Notable Birthdays for February 14
Otis Tufts (1804-1869) - Inventor who invented the steam pile driver.
Frederick Douglass (1817 or 1818-1895) - Abolitionist and author who escaped slavery and became a prominent figure.
Christopher Latham Sholes (1819-1890) - Inventor of the QWERTY keyboard.
Alfred Iverson Jr. (1829-1911) - Officer for the Confederate Army.
Margaret E. Knight (1838-1914) - Inventor of the machine that produced flat-bottomed paper bags.
Anna Howard Shaw (1847-1919) - Physician and leader of the Women's Suffrage Movement.
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (1859-1896) - Engineer and inventor of the Ferris wheel.
James Green Martin (1819-1878) - Brigadier General of the Confederate Army.
Katherine Stinson (1891-1977) - The fourth woman to earn the FAI pilot certificate in the U.S. and the first woman to be employed by USPS.
Jack Benny (1894-1974) - Considered one of the leading entertainers of the 20th century.
Jessica Dragonette (1900-1980) - Singer and one of the most successful and popular radio voices during WWII.
Mel Allen (1913-1996) - Sportscaster fondly remembered as his play-by-play coverage of the NY Yankees.
Jimmy Hoffa (1913-1975) - Trade union leader whose death still remains a mystery today.
Florence Henderson (1934-2016) - Actress known for her role as Carol Brady on the sitcom The Brady Bunch.
Michael Bloomberg (1942-Still Living) - Co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.
Gregory Hines (1946-2003) - Actor and dancer remembered for his roles in White Nights and Taps.
Rob Thomas (1972-Still Living) - Lead singer for the rock band Matchbox Twenty.
Memorable Events for February 14
1803 - The apple parer was patented by Moses Coats.
1849 - President Polk becomes the first serving President to have his photograph taken.
1859 - Oregon become the 33rd U.S. state to join the Union.
1876 - Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray apply for a patent for the telephone the same day.
1876 - Henry John Heinz co-founds F & J Heinz.
1899 - Congress approves voting machines for federal elections.
1903 - President Roosevelt signs a bill to create the Department of Commerce and Labor.
1912 - Arizona is becomes the 48th state to join the Union.
1912 - The U.S. Navy commissions its diesel-powered submarines.
1919 - The United Parcel Service is formed.
1920 - The League of Women Voters is founded in IL.
1978 - Texas Instruments patents the first "micro on a chip."
2005 - A group of college students launch YouTube.
