The First McDonald’s Opened

April 15th, the nation lost its first President to assassination, America got its first McDonald's,  Ivory Soap was born,

1817 - The first American school for the deaf opened in Hartford, Connecticut. I SAID, IN 1817 THE FIRST AMERICAN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF OPENED IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT!

1865 - ABRAHAM LINCOLN died at 7:22 A.M., and ANDREW JOHNSON was sworn in as the 17th president.  (--Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated.  He was shot the night before at Ford's Theater by actor John Wilkes Booth.)

We've had four assassinated presidents.  After Lincoln, the others were James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.

1878 - Harley Procter (THE Procter of Procter & Gamble) developed IVORY SOAP.  He got the name from Psalms 45:8 . "All their garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad."

1945 - PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT was buried on the grounds of his Hyde Park home.

1947 - JACKIE ROBINSON became the first African-American to play in a regular season Major League baseball game.

1955 - RAY KROC opened THE FIRST MCDONALD'S restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.  Ray Kroc originally sold milkshake machines.

When he saw how much business they made for the McDonald brothers' restaurant in Southern California, he sold them on the idea of letting him open McDonald's all across the country.

1957 - JERRY LEE LEWIS released "Whole Lotta Shakin".  It went on to become his first hit.

1971 - GEORGE C. SCOTT refused to accept his Best Actor Oscar for "Patton", because he said actors shouldn't be in competition with each other, and because he considered the Academy Awards Quote, "a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons."

1983 - "Flashdance" WAS RELEASED!  It starred  JENNIFER BEALS and earned  IRENE CARA an Oscar for the song "Flashdance . . . What a Feelin"!

1983 - James L. Hardy Jr. won $25,000 in damages from a lawsuit against DAYS INN.  He said he checked into their hotel in East Ridge, Tennessee, went to his room, opened the door, and was shocked to see a "skimpily clad" woman!  He tragically injured his neck when he turned around to leave.

1988 - "Colors" was released  starring SEAN PENN as a rookie cop who gets partnered with ROBERT DUVALL in Chicano gang-infested East L.A.

1992 - LEONA HELMSLEY began serving a four-year prison term for tax evasion, because, as she said, quote, "Only the little people pay taxes."

1997 - CHRISTOPHER REEVE got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000 - "THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS" was released starring  STEPHEN BALDWIN AS BARNEY RUBBLE!

2001 - JOEY RAMONE (--lead singer of THE RAMONES), died at age 49 from lymphatic cancer.

-Singer Joey, guitarist Johnny and bassist Dee Dee all died early and untimely deaths.  Meanwhile, the band's two drummers . . . Tommy and Marky, are still alive.  The Ramones are the ANTI-SPINAL TAP.

2009 - ERIC CARMEN was sentenced to 180 days in prison for his second DUI in two years.  His blood-alcohol level was .234 . . . nearly THREE TIMES the legal limit.  He wisely pled no contest and got off with only having to serve 30 days.

Not only did he slam his car into a fire hydrant, but he also MISERABLY failed a field sobriety test.  Here's the dashcam video.