Today in New Jersey History
Cities in New Jersey: Jersey City - Newark
Historical Events
Events 1 - 38 of 38
1664-03-12 - New Jersey becomes a British colony
1664-06-24 - The colony of New Jersey is founded.
1673-03-18 - Lord Berkley sells his half of New Jersey to the Quakers
1758-08-29 - New Jersey Legislature forms 1st Indian reservation
1766-11-10 - The last Colonial governor of New Jersey, William Franklin, signs the charter of Queen's College (later renamed Rutgers University).
1772-09-26 - New Jersey passes bill requiring a license to practice medicine
1780-06-23 - American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township.
1781-01-01 - 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey as part of the Pennsylvania (Continentals; Regiment) Mutiny of 1781.
1787-12-18 - New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1789-11-20 - New Jersey is 1st state to ratify Bill of Rights
1804-02-15 - New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery
1806-01-30 - The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
1831-09-15 - The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.
1871-01-19 - 1st Negro lodge of US Masons approved, New Jersey
1882-08-05 - Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
Inventor Thomas Edison
1883-01-19 - The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
1904-01-05 - -34°F (-36.7°C), River Vale, New Jersey (state record)
1909-06-09 - Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, New Jersey, becomes the first woman to drive across the United States. With three female companions, none of whom could drive a car, in fifty-nine days she drove a Maxwell automobile the 3,800 miles from Manhattan, New York, to San Francisco, California.
1921-09-07 - In Atlantic City, New Jersey, the first Miss America Pageant, a two-day event, is held.
1935-06-11 - Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States, at Alpine, New Jersey.
1935-10-23 - Dutch Schultz, Abe Landau, Otto Berman, and Bernard "Lulu" Rosencrantz are fatally shot at a saloon in Newark, New Jersey in what will become known as The Chophouse Massacre.
1936-07-10 - 110°F (43°C) at Runyon, New Jersey (state record
1942-01-02 - The United States Navy opens a blimp base at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
1946-07-25 - At Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stage their first show as a comedy team.
1947-11-20 - 1st permanent TV installed on seagoing vessel (New Jersey)
1955-04-19 - The German automaker Volkswagen, after six years of selling cars in the United States, founds Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to standardize its dealer and service network.
1956-04-26 - First container ship left Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas
1982-01-31 - 32nd NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 120-118 at New Jersey
1989-01-23 - NBA New Jersey Nets begin a 32+ game road losing streak
1998-05-26 - The United States Supreme Court rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
Comedian Jerry Lewis
2001-09-18 - First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
2001-10-09 - Second mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attack.
2002-05-31 - The New Jersey Nets defeat the Boston Celtics 96-88 in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Championship, winning the series 4 games to 2 to advance to their first NBA Finals appearance.
2002-06-12 - Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets 4-0 in NBA finals MVP: Shaquille O'Neal, L.A.
2004-08-12 - New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey comes out publicly as a gay man.
2008-01-08 - New Jersey officially apologizes for slavery, becoming the first Northern state to do so.
2012-06-11 - Los Angeles Kings defeat New Jersey Devils 6-1 in game 6 to win the NHL's Stanley Cup
2012-10-29 - Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in New Jersey resulting in 110 deaths and $50 billion in damage and forces the New York stock exchange to close
Famous Birthdays
Birthdays 1 - 46 of 46
1661-11-28 - Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, British Governor of New York and New Jersey (d. 1723)
1723-11-30 - William Livingston, revolutionary Governor of New Jersey (d. 1790)
1814-08-23 - James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (d. 1877)
1864-10-10 - T. Frank Appleby, United States Congressman from New Jersey (d. 1924)
1871-11-01 - Stephen Crane, Newark, New Jersey, novelist/poet (Red Badge of Courage), (d. 1900)
1886-12-06 - Joyce Kilmer, New Brunswick, New Jersey, poet (Trees), (d. 1918)
1894-06-23 - Alfred Kinsey, Hoboken, New Jersey, American entomologist/sexologist (Kinsey Report)
1910-08-12 - Jane Wyatt, Mahwah, New Jersey, American actress (Father Knows Best, Star Trek), (d. 2006)
1912-06-25 - William T. Cahill, Governor of New Jersey (d. 1996)
