On this day in 1901, the popular marching song “Pomp and Circumstance” was performed live for the very first time — but not at a graduation.

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On this day in 1773, the renowned poet Phillis Wheatley was freed from slavery.

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On this day in 1906, a German shoemaker named Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt impersonated an army officer and tricked a group of soldiers into helping him commit a daring robbery.

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On this day in 1923, young cartoonist Walt Disney and his big brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California.

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On this day in 1860, a young girl named Grace Bedell wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln, urging him to grow a beard before the upcoming election.

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On this day in 1975, Ronald DeFeo Jr. stood trial for the brutal killing of his six family members — a crime known today as the Amityville murders.

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On this day in 1958, a marmalade-loving bear cub appeared for the first time when A Bear Called Paddington was published.

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On this day in 1609, the original version of the popular children’s nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” was published for the first time in London.

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On this day in 1975, sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live broadcast its first episode live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.

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On this day in 1845, the United States Naval Academy opened its doors in Annapolis, Maryland, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors.

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