2011 Event Tornado warnings are issued for Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri; the Joplin, Missouri death toll rises to 126 people with 1,150 injured by the May 22 tornado 2011 Event Over 5,000 red-winged blackbirds suddenly die in Beebe, Arkansas, on New Year's Eve; scientists investigate causes of the bird die-off 2010 Event Flash floods on the Little Missouri River kill at least 20 people near a campground in the Ouachita Mountains, west of Little Rock, Arkansas 2008 Death Roy Scheider, dies in Little Rock, Arkansas, complications from a staph infection, at 75 2004 Event Clinton Library opens in Little Rock Arkansas, containing 2 million photographs and 80 million documents 1995 Event Carquest Bowl 6: North Carolina beats Arkansas, 20-10 1995 Event 57th NCAA Men's Basketball Champion: UCLA Bruins beats Arkansas 89-78 1994 Event 56th NCAA Men's Basketball Champion: Arkansas Razorbacks beats Duke 76-72 1989 Event Winds gust to 85 MPH at Fort Smith Arkansas 1987 Event In Arkansas R Gene Simmons kills 2, later bodies of 14 of his relatives are found at his home near Dover Ark 1982 Event 35.7 cm rainfall at Big Fork, Arkansas (state record) 1982 Event Terri Lea Utley, 20, (Arkansas), crowned 31st Miss USA 1982 Event Arkansas judge rules against obligatory teaching of creation 1981 Event Elizabeth Ward (Arkansas), 20, crowned 54th Miss America 1982 1980 Event Alabama beats Arkansas in Sugar Bowl for college football championship 1978 Birthday Brandi Watkins, Miss Arkansas Teen USA 1997 1978 Birthday Wes Bentley, born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, actor, films include 'Beloved', 'American Beauty', 'The Last Word' 1978 Birthday Aimee Delatte, Miss Arkansas Teen USA 1996 1977 Event Arkansas' Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal 1975 Birthday Kalin Olson, Hot Springs, Arkansas, playmate, Aug 1997 1975 Birthday Tiffany Parks, Miss Arkansas USA 1996 1975 Birthday John Hargis, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, 100m butterfly 1996 Olympics 1974 Birthday Paula Gaye Montgomery, Cabot, Arkansas, Miss America, Arkansas-3rd-1996 1973 Birthday Melonie McGarrah, Rogers Arkansas, Miss America-Arkansas 1997 1973 Death Winthrop Rockefeller, U.S. governor (Arkansas), dies at 60 1971 Birthday Becky Sunshine, Rebekah Jayne Hunter, Arkansas, Miss Nude California 1993 1968 Event Supreme Court declares Arkansas law banning teaching evolution in public schools unconstitutional 1968 Event A tornado strikes Jonesboro Arkansas at 10 PM, killing 36 1966 Birthday Paula Jones, born in Lonoke, Arkansas, sued President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment, case was dismissed but while on appeal Clinton paid Jones $850,000 1966 Birthday Karissa Rushing, Benton Arkansas, Miss Arkansas-America 1991 1965 Event Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy Arkansas, 53 die 1963 Birthday Mark Pryor, born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, politician, Democrat, U.S. Senator from Arkansas, voted to confirm Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General 1961 Birthday Scott E Parazynski, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, MD/astronaut, STS-66, 86, sk:95 1958 Event U.S. Supreme Court orders Little Rock Arkansas high school to integrate 1957 Event White mob forces 9 black students who had entered a Little Rock high school in Arkansas to withdraw 1957 Event Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, calls out National Guard to stop 9 black students from entering a Little Rock high school 1956 Event Patty Berg wins LPGA Arkansas Golf Open 1956 Birthday Susie Diane Owens, Arkansas City Kansas, playmate, March, 1988 1955 Birthday Rebecca Balding, Little Rock, Arkansas, actress, Carla-Lou