On January 12, 1926, the two-man comedy series “Sam ‘n’
Henry” debuted on Chicago  radio station WGN. Two years
later, after changing its name to “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” the show
became one of the most popular radio programs in American
history.

Though the creators and the stars of the new radio program,
Freeman Gosden and Charles Carrell, were both white, the
characters they played were two Black men from the Deep
South who moved to Chicago to seek their fortunes.

By that time, white actors performing in dark stage makeup—
or “blackface”—had been a significant tradition in American
theater for over 100 years.

Gosden and Carrell, both vaudeville performers, were doing
a Chicago comedy act in blackface when an employee at the
Chicago Tribune suggested they create a radio show.

All in the Family is an sitcom television series that aired 
on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April
8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes.

All in the Family has been ranked as one of the best TV
series. The show became the most watched show in the
U.S.during the summer reruns of the first season, and
topped the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976, the
first television series to have held the position for five
consecutive years.

1971

Sally Anne Struthers (77) was born in Portland, Oregon.

On January 9, 2007, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs unveils the
iPhone—a touchscreen mobile phone with an iPod, camera
and Web-browsing capabilities, among other features—at
the Macworld convention in San Francisco.

When it went on sale in the United States six months later, on
June 29, amidst huge hype, thousands of customers lined up
at Apple stores across the country to be among the first to
purchase an iPhone.

In November 2007, by which point more than 1.4 million
iPhones had been sold—Time magazine named the sleek,
4.8-ounce device, originally available in a 4GB, $499 model
and an 8GB, $599 model, its invention of the year.

On December 28, 1895, the world’s first commercial movie
screening took place at the Grand Cafe in Paris. The film
was made by Louis and Auguste Lumière, two French
brothers who developed a camera-projector called the
Cinematographe.

On December 28, the entrepreneurial siblings screened a 
series of short scenes from everyday French life and they
charged admission for the first time.

       
        
        
        
       
Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière, the fathers of
cinema.        

The brothers developed a combination movie camera
and projecting, capable of projecting images on a
screen to be seen by audiences.

On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge (center) pushed 
a button and lit up the first national Christmas tree to grace the
White House grounds.

Coolidge’s “inauguration” of the first outdoor national Christmas
tree initiated a tradition that has been repeated with every
administration.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan began another custom by
authorizing the first official White House ornament, copies of
which were made available for purchase.

Calvin Coolidge 
(July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933)

30th President of the United
States

In office
August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929