1920 - Cartoonist Hank Ketcham, best known as the creator of Dennis the Menace, is born in Seattle, Washington. He will start in the business as an animator for Walter Lantz and Walt Disney - where he will work on films such as Fantasia, Bambi, and Pinocchio. In 1951 Ketcham will create Dennis the Menace, based on his own 4-year-old son Dennis!

1929 - Disney's 7-minute Mickey Mouse cartoon The Barn Dance is released. (It is the first of what will be twelve Mickey shorts released during 1929.)

1930 - Basketball Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins is born in Enid, Oklahoma. In 2006 Walt Disney Pictures will release Glory Road, a movie based on his 1966 championship all-black Texas Western team.

1935 - Donald Duck makes his first appearance in the Mickey Mouse daily newspaper comic strip.

1942 - Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Dumbo appear on the cover of this day's Liberty magazine. The cover art, which depicts the characters paying their income taxes, has been created by Hank Porter.

1947 - Comedian, actor & film director Billy Crystal - the voice of Mike Wzowski in Monsters, Inc. and Mike Car in Cars - is born in Long Beach, New York. It is rumoured that he was originally offered the role of Buzz Lightyear for Toy Story - but turned it down! (An Alumni of Saturday Night Live, movie fans will recognize Crystal from such classics as When Harry Met Sally, Mr. Saturday Night, and Analyze This.)

1956 - The Disneyland TV series airs episode 44 - featuring the film "Stormy the Thoroughbred," narrated by Winston Hibler.

1965 - J. Randolph Richards, the President of the 77th Annual Tournament of Roses, announces that Walt Disney will serve as the parade's Grand Marshal in January 1966.

1975 - At Disney World, the film Magic Carpet 'Round the World is shown for the last time at the Circle-Vision 360 Theater.

1991 - Musical comedy librettist, lyricist, playwright, and director Howard Ashman, known for his work in such Disney classics as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid, passes away in New York City.

1992 - C. V. Wood, a theme park developer for Disneyland, passes away at age 71.

1994 - The Walt Disney Company proposes a restructuring "rescue" plan which will decrease the amount of Euro Disneyland's debt. (Much has happened with Euro Disneyland since its opening and although there has been successes at the Paris theme park, the high debt incurred along the way has caused the financial problems to become the number one priority.) In order for the park to remain operational the debt must be lowered.

1994 - The Virginia legislature approves a $140-million bond issue to pay for highway improvements near the proposed Disney's America theme park site. (The project will eventually be canceled.)

2000 - The audio CD Color, Rhythm and Magic: Favorites From Disney Classics by jazz pianist Earl Rose is released.

2003 - At 6 p.m., Cirque du Soleil celebrates a milestone at Walt Disney World, as the cast of La Nouba marks its 2000th performance at the Cirque du Soleil theater at Downtown Disney West Side. (La Nouba comes from the French "faire la nouba," which means "to party" or "to live it up.")

2003 - The Lizzie McGuire episode "Grubby Longjohn's Olde Tyme Revue" debuts on Disney Channel.

2008 - Block Party Bash officially opens, replacing the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Block Party Bash, a parade imported from Disney's California Adventure, features Disney-Pixar characters.

2008 - Marley, a baby giraffe, is born at Disney's Animal Kingdom weighing in at 122 pounds and standing just under six feet. It is the second giraffe to be born at the theme park this year.

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