing 747, separating and then touching down in the Mojave Desert...
- 1985] Disaster in the air: A crippled Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 on a domestic flight crashes into a mountain, killing 520...
- 1994] Strike 3 - You're out: Major league baseball players go on strike rather than allow team owners to limit their salaries. The strike lasts 232 days, cancelling the World Series for the 1st time in 90 years. Still a good baseball trivia question - who won the 1994 World Series? - no one!!!
- 1998] Justice served: Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion as restitution to Holocaust survivors to settle claims for their assets...
- 2000] Losing a nuke sub: The Russian nuclear sub Kursk and its 118-man crew are lost in the Barents Sea during naval exercises...
- 2004] "I am a gay American": New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey announces his resignation and acknowledges that he had an extramarital affair with a man. The McGreevey's just settled their divorce...
- 2007] 'Happy Trails': Talk-Show host and game show creator ("Wheel Of Fortune", "Jeopardy") Merv Griffin dies from prostate cancer at 82...
For more on August 12th: CLICK: http://melphillipsnowandthen.com
