1832 - English novelist Lewis Carroll is born in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He will be best known for his works "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass."

1892 - Kay Kamen, the man behind the proliferation of Disney merchandise from 1933-1949, is born Herman Samuel Kamen in Baltimore, Maryland.

1901 - Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi dies in Milan, Italy, at age 87. Nearly a century later, Disney will make his Aida a Broadway hit!

1963 - The TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs episode 225 - part 2 of "Johnny Shiloh." The program is based on the Civil War exploits of a real person - John Lincoln Clem who at the age of 11 served in the Union Army!

1969 - Comedian, actor and writer Patton Oswalt - the voice of Rémy in Disney/Pixar's 2007 Ratatouille - is born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He also supplies the voice for Professor Dementor in Disney Channel's Kim Possible. (TV fans know Oswalt best as Spence Olchin on The King of Queens.)

1991 - Super Bowl XXV is played at Tampa Stadium in Florida. The halftime show is a Disney production called "Walt Disney World Small World Tribute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl." It features New Kids on the Block, Disney characters, Warren Moon, and 2,000 local children. The New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills, 20-19. (Unlike previous years, the halftime presentation for Super Bowl XXV is not shown live. It is pre-empted by ABC News in favor of coverage of the ongoing Operation Desert Storm. The halftime show is instead presented in an edited format during the post-game show at the conclusion of the game.)

1994 - The very first Marc Davis Lecture takes place in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Davis himself, one of Disney's "Nine Old Men," as the inaugural participant in this lecture named in his honor. The Marc Davis Lecture has been established to provide a forum for film animators and other experts to share their experiences as well as to explore with colleagues the challenges of creating animation.

1995 - CBS-TV airs the Disney special The Best of Country, hosted by Clint Black.

1996 - The Walt Disney World Resort hosts the inaugural Indy 200 race in the new, state-of-the-art Walt Disney World Speedway. The race is put together by the Resort's new sports department and the Indy Racing League. Driver Buzz Calkins wins the event in 1:33:30.748.

1997 - Walt Disney Records reissues the soundtrack to the animated feature Bambi - exactly 55 years after it was originally recorded.

1998 - Walt Disney Records releases Friends Forever featuring songs sung by Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore. Also released this day is the album Ariel's Favorites - a compilation of songs from previous Little Mermaid CDs.

1999 - The French newspaper Le Parisien breaks the story that the second theme park at Disneyland Paris has finally been approved for construction. Broadly based on Florida's Disney-MGM Studios, the new park will be a celebration of the cinema. The targeted opening date is April 2002, to coincide with Disneyland Paris's tenth anniversary. (Walt Disney Studios Park - Disney's 10th park in the world - will open March 16, 2002.)

2001 - The animated series Disney's House of Mouse airs the episode 2 "Big Bad Wolf Daddy." In this episode, Mickey is dismayed to learn that Donald Duck has invited the Big Bad Wolf (who has a tendency to blow the house down) to perform at the House of Mouse!

2004 - The Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast plays performance number 4,000.

2004 - Disney releases the DVD Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edtion).

2004 - Walt Disney Records releases Disneymania 2 a CD of Disney songs performed by such artists as Raven, Jump 5, Jesse McCartney, and Hilary Duff.

2004 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce the nominees for the 76th Annual Academy Awards. Disney's Brother Bear, Finding Nemo and Destino all receive nominations as does actor Johnny Depp for his role in Disney's live-action Pirates of the Caribbean.

2004 - Roy Disney and Stanley Gold make public their decision to "vote no" on the re-election of 4 key Disney directors (including CEO Michael Eisner).

2006 - Walt Disney Pictures releases Roving Mars exclusively in IMAX theaters. This documentary (produced by Kennedy-Marshall and White Mountain Films) details the journey of "Spirit" and "Opportunity", two rovers exploring the red planet.

2006 - Disney Channel's newest animated series The Emperor's New School (a follow-up to the Disney movie The Emperor's New Groove) debuts.

2008 - Miley Cyrus (star of Disney Channel's Hanna Montana) visits Disney World with family & friends to celebrate the end of her record-breaking U.S. concert tour.

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