1618 --- Johannes Kepler discovered his harmonics law.

1856 --- Lyman Frank Baum, who was. Lyman grew up to become a newspaperman and the author of one of the most famous children’s stories in recent history. Lyman Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum wrote a series of Oz books, but this was the most famous. He also adapted the story into a musical play. It then became the basis for the 1939 MGM musical, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, and Billy Burke among others. The film, a classic, was nominated for six Academy Awards but won only two (Best Song: Over the Rainbow and Best Score). Lyman Frank Baum’s adaptation was adapted once again in 1978 as a Broadway show and film, The Wiz, featuring an all-black cast.

1862 --- The U.S. Department of Agriculture was established by President Abraham Lincoln on this day.

1888 --- The swinging washing machine was patented. The machine was attached to a large swing, which children could swing in and power the machine.

1918 --- Regular airmail service between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, began under the direction of the Post Office Department, which later became the U.S. Postal Service.

1923 --- Listerine was registered as a trademark.

1930 --- Ellen Church became the first stewardess for an airline. Church served passengers flying between San Francisco, California and Cheyenne, Wyoming on United Airlines. She also served chicken, fruit salad and rolls. The term ‘stewardess’ has since been banished. The men and women who serve on airlines worldwide are known as flight attendants. Remember, the exits are clearly marked and life support cushions are located beneath the web site. We’ll begin beverage service in a few moments.

1940 --- Nylon stockings appeared on sale for the first time in the U.S. Competing brands went on sale simultaneously under an agreement between manufacturers.

1941 --- Joe DiMaggio began his historic major-league hitting streak (56 games). The New York Yankees got Joltin’ Joe off to a rather bad start, however, as they lost to the Chicago White Sox 13-1 at Yankee Stadium.

1948 --- Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon only hours after declaring its independence.

1958 --- Sputnik III, the first space laboratory, was launched in the Soviet Union.

1970 --- - U.S. President Richard Nixon appointed America's first two female generals.

1970 --- Close to You, the Carpenter’s second album and the one that launched them to meteoric fame, was released by A&M Records. The title song, (They Long to Be) Close to You, became a pop music standard and the first of six million-sellers in a row for Karen and Richard. In all, The Carpenters would have 10 gold records for singles and a dozen top ten hits to their credit. The duo won Best New Artist honors at the Grammy Awards in 1970.

1972: 21-year-old Arthur Bremer shot Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace four times in Laurel, Maryland. The wounds left Wallace paralyzed for life. A month earlier, Bremer had planned to assassinate President Richard Nixon in Ottawa, but changed his mind at the last minute. He wrote in a diary he wanted "to do something bold and dramatic, forceful & dynamic, a statement of my manhood for the world to see." Bremer was sentenced to 53 years in prison. with good behavior, he could be released in 2015.

1978 --- Country singer Willie Nelson released Stardust, an album of pop songs. The LP stayed on the music charts for 10 years and sold over 5-million copies.

1988 --- Soviet forces began their withdrawal from Afghanistan. Soviet forces had been there for more than eight years.

1990 --- Vincent Van Gogh's "Portrait of Doctor Gachet" was sold for $82.5 million. The sale set a new world record.

1991 --- The famous Paris cooking school, L'Ecole de Cordon Bleu, opens a branch in Tokyo, Japan.

1997: U.S. health officials approved the first nicotine-free anti-smoking drug, Zyban, which worked on chemicals in the brain that control addiction.