1927 - European Disney Comics legend Romano Scarpa is born in Venice, Italy. As a youngster he will he develop a particular love for American cartoons and Disney comics - including classic Floyd Gottfredson stories. In 1956 when Italian editors run out of new Gottfredson stories to reprint, Scarpa will be given the responsibility to continue the stories about Mickey Mouse. During his career, Scarpa will create many Disney characters that are now widely accepted - including Brigitta McBridge (Scrooge McDuck's self-appointed girlfriend), Gideon McDuck (a newspaper editor and Scrooge's brother), and Kildare Coot (a crazy cousin of Donald Duck's).

1938 - Disney's first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released in Sweden.

1947 - Disney's 9th animated feature film, Fun and Fancy Free (two stories hosted by Jiminy Cricket) is released through RKO Pictures. The two segments include Bongo (the story of a circus bear cub who runs away) and Mickey and the Beanstalk (an adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk"). This marks the beginning of sound effects man Jim Macdonald as the voice of Mickey Mouse (although he & Walt share the job on Mickey and the Beanstalk). Walt has hand-picked Macdonald to follow in his footsteps. (Starting with this film, Macdonald will be Mickey's voice for the next 3 decades!) The voice cast of Fun and Fancy Free also includes Edgar Bergen (in a live-action sequence), Luana Pattern, Cliff Edwards, Clarence Nash, Pinto Colvig, Billy Gilbert, and Dinah Shore.

1953 - Songwriter Robert Sherman marries Joyce Ruth Sasner. (Later that year, he and his brother Richard will have their first "Top Ten" hit with "Tall Paul", sung by Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello. The success of the song will yield the attention of Walt Disney - who will hire the Sherman Brothers as staff songwriters for Walt Disney Studios!)

1955 - On a stopover at Idyllwild Airport in New York City (later named John F. Kennedy Airport) Walt Disney is interviewed for radio. He is quizzed about his new live-action feature The Great Locomotive Chase (to be released in 1956).

1963 - Louis Armstrong, The Dukes of Dixieland, and trumpeter Teddy Buckner perform the first of a 2-day engagement at Disneyland.

1978 - Film & stage actor Tyler Maynard, the original Flotsam for Disney's Broadway musical The Little Mermaid, is born in New Carlisle, Ohio.

1982 - At EPCOT Center's Future World, the attractions Energy Exchange, FutureCom, Kitchen Kabaret Revue, Universe of Energy and Harvest Theater all open as the park prepares for its October 1 grand opening.

1993 - At EPCOT, the Listen to the Land boat ride and the Tomorrow's Harvest tour (both located in The Land pavilion since the park's debut in 1982) close. Listen to the Land will re-open in December 1993 as Living with the Land with a new "thunderstorm" opening scene, musical score, and ending. As of this day Nestle becomes The Land's new sponsor.

2001 - At a rally at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, to announce new measures for airline safety (since the September 11th terrorist attacks) U.S. President Bush urges citizens to: "Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Go down to Disney World in Florida, take your families and enjoy life the way we want it to be enjoyed."

2003 - The Sioux City Arts Center (in Iowa) holds an opening night reception for a new exhibit, "The Animation Art of Ron Clements," dedicated to legendary Disney artist and film director, Ron Clements. Clements, who was born in Sioux City, worked on such classics as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Rescuers, Pete's Dragon, Aladdin, and Treasure Planet.

2004 - All Disney World theme parks (with the exception of Typhoon Lagoon) open after being closed the day before due to Hurricane Jeanne.

2005 - Sotheby's and The Walt Disney Company conclude the celebration of Mickey Mouse's 75th anniversary with an auction of 75 statues of Mickey - which have toured the country since Mickey's 75th birthday on November 18, 2003.

2008 - The live 'Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends' show at Disney's Animal Kingdom closes after running for 10 years.

2008 - The Florida Downtown Disney area known as Pleasure Island permanently closes as of 2 a.m. Over the next two years, all of Pleasure Island's night clubs will be replaced with new stores and restaurants.

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