1917-08-25 - Mel Ferrer, Elberon New Jersey, American actor (Longest Day, Eaten Alive, 5th Floor)
1921-09-06 - Norman Joseph Woodland, Atlantic City, New Jersey, inventor (barcode), (d. 2012)
Actress Jane Wyatt (1910-08-12)
1921-12-26 - John Severin, Jersey City, New Jersey, comic book artist (Hulk, Mad Magazine), (d. 2012)
1924-04-01 - Brendan Byrne, Governor of New Jersey
1925-10-22 - Dory Previn [Dorothy Veronica Langan], Rahway, New Jersey, singer-songwriter (Mythical Kings, Iguanas), (d. 2012)
1926-06-03 - Allen Ginsberg, Newark, New Jersey, American beat poet (Howl)
1929-09-19 - Margaret S Roukema, (Rep-R-New Jersey, 1981- )
1930-06-24 - Herbert C Klien, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1931-04-19 - Alex Webster, Kearney, New Jersey, football coach (NY Giants), (d. 2012)
1932-07-31 - Sam Coppola, Jersey City, New Jersey, actor (Saturday Night Fever), (d. 2012)
1932-10-17 - William J Hughes, (Rep-D-New Jersey, 1975- )
1934-07-16 - Donald Payne, Newark, New Jersey, New Jersey Congressman (1989-2012), (d. 2012)
1941-06-23 - Richard M. Richie Roberts, former Marine and New Jersey Police Detective, Criminal Defense Attorney
1941-08-03 - Martha Stewart, New Jersey, cookbook author/actress (Those Two)
1942-05-23 - Zalman King, Trenton, New Jersey, actor and director (Wild Orchid), (d. 2012)
1942-10-02 - Steve Sabol, Moorestown, New Jersey, filmmaker (35 Emmy awards), (d. 2012)
1943-03-09 - Trish Van Devere, [Patricia Dressel], Tenafly New Jersey, actress (Changeling)
Cookbook Author and TV Personality Martha Stewart (1941-08-03)
1944-08-16 - Dick Zimmer, (Rep-R-New Jersey)
1949-06-22 - Meryl Streep, New Jersey, American actress (French Lieutenant's Woman, Sophie's Choice)
1951-08-26 - Robert G Torricelli, (Rep-D-New Jersey, 1983- )
1951-10-30 - Frank Pallone Jr, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1956-09-16 - David Copperfield, [Kotkin], Metuchen, New Jersey, magician
1957-08-04 - Robert E Andrews, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1958-02-16 - Ice-T [Tracy Marrow], Newark, New Jersey, American rapper and actor (New Jack City, Tank Girl, Crazy Six)
1961-05-13 - Dennis Rodman, Trenton, New Jersey, NBA forward (Chicago Bulls)
1969-04-06 - Paul Rudd, Passaic, New Jersey, American actor (Clueless, The 40-Year-Old Virgin)
1969-04-27 - Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
1973-08-22 - Jennifer Makris, Miss USA-New Jersey (1997, top 10)
1975-04-06 - Zach Braff, South Orange, New Jersey, American actor (Dr. John Dorian-Scrubs)
1975-05-25 - Lauryn Hill, South Orange, New Jersey, American singer-songwriter (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill)
1976-05-23 - Melanie Joyce Bell, Vernon New Jersey, Miss America-New Jersey (1997)
1977-04-23 - Kal Penn, Montclair, New Jersey, American actor (Dr. Lawrence Kutner-House, The Namesake) and civil servant
Actress Zoe Saldana (1978-06-19)
1978-06-19 - Zoe Saldana, Passaic, New Jersey, American actress (Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
1978-12-02 - Jason Collins, American basketball player for New Jersey Nets
1978-12-19 - Lauren Petty, Miss New Jersey Teen USA (1997)
1981-05-16 - Jessica Ponzo, Miss New Jersey Teen USA (1996)
1982-04-30 - Kirsten Dunst, Point Pleasant, New Jersey, American actress (Interview with the Vampire, Spider-Man)
Famous Weddings
Weddings 1 - 8 of 8
1924-06-24 - American writer Henry Miller (31) marries 2nd wife June Smerth (21) in Hoboken, New Jersey.
1996-09-07 - Five-foot-eleven model-actress Eva Herzigova (23) weds Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres (43) in Sea Bright, New Jersey
1996-11-30 - Multimillionaire and top-selling female suspense novelist Mary Higgins Clark (67) weds Merrill Lynch Futures retired CEO John Conheeney (67) in Saddle River, New Jersey
2003-12-07 - Multi-awarded singer Mary J. Blige (32) weds record producer Kendu Isaacs in Bergen County, New Jersey
2004-06-20 - Former Dallas Cowboys running back Eddie George (30) weds R&B group "SWV" member Tamara Johnson (33) at the Rockleigh Country Club in Rockleigh, New Jersey
2006-07-07 - Three-time "Survivor" contestant Stephanie LaGrossa (26) weds Michael Ward in Seaside Heights, New Jersey
2009-08-15 - Charmed actress Alyssa Milano (39) weds CAA agent David Bugliari in Bernardsville, New Jersey
2009-10-25 - Socialite Ivanka Trump (27) weds New York Observer owner Jared Kushner (28) at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
Deaths 1 - 4 of 4
1779-06-16 - Sir Francis Bernard, Governor of New Jersey and Massachusetts (b. 1712)
1790-07-25 - William Livingston, Governor of New Jersey (b. 1723)
1877-10-03 - James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (b. 1814)
2011-11-10 - Peter J. Biondi, American state legislator (New Jersey) and former mayor (b. 1942)
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