Betsy Ross – 1752 – an American seamstress who designed the first official U.S. flag (the Betsy Ross flag). A committee including George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross (Betsy’s husband’s uncle) approached Betsy with a sketch of a flag that they wanted her to make. She made some changes to the design and sewed the first American flag in her home in Philadelphia.

Pierre de Coubertin – 1863 – a French educator and historian best known as the founder of the modern Olympic Games. Inspired by the ancient Olympic Games of Greece, de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896.

William Fox (born as Wilhelm Fried) – 1879 – a Hungarian-American film executive and founder of the Fox Film Corporation, which later became 20th Century Fox. The company produced many successful films, including the first feature-length Technicolor film “The Toll of the Sea” and the epic “The Big Trail”, which helped launch the career of John Wayne.

J. Edgar Hoover – 1895 – the 1st director of the FBI. He had led the FBI for nearly a half-century and worked for eight different presidents. J. Edgar Hoover oversaw the creation of the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list and the development of the FBI’s forensic science laboratory.

Dana Andrews – 1909 – an American actor best known for his roles in film such as, “Laura”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “Battle of the Bulge” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, as well as war film “The Best Years of Our Lives”. He also appeared in several television shows, including “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Twilight Zone.”

Rocky Graziano – 1919 – an American boxer and actor. He won the middleweight championship of the world in 1947 defeating Tony Zale in one of the most memorable fights in boxing history. After retiring from boxing, Graziano appeared in several films, including “Somebody Up There Likes Me”, a biopic about his friend and fellow boxer, Rocky Marciano.

James Sinegal – 1936 – an American businessman and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former CEO of the retail giant Costco Wholesale Corporation. In 1984, he co-founded Costco Wholesale with Jeffrey Brotman, and the company quickly became one of the largest and most successful retail chains in the world.

Frank Langella – 1938 – an American actor. Some of his notable film roles include Count Dracula in “Dracula”, Skeletor in “Masters of the Universe”, Perry White in “Superman Returns” and Richard Nixon in the film adaptation of “Frost/Nixon”, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Christine Lagarde – 1956 – a French lawyer and politician best known as the President of the European Central Bank (ECB). From 2011 to 2019 she served as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), becoming the first woman to hold that position.

Mark R. Hughes – 1956 – an American businessman, best known as the founder of the multi-level marketing company Herbalife. Under Hughes’ leadership, Herbalife was one of the largest multi-level marketing companies in the world. The company became publicly traded in 1986, and Hughes became a millionaire by the age of 25.

Ren Woods – 1958 – an American actress. She appeared in a number of movies and popular TV shows including, “The White Shadow”, “Roots,” “Car Wash” and “Fast Break.” She is also known for her role as Fanta in the film “The Jerk” starring Steve Martin.

DeDee Pfeiffer – 1964 – an American actress best known for her roles in television shows such as, “Northern Exposure”, “The Outer Limits”, “CSI: Miami” and “The Office.” She also appeared in a number of films, including “The Allnighter,” “Falling Down” and “The Horror Show.”

Verne Troyer – 1969 – an American actor best known for his portrayal of the character “Mini-Me” in the “Austin Powers” film series. He was born with a rare genetic disorder called achondroplasia and he stood at a height of 2 feet 8 inches (81 cm). Troyer also appeared in films such as “The Love Guru”, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Men in Black”.

Morris Chestnut – 1969 – an American actor best known for his role as Ricky Baker in the film “Boyz n the Hood”. Some of his other notable movie credits include “The Best Man,” “Two Can Play That Game,” “The Perfect Holiday” and “Think Like a Man”. He also starred in the TV series “Rosewood” as the title character, Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr.

Gabriel Jarret – 1970 – an American actor best known for his role as Mitch Taylor in the science-fiction film “Real Genius”. He also appeared on shows such as “Homefront,” “Martial Law,” and “CSI: Miami.”

Elin Nordegren – 1980 – a Swedish model and ex-wife of professional golfer Tiger Woods with whom she shares two children. She received $100 million settlement money from Tiger Woods when they divorced.

Eden Riegel – 1981 – an American actress best known for her portrayal of Bianca Montgomery in the soap opera “All My Children”. Riegel has also appeared in a number of other television shows, including “The Young and the Restless,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “American Dreams.”

Colin Morgan – 1986 – a Northern Irish actor best known for his roles in television series “Merlin” and “Humans”. He has also appeared in a number of films, including “Island,” “Parked” and “Legend.

Angourie Rice – 2001 – an Australian actress, known for her role in the movie “The Nice Guys”, opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. She has also appeared in several other films, including “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “The Beguiled”.

1 – The first year of the Christian Era, also known as the Common Era, started with the birth of Jesus Christ. The designation “AD” stands for Anno Domini, which is Latin for “in the year of the Lord.” The year 1 AD is considered to be the first year of the Christian Era.

1502 – Portuguese navigators discovered Rio de Janeiro. The fleet, commanded by Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos, was on its way back to Portugal from India when it came across the bay. Lemos named the bay “Rio de Janeiro,” which means “January River,” because he thought the bay was the mouth of a river.

1908 – The very first Times Square ball drop on New Year’s Eve. The time ball, which was made of iron and wood and adorned with light bulbs, was lowered from the flagpole of the Times Tower at One Times Square to signal the arrival of the new year.

1912 – The Republic of China was formed. It was established after the Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty and ended over 2,000 years of imperial rule in China. Today, the Republic of China (ROC) is more commonly known as Taiwan, and its status as a sovereign state is still disputed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which was established in 1949.

1913 – The United States Post Office began parcel post deliveries. Prior to that time, the Post Office had only been authorized to handle letters, postcards, and a few other types of mail. This allowed people to send packages weighing up to 11 pounds through the mail, with rates based on the weight and distance traveled.

1939 – Hewlett-Packard is founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a garage in Palo Alto, California. The company initially began as a small electronics and engineering firm, and its first product was an audio oscillator.

1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act was enacted. The Act established Canadian citizenship as a distinct and separate status from British subjecthood. It outlined the criteria for acquiring Canadian citizenship, such as birth within Canada or to Canadian parents.

1962 – The United States Navy Sea Air and Land team (Navy SEAL) was created. Harry Beal was the first Navy SEAL, thanks to the roster being ordered alphabetically. The teams were developed to conduct unconventional warfare, counter-guerrilla operations, and other clandestine missions in various environments, including sea, air and land.

1993 – Czechoslovakia separated into two independent countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This event is known as the “Velvet Divorce” because it was peaceful and negotiated without any violence or significant political turmoil.

2002 – The use of the Euro currency started amongst 12 European Union countries (known as the eurozone). This was the biggest cash changeover in history. This marked the introduction of the Euro as an electronic currency for financial transactions and accounting purposes.

2011 – Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) was launched as a 50/50 partnership with Discovery Inc. Since its launch, OWN has become a prominent platform for thought-provoking and empowering programming, featuring shows hosted by Oprah Winfrey herself as well as other influential figures. Today she owns 5% of the company.

The first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer. Mark Fraser purchased the first item that eBay founder Pierre Omidyar listed on the site.

Dolly Parton once entered a look-alike contest but lost to a man. It happened during her trip to Los Angeles, when she decided to take part in a celebrity impersonator competition with a group of drag queens.

In North Korea men can only choose a haircut from the government-approved list of 15 hairstyles but none match Kim Jong-un’s characteristic cut.