In competing versions of the story, what Elvis Presley really wanted
for his birthday was a rifle or a bicycle—both fairly typical choices
for a boy his age growing up on the outskirts of Tupelo, Mississippi.

Instead, Elvis’s highly protective mother, Gladys,”She never let me
out of her sight”, Elvis would say—took him to the Tupelo Hardware
Store and bought a gift that would change  the course of history: a
$6.95 guitar. It was January 8, 1946, and Elvis Aaron Presley was 11
years old.

The historical significance of putting a guitar into the hands of a
young man who would later help define rock and roll is obvious
and for Elvis himself, however, getting that guitar was just one
more step in a thorough yet totally unplanned program of
childhood musical development that prepared him perfectly to
ignite a revolution 10 years later.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)
(Note: Elvis was 11 years old when this photo was taken)

Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black accompany Elvis (center)
in a little-seen photo from late 1954 or ’55.

On June 17, 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from
the people of France to the people of America, arrives in New York Harbor
after being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in 350 individual pieces
packed in more than 200 cases. The copper and iron statue, which was reassembled and dedicated the following year in a ceremony presided over
by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, became known around the world as an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.

Intended to commemorate the American Revolution and a century of
friendship between the U.S. and France, the statue was designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (who modeled it after his own mother),
with assistance from engineer Gustave Eiffel, who later developed the iconic
tower in Paris bearing his name. The statue was initially scheduled to be
finished by 1876, the 100th anniversary of America’s Declaration of
Independence; however, fundraising efforts, which included auctions, a
lottery and boxing matches, took longer than anticipated, both in Europe
and the U.S., where the statue’s pedestal was to be financed and constructed.

The statue alone cost the French an estimated $250,000 (more than $5.5 million
in today’s money).

“Ladies’ Home Journal”

Cracker Jack is a brand of snack food consisting of molasses-flavored,
caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts, well known for being packaged
with a prize of trivial value inside. The Cracker Jack name and slogan,
"The More You Eat The More You Want", were registered in 1896. Some
food historians consider it the first junk food.