223 years ago– In 1796, the beautiful city of Cleveland, Ohio, was founded by General Moses Clevealand.  And yes, he did have that extra “a” in there.  It’s not really clear why it was dropped for the spelling of the city.

126 years ago– In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, a professor at Wellesley College, wrote the original version of her poem “America The Beautiful”.  She was inspired by the view from Pike’s Peak in Colorado.

85 years ago– In 1934, bank robber John Dillinger was shot to death by federal agents outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater.

28 years ago– In 1991, Rob Lowe. . . who had been known to go by the rule that “if there’s grass on the field, play ball” . . . was finally tamed by Sheryl Berkoff.  Today’s their 24th Anniversary.

25 years ago– In 1994, O.J. Simpson pleaded “absolutely 100% not guilty” to double murder charges.

24 years ago– In 1995, Susan Smith was convicted in Union, South Carolina, of first-degree murder for drowning her two sons.  She was later sentenced to life in prison.

16 years ago– In 2003, Saddam Hussein’s sons . . . Qusay and International Playboy Uday . . . were killed in a massive, SIX-HOUR U.S. military raid on a home in Iraq.

11 years ago– In 2008, Estelle Getty died three days short of her 85th birthday.  She played Bea Arthur’s mom on the show, but she was actually the youngest of all the “Golden Girls” stars, and the first to die.