On this day in 1916, entrepreneur Clarence Saunders opened the Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service grocery store in the United States.

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On this day in 1698, Tsar Peter I imposed an annual tax on Russians who wished to keep their facial hair.

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On this day in 1798, over $160,000 was stolen from the Bank of Pennsylvania at Carpenters’ Hall, marking the first recorded bank heist in American history.

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On this day in 1941, the Nazi regime ordered all Jews in Germany over the age of six to publicly identify themselves by wearing a yellow star. 

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On this day in 1920, John Lloyd Wright received the patent for his “Cabin Construction'' toy, otherwise known as Lincoln Logs.

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On this day in 1983, U.S. astronaut Guion Bluford became the first African American in space.

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On this day in 1911, the last surviving member of the Yahi people was found, on the brink of starvation, near a slaughterhouse in Oroville, California.

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On this day in 1985, French officials denied any involvement in the recent bombing of the anti-nuclear protest vessel, Rainbow Warrior. 

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On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, which established the National Park Service and placed all existing parks under its protection.

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On this day in 1853, according to culinary legend, acclaimed chef George "Crum" Speck invented the potato chip.

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