Today in History - November 16th

1676 - On this day in history, the first colonial prison was organized in Nantucket, MA.
1764 - Native Americans surrendered to British in Indian War of Chief Pontiac.
1801 - Today in history, the first edition of The New York Evening Post was published.
1824 - New York City's Fifth Avenue opened for business.
1864 - On this day in history, Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops began their "March to the Sea" during the American Civil War.

1907 - Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state.
1914 - Today in history, the Federal Reserve System formally opened.
1920 - Australia's Qantas Airways was founded in Winton, Queensland, as "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited."
1933 - The United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations for the first time.
1952 - Today in history, in the Peanuts comic strip, Lucy first held a football for Charlie Brown.
1973 - President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.
1981 - On this day in history, a vaccine for hepatitis B was approved. The vaccine had been developed at Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research.
1998 - It was announced that Monica Lewinsky had signed a deal for the North American rights to a book about her affair with President Clinton.
1999 - Today in history, Johnny Depp received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2000 - Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War.

SCIENCE, INVENTIONS, PATENTS - Today in History, November 16th

1841 - Life preservers made of cork were patented by Napoleon Guerin (NYC).
1915 - On this day in history, Coca-Cola had its prototype for a contoured bottle patented. The bottle made its commercial debut the next year.

1908 - Today in history, Arturo Toscanini began conducting NY's Metropolitan Opera.
1955 - Johnny Cash made his first chart appearance with "Cry, Cry, Cry."
1959 - On this day in history, the musical "The Sound of Music" opened.
1974 - Stevie Wonder's "Boogie on Reggae Woman" was released.
1973 - David Bowie appeared in his first TV special, "1980 Floor Show," broadcasted on NBC's "Midnight Special."
1978 - Today in history, the movie version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" opened. The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton and Billy Preston made their acting debuts in this movie.
1998 - It was announced that Spice Girl Emma Bunting "Baby Spice" would appear in a new musical version of "The Sleeping Beauty" for the BBC.

1901 - On this day in history, three autos raced on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, with the fastest speed achieved by Henry Fournier who drove a mile in 51 4/5 seconds.
1926 - During the New York Rangers' first game, they defeated Montreal Maroons 1-0.
1994 - Today in history, Major League Soccer announced that it would start its inaugural season in 1996.