Spain sells Florida to the U.S., Willis Carrier draws up the plan for the air conditioner, and the International Criminal Court is created. Happy birthday to Phyllis Diller - with a reading of "Solitude," by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

J. D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" is published and happy birthday to Ida B. Wells - with a reading from her speech "Lynch Law in America."

The Rosetta Stone is discovered, the Spanish Inquisition ends, and Alzheimer's is named. Happy birthdays to Clement Clark Moore and Iris Murdoch - with a reading from Murdoch's "The Bell."

It's Bastille Day! Also, U.S. President John Adams signs the Sedition Act, another fire nearly destroys the city of Chicago, and Jane Goodall reaches the Gombe Stream Reserve to begin studying chimpanzees. Happy birthdays to Mario, William Hanna, and Woody Guthrie - with a reading from Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd."

The birthday club includes George Weller, Marcia Brown, and Cameron Crowe - with a reading of "Miracles" by Jean Blewett.

It's Thoreau-Neruda Day! Today's episode includes a reading from Thoreau's essay, "Walking."

The Jay Treaty is signed by the UK and the U.S., America's most famous duel takes place, and Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" is published. Happy birthdays to E. B. White and Jhumpa Lahiri - with a reading from White's "Here is New York."

French King Louis XVI declares war on Great Britain, Alexander Mackenzie completes his 3,000 mile trip through the Canadian wilderness to the Pacific, and French secret agents bomb the Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior." Happy birthdays to Marcel Proust and Alice Munro - with a reading from Proust's "In Search of Lost Time."