On this day in...

On this day in...
1621 – Myles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth colony.
1801 – An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
1819 – The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise.
1865 – American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
1867 – The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.
1924 – In Miami, Florida, Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in the 100-yard freestyle swimming competition with a time of 52-2/5 seconds.
1925 – Harold Ross and Jane Grant found The New Yorker magazine; the debut issue is dated February 21, 1925.
1933 – Newsweek magazine is published for the first time.
1968 – In Springfield, Massachusetts the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.
1996 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.

Births
1893 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player (d. 1965)
1942 – Huey P. Newton, American political activist (d. 1989)
1948 – Rick Majerus, American basketball coach
1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor
1963 – Michael Jordan, American basketball player
1964 – Buster Olney, American sports columnist
1965 – Michael Bay, American film director
1968 – Bryan Cox, National Football League player
1972 – Ralphie May, American comedian
1974 – Jerry O'Connell, American actor
1980 – Al Harrington, American basketball player
1981 – Paris Hilton, American actress and heiress

Good list of birthdays today with the founder of the Black Panthers, a fat basketball coach, a Native American actor, an action movie producer, a fat comedian, the fat kid from 'Stand By Me,' and a debutant. But as much as it pains me today is all about Air Jordan. Since we're so soon removed from the Slam Dunk contest here's a rundown of MJ's involvement in the Dunk Contests of the 80's.