Grant, Soap 1955 Birthday Mike Huckabee, born in Hope, Arkansas, politician, 44th Governor of Arkansas, Republican, candidate for President in 2008, host of 'Huckabee' television talk show 1954 Birthday James Henderson, country singer, Black Oak Arkansas 1953 Birthday Mary Steenburgen, Newport, Arkansas, actress, Parenthood, Time After Time 1952 Event Tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky cause 343 deaths 1951 Birthday Roosevel Ferguson, born in Arkansas, murderer, FBI Most Wanted List 1950 Birthday Thomas Aldrich, country drummer, Black Oak Arkansas 1950 Birthday David Lynn Jones, Bexar, Arkansas, country singer, Bonnie Jean 1949 Birthday Tim Hutchinson, born in Bentonville, Arkansas, Representative-R-Arkansas 1993 - 1997, Senator-R-Arkansas 1997 - 2003 1948 Birthday Ricki Lee Reynolds, country singer, Black Oak Arkansas 1947 Birthday Pat "Dirty" Daugherty, rocker, Black Oak Arkansas 1946 Birthday James R. Hines, Dumas, Arkansas, 4X100m relayer, Gold Medal 1968 Olympics 1946 Birthday Richard O Covey, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USAF/astronaut, STS-51I, 26, 38, 61 1946 Birthday Al Green, Forest City Arkansas, singer, Lets Stay Together 1946 Birthday Rick Allen, Arkansas, rock bassist, Box Tops-Letter 1945 Birthday Daniel Davis, Gurdun, Arkansas, actor, Niles-Nanny 1944 Birthday Charles Edward Greene, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 4x100m runner, 1968 Olympics gold 1943 Birthday Joan Van, born in Arkansas, New York City, actress, Valene-Dallas, Knots Landing 1943 Birthday Gil Gerard, Little Rock, Arkansas, actor, Buck Rogers in 25th Century 1942 Birthday Earl Cate, Arkansas, country singers, Cate Bros-Fire on the Tracks 1942 Birthday Ernie Cate, Arkansas, country singers, Cate Bros-Fire on the Tracks 1942 Birthday Beth Brickell, Camden Arkansas, actress, Gentle Ben 1942 Birthday Tommy F. Robinson, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Representative-D-Arkansas 1985 - 1991 1941 Birthday Dan Hicks, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, singer, songwriter, performed with dance bands, performed on Time Out For Teens radio program, part of San Francisco's folk music scene 1941 Birthday Jim Barnes, Tuckerton, Arkansas, basketball player 1964 Olympic gold 1941 Birthday Ben Murphy, born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, actor, Name of the Game, Winds of War 1941 Birthday John Hancock, born in Hazen, Arkansas, actor, Black Marble, Traxx, Houston Knights 1940 Birthday Ed Bruce, born in Keiser, Arkansas, country singer, Texas 1939 Birthday Melinda Dillon, Hope, Arkansas, actress, Close Encounters, Slap Shot 1939 Birthday Roy Buchanan, Ozark, Arkansas, rocker 1939 Birthday Luther Allison, Mayflower, Arkansas, rock guitarist, Bad News is Coming 1938 Birthday Dee Clark, Arkansas, singer, Hambone, Nobody But You 1938 Birthday Beryl Anthony, Jr., born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Representative-D-California 1979 - 1993 1936 Event 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) at Ozark, Arkansas (state record) 1936 Birthday Glen Campbell, born in Delight, Arkansas, actor/singer, Time I Get to Phoenix 1935 Birthday Ronnie Hawkins, Arkansas, rocker, The Band-Who Do You Love? 1934 Birthday Laurence Luckinbill, Ft. Smith, Arkansas, actor, Delphi Bureau, Ike 1934 Birthday David H Pryor, Sen-D Arkansas, 1979- 1934 Birthday Ben Piazza, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, actor, Blues Brothers, Ben Casey, Dallas 1934 Birthday Jim "Ed" Brown, born in Sparkman, Arkansas, country singer, Nashville on the Road 1933 Birthday Jesse Belvin, Texarkana Arkansas, rock vocalist, Mr Easy 1932 Birthday Charlie "Silver Fox" Rich, Colt, Arkansas, vocalist, Behind