On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a
preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for
the freedom of more than 3 million enslaved in the United
States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery.

ED DANAHUE

John R. Cash
(born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003)

Johnny Cash is one of the best-selling music artists of all time,
having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. His genre-
spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly,
blues, folk, and gospel sounds. This crossover appeal earned
him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music,
Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame. His music
career was dramatized in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line. A
trademark all-black stage wardrobe earned him the nickname
“The Man in Black”. 

ED DANAHUE

After fire destroyed his well two months after it found oil along
Oil Creek, Pennsylvania, Edwin L. Drake rebuilt at the original
site. Drake, right, stands with his friend Peter Wilson of Titusville.

The modern United States receives its crowning star when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii into the
Union as the 50th state (above). The president also issued an order
for an American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows:
five six-star rows and four five-star rows. The new U.S. flag became
official July 4, 1960.

Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. is 78 today.