1857 - William Howard Taft, the twenty-seventh United States President, is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit him and all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney World's Hall of Presidents.

1889 - Humorist, newspaper columnist, and actor Robert Charles Benchley is born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He will star in the 1941 feature film The Reluctant Dragon, giving a loose tour of the then-new Walt Disney Studios facility in Burbank, California. (Robert is the grandfather of Jaws writer Peter Benchley!)

1904 - Tom Conway, the narrator of Disney's 1953 classic film Peter Pan, is born in St. Petersburg, Russia.

1925 - Disney's Alice comedy Alice the Jailbird is generally released.

1928 - A session to record sound for Steamboat Willie takes place in New York. The day is filled with problems as the orchestra finds it difficult to play in synch with the animated film. By the end of this session, Walt has spent $1,000 at the studio ... and has nothing to show for it.

1941 - Original Mouseketeer Don Underhill is born in Alhambra, California.

1955 - Bruce Reitherman, the voices of Christopher Robin in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Mowgli in The Jungle Book, is born in Burbank, California. He is the son of Disney film director (and one of Walt's "Nine Old Men") Wolfgang Reitherman.

1958 - The Disneyland Viewliner, a narrow gauge, miniature train running since June 1957, shuts down forever. Billed as "the fastest miniature train in the world," it was the park's first attempt at mass-transit. The Disneyland Monorail System will take its place in June 1959.

1963 - "Davy Crockett Goes to Congress" airs on the NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

1967 - An article about Disneyland's new Pirates of the Caribbean attraction appears in LIFE magazine.

1983 - A special fountain is presented to Tokyo Disneyland by Walt Disney Productions. "Cinderella's Fountain" is in commemoration of the park's 5-millionth guest.

1996 - At Epcot, the Universe of Energy reopens. It now stars comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

1997 - Downtown Disney West Side premieres in Florida. The 66-acre addition is Disney World's third shopping, dining, and entertainment zone and features Wolfgang Puck Cafè, House of Blues, Bongos Cuban Cafè, Virgin Megastore, plus an expanded AMC Pleasure Island 24 Theatres.

1998 - Walt Disney Home Video hosts the first-ever "Canine Carnival" in celebration of the much-anticipated video re-release of Disney's "Lady and the Tramp," at Los Angeles Griffith Park. Attending celebrities and their pooch pals include Charlton Heston, Lorenzo Lamas, and Leeza Gibbons.

1998 - The soundtrack to the Disney/Pixar A Bug's Life, featuring the music of Randy Newman, is released on Walt Disney Records.

1999 - Most of Walt Disney World remains closed due to the public threat of Hurricane Floyd. Only essential employees are asked to report to work and guests who were staying at Disney's campgrounds are given shelter at the convention center at the Contemporary Resort. It is the first time in Disney's 28-year history that it has been forced to close almost all of its parks. When the hurricane's impact is not as great as expected, officials decide to open just Animal Kingdom from noon to 8:00 p.m., for resort guests only. (The rest of Disney World will reopen the following day.)

2000 - Tokyo Disneyland celebrates Respect For The Aged Day (a national holiday in Japan) with a dance party for guests age sixty and older.

2001 - Disney's ABC-TV replaces The Peacemaker a 1997 movie about a terrorist plotting an attack in New York City, with the romantic comedy Hope Float (in response to the September 11th terrorist attack).

2001 - Disney Channel debuts a new animated interactive series titled Stanley.

2002 - Tony Anselmo, Disney animator and the voice of Donald Duck, appears at Walt's Barn in Griffith Park, California. Fans at the event (hosted by The Carolwood Pacific Historical Society) purchase and have Anselmo sign a copy of The Disney Poster Book.

2004 - Tokyo Disneyland's 2-month long celebration "Disney's Halloween" begins.

2004 - The stage musical Mary Poppins (produced by Disney and Cameron Macintosh) opens for previews in England at the Bristol Hippodrome. (Regular performances will begin sixteen days later.)

2005 - The El Capitan's limited engagement of Cinderella kicks-off with a special filmmakers' panel featuring Ilene Woods-Shaughnessy (the original voice of Cinderella), June Foray (the voice of Lucifer the cat), Lucille Bliss (the voice of stepsister Anastasia), and legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston.

2006 - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is held for the first time this season at Walt Disney World.

2006 - The 3-day Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend kicks off in Anaheim. The 13.1-mile route takes runners through the two Disneyland Resort theme parks.

2006 - Actor Dylan Riley Snyder replaces Daniel Manche as Young Tarzan in Disney's Broadway musical Tarzan.

To discuss this or any other Disney History, please go to Daily Disney History Comments - Walt Disney Boards - Message Boards; Forum Discussing The Genius Of Walter Elias Disney!

__________________