On January 7, 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team
traveled 48 miles west from Chicago to play their first game
in Hinckley, Illinois.

The Globetrotters were the creation of Abe Saperstein of
Chicago, who took over coaching duties for a team of
African American players originally known as the Savoy
Big Five (after the famous Chicago ballroom where they
played their early games).

At a time when only whites were allowed to play on
professional basketball teams, Saperstein decided to
promote his new team’s racial makeup by naming them
after Harlem, the famous African American neighborhood
of New York City.

The earliest known team photo of the Globetrotters,
from the 1930–1931 season. Standing from left: Abe        
Saperstein, Walter “Toots” Wright, Byron “Fat” Long,
Inman  Jackson, and William “Kid” Oliver. Seated: Al
“Runt” Pullins.

Nicolas Cage (Coppola) is a actor, film producer and nephew
of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. He has received many          
accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors
Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as two
nominations for BAFTA Awards.       


       
Known for his versatility as an actor, Cage’s work across
diverse film genres has gained him a significant cult
following. Films in which he has appeared have grossed
over $6.4 billion worldwide. Cage is 62 years old today.

On January 7, 1999, the impeachment trial of President
Bill Clinton, formally charged with lying under oath and
obstructing justice, began in the Senate.

As instructed in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution,
Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist was
sworn in to preside, and the senators were sworn in
as jurors.

Congress had only attempted to remove a president on
one other occasion: the 1868 impeachment trial of
President Andrew Johnson, who incurred the Republican
Party’s wrath after he had proposed a conservative
Reconstruction plan.

Chief Justice William Rehnquist (top left) swearing in senators.

February 12, 1999.