This Day…

1910-03-26 US forbid immigration to criminals, anarchists, paupers & the sick

1919 – Kitty Wells, American singer-songwriter and guitarist, first woman to top the U.S. country charts, inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame, recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (d. 2012)

1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.

1847 – Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer; established the physics department and experimental lab at Wellesley as its first physics professor; author of a physic textbook and numerous articles for Popular Astronomy. (d. 1927)

1893 – Dorothy Parker, American poet , author, screenwriter and critic, known for her satirical wit, recipient of two Academy Award nominations and the O. Henry Award was born.  (d. 1967)

1900 – Olga Baclanova, Russian actress; popular in silent films in America, her heavy accent made her transition to talking films unsuccessful; best-known for her portrayal of Cleopatra in the horror movie Freaks was born. (d. 1974)

1856 – Gail Borden patents a milk condensing process.

1858 – The first cable message crosses the Atlantic.

1860 – Phoebe Ann Moses, better known as Annie Oakley is born.

Born this day in 1902 – Norma Shearer, Canadian actress, known for playing sexually liberated women in the pre-code era of cinema, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Divorcee (d. 1983)