On this date in 2006, 77.8 percent of voters in Panama voted to expand the Panama Canal to allow larger ships to transit the Isthmus of Panama. Here’s a little bit about the history of the Panama Canal and the improvements that are scheduled to be finished in 2016. The Panama Canal opened in 1914,…

Today is “Back to the Future” Day, the day that Marty McFly traveled to in the movie “Back to the Future Part II.” Here are some facts about the “Back to the Future” trilogy and the predictions the films made about 2015. The first “Back to the Future” movie was released in 1985, and starred…

On this date in 1973, the Sydney Opera House in Australia opened. Here are some things you may not have known about the architectural marvel. Planning for the Opera House began in the late 1940s. In 1957, Danish architect Jorn Utzon was chosen to design the project after an international contest. Ground was broken in…

On this date in 2012 the 52-foot tall statue of Big Tex at Fair Park in Dallas was destroyed by fire during the Texas state fair. Here are some things you may not have known about Big Tex and state and county fairs. Big Tex was originally built as the world’s tallest Santa Claus in Kerens,…

On this date in 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos of the United States won gold and bronze medals respectively in the 200 meters at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. During the medal ceremony, the Americans raised their black-gloved fists above their bowed heads during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner.” All three…

Today is the birthday of English author P.G. Wodehouse, the creator of the character “Jeeves” the quintessential English butler, who actually wasn’t a butler at all. Here are some things you may not have known about Wodehouse, Jeeves and the difference between a butler and a valet or — more properly pronounced — valet (with…

On this date in 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the speed of sound in an airplane. Here are some facts you may not have known about Yeager and supersonic flight. Charles Elwood Yeager was born in West Virginia in 1923. He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces at the age of…

On this date in 1958, Paddington Bear made his debut in the children’s book “A Bear Called Paddington.” Here are some facts you may not have known about Paddington. Paddington was created by Michael Bond, who saw a single teddy bear for sale on a shelf in a shop near Paddington Station in London. He…

On this date in 1936, what is now called Hoover Dam began producing electricity. Here are some things you may not have known about the dam. The Hoover Dam was built between 1931 and 1936 on the Colorado River at Black Canyon on the state line between Nevada and Arizona, about 30 miles southeast of…

On this date in 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees threw a perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series. Here are a few facts about Larsen and the only perfect game in World Series history. Larsen was born in 1929 in Michigan City, Indiana. His family moved to San Diego, California…