In 1778, Captain Cook spotted the Oregon coast for the very first time in Yaquina Bay, which is Spanish for "Someday, Nike will come from here." To be fair, the first person to actually see it was his second in command, Petty Officer Sous-chef.
Famous botanist Luther Burbank was born on this day in 1849. Although he created many successful varieties of flowers and vegetables, there were the failures. For example, he crossed an avocado with a grapefruit. Not only did it taste awful, but it squirted seeds that could kill you!
On this date in 1854, the first sewing machine to sew button holes was invented... which means, up until that time, buttons were pretty useless.
It was on this date in 1876 that Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone.
He was so excited but unable to call anyone and tell them... since he was the only one with a phone.
If he promised to quit calling the patent office.
That night, he got his first phone call from an aluminum siding salesman.
Up until then, telemarketers had nothing to do.
Within five minutes, he received several calls from a telemarketer.
On this date in 1897, Dr. John Kellogg serves the world's first cornflakes to his patients at a mental hospital in Battle Creek, MI.
They said they were good. But when he poured a lot of sugar on them, the patients said, "They're G-r-r-r-r-r-r -- reat!"
The patients liked them, but they were more cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
What did the patient think? That giant cheese cats were about to attack and they should escape on his magic blankie.