1937: Amelia Earhart Disappears
Known for setting flying records, American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and fellow flight navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared on this day in 1937 while attempting to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe. The pair were traveling in a Lockheed Model 10 Electra when the two disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Many theories about what happened have emerged over the years including running out of fuel and sinking in the middle of the sea, landing safely on the Gardner Islands but then perishing, landing the plane safely on the island of Saipan, but then were captured and executed, that the two were really spies for FDR and that Earhart may have survived, then moved to New Jersey, changed her name and then re-married.
1945: Walmart Opens Its Doors
Long before Walmart became an institution, its founder, Sam Walton bought a Ben Franklin store in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1945. His focus early on was to sell a high volume of merchandise at prices much lower than his competitors. His sales increased 45% during the store’s first year and by its fifth year, it was making $250,000 in revenue. After losing the lease on the building, Walton opened Walton’s Five and Dime. On this day in 1962, Walton opened the first Walmart Discount City Store in Rogers, Arkansas. By 1967, the business expanded to 24 stores in the state. Today, Walmart operates over 11,700 stores worldwide. Oh, and the original Five and Dime store is now the home of the Walmart Museum.
Birthdays
- 1932: Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy’s restaurants)
- 1937: Polly Holliday (actress)
- 1984: Johnny Weir (Olympic figure skater)
- 1986: Lindsay Lohan (actress)
- 1990: Margot Robbie (actress)
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