It’s Maria; good morning to our Lake Wales Daily audience!
On This Day will be an intermittent feature on this page, citing the anniversaries of dates of significance in history, birthdays, or other facets of trivia we hope you find of interest. It will appear on random days, and today is the first of them.
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Happy Friday all!
On This Day: August 16
1898: Inventor and mechanic Edwin Prescott, of Arlington, MA, receives the first patent for a vertical loop roller coaster. As of 2021, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California holds the world record for most roller coasters (20) in an amusement park.
1948: American baseball player George Herman “Babe” Ruth (b. 1895) dies on this date in 1948 at the age of 53 in New York City. The Baby Ruth candy bar became the official candy bar of Major League Baseball in the 2000s.
1958: American singer and actress Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan. She turns 66 today. She was born Madonna Louise Ciccone.
1962: American comedian and actor Steve Carell was born in Concord, MA. He turns 62 today. His height is listed on Wikipedia as 5’9”.
2018: American singer and songwriter Aretha Louise Franklin (b. 1942) dies on this date in 2018 at the age of 76. She earned 18 Grammy Awards throughout her career and was known as the “Queen of Soul”.
