1790 - John Tyler, the tenth United States President, is born in Charles City County, Virginia. Visit him and all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney World's The Hall of Presidents.

1909 - Director, writer, and animator Jack Kinney is born in Utah. His long career at the Walt Disney Studios will begin in 1931 as an animator on several shorts, including Santa's Workshop, The Band Concert, and Moose Hunters. In 1988 Kinney will publish a short memoir, Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters: An Unauthorized Account of the Early Years at Disney.

1918 - Legendary entertainer Pearl Bailey, the voice of Big Mama in Disney's 1981 animated release The Fox and the Hound, is born in Newport News, Virginia. A singer and actress, she sang "Best of Friends", "Lack of Education", and "Appreciate The Lady" as the voice of Big Mama. (A Tony and Emmy-award winner, Bailey is remembered for her role of Maria in the 1959 classic feature Porgy and Bess.)

1940 - Actor Hal Stalmaster, the star of Disney's 1957 live-action feature Johnny Tremain, is born.

1943 - Comic actor, writer & film director Eric Idle - Dr. Nigel Channing of Honey, I Shrunk the Audience & Journey Into Your Imagination, and the voices of Mr. Parenthesis of TV's Hercules, and Pluto Angel in Mickey Mouse Works - is born in England. He also starred in Disney's 1996 live-action feature Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and contributed to Disney's "The Wild Soundtrack." (Comedy fans will know Idle best as a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus.)

1951 - Disney's True-Life Adventure short In Beaver Valley wins an Oscar (Short Subject/Two Reel) at the 1950 Academy Awards (presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood).

1954 - The ABC-Paramount board approves a deal with Walt Disney. In exchange for Walt Disney's commitment to produce a weekly television series, ABC-Paramount will contribute $500,000 to Disneyland, guarantee $4.5 million in loans, and become a 34 percent owner in Disneyland, Inc. (The actual contract won't be signed until April 2.)

1955 - The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway signs a 5-year contract with Disney, paying $50,000 per year in exchange for the name "Santa Fe" and company logo to be used on all Disneyland trains, stations, and literature.

1961 - Actress Amy Sedaris - the voice of Foxy Loxy in the 2005 animated feature Chicken Little - is born in New York City. (Comedy fans may recognize her from the 2005 Bewitched, the 2003 Elf and the 1999 TV series Strangers With Candy.)

1963 - Disney's live-action feature film Miracle of the White Stallions - featuring Robert Taylor, Eddie Albert and James Franciscus - is generally released.

1985 - The Frontierland Shootin' Arcade opens in Disneyland.

1987 - The Wonderful World of Disney airs the episode "Double Agent."

1993 - At the 65th Academy Awards, "A Whole New World" - written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice - from Disney's Aladdin, wins an Oscar for Best Song (beating out 4 other nominations including their own "Friend Like Me" - also from Aladdin). The animated feature also receives an award for Original Score - composed by Alan Menken.

2001 - The Atlanta Braves play their last spring training game of the season at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, when they take on the Florida Marlins.

2002 - Disney's The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid as high school baseball coach turned big league pitcher Jim Morris, opens in theaters.

2002 - The Lizzie McGuire episode "Working Girl" debuts on Disney Channel.

2007 - Actor Adam West (best known as the TV's Batman & the voice of the mayor on The Family Guy) who provides the voice of Uncle Art, one of the eccentric Robinson family members in Walt Disney Pictures' new computer-animated comedy-adventure, Meet the Robinsons, helps kick off the El Capitan Theatre's spectacular Disney Digital 3-D engagement with a personal appearance at the midnight show. Meet the Robinsons is scheduled to run at the El Capitan from March 30th through May 19th. On the same program, in its first big screen appearance in 54 years, is the classic 1953 3-D short, Working for Peanuts, starring Donald Duck and Chip 'n' Dale.

2008 - The Golden Horseshoe Show & Celebration, a fan event, is held in Anaheim, California. Although not an official Disney event, Disney Legends Wally Boag (the original Pecos Bill) and Imagineer Bob Gurr attend.

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