Closed Doors 1932 Birthday Johnny Cash, born in Kingsland, Arkansas, country singer, "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line" 1931 Event Arkansas legislature passes motion to pray for soul of H L Mencken after he calls state "apex of moronia" 1930 Birthday Charlie Jones, Ft. Smith, Arkansas, sportscaster, Almost Anything Goes 1930 Birthday William S Sessions, Arkansas, director of FBI 1929 Birthday Marilyn Lloyd, born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Representative-D-Tennessee 1975 - 1995 1928 Birthday Ray Thornton, born in Conway, Arkansas, Representative-D-Arkansas 1973 - 1979 and 1991 - 1997 1927 Birthday John Carter, Center Ridge, Arkansas, actor, Max-Falcon Crest 1927 Birthday Anne Gillis, Little Rock, Arkansas, actress, Adv of Tom Sawyer, Little Men 1925 Birthday Gail Davis, Little Rock, Arkansas, actress, Annie Oakley 1925 Birthday Dale L Bumpers, Sen-D Arkansas, 1975- 1923 Birthday Clifton Williams, born in Traskwood, Arkansas, band master, Sinfonians 1922 Birthday John Paul Hammerschmidt, born in Harrison, Arkansas, Representative-R-Arkansas 1967 - 1993 1921 Event Hot Springs National Park created in Arkansas 1921 Birthday Junior Parker, born in Arkansas, blues vocalist/songwriter, Mystery Train 1919 Event Race riot at Elaine Arkansas 1917 Birthday Elton Britt, Marshall, Arkansas, country singer, Sat Night Jamboree 1915 Birthday Allan Jackson, Hot Springs, Arkansas, newscaster, Youth Takes a Stand 1914 Birthday Daisy Bates, publisher/head, Arkansas NAACP 1914 Birthday Jimmy Wakely, Mineola, Arkansas, country vocalist, 5 Star Jubilee 1912 Birthday Conlon Nancarrow, Texarkana Arkansas, composer, Soundings 4 1909 Birthday Wilbur Mills, born in Kensett, Arkansas, Representative-D-Arkansas 1939 - 1977, involved with Fanne Foxe 1908 Birthday Louis Jordan, born in Arkansas, alto saxman, Caldonia 1907 Birthday Pinky Tomlin, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, singer and actor, Tip-Waterfront 1905 Event -29 degrees F (-34 degrees C) Pond, Arkansas (state record) 1904 Birthday Dick Powell, Mountain View, Arkansas, actor, Cry Danger, Dick Powell Theater 1902 Birthday Morgan Beatty, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, news anchor, Du Mont Evening News 1898 Birthday Jay C. Flippen, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, actor, Jet Pilot, Killing, Thunder Bay 1896 Birthday John Little McClellan, born in Sheridan, Arkansas, Senator-D-Arkansas 1943 - 1977 1886 Birthday John G Fletcher, U.S., poet, Epic of Arkansas 1880 Birthday Jesse G Vincent, Arkansas, engineer designed 1st V-12 engine 1880 Birthday Douglas MacArthur, Little Rock, Arkansas, general, WW II, he did return! 1876 Birthday Frank L Gillespie, Arkansas, founded Supreme Life Insurance Company 1869 Death A J Hayne, black captain of Arkansas militia, assassinated 1869 Event Arkansas legislature passes anti-Klan law 1868 Event Arkansas re-enters U.S. 1868 Event Arkansas constitutional convention meets in Little Rock 1866 Event President Johnson ends war in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia 1864 Event Battle of Jenkin's Ferry, Arkansas; General W R Scurry is killed 1864 Event Skirmish at Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas 1864 Event Battle of Marks' Mill, Arkansas (Camden Expedition) 1864 Event General Steeles' Union troops occupies Camden, Arkansas 1864 Event Skirmish at Elkin's Ford Little Missouri River, Arkansas 1864 Event Skirmish at Okolona, Arkansas 1864 Event Skirmish at Spoonville/Antoine, Arkansas 1864 Event Skirmish at Mount Elba, Arkansas 1864 Event Union General Steeles troops reach Arkadelphia Arkansas 1863 Event Jo Shelby's cavalry in action at Moffat's Station, Arkansas 1863 Event Federal troops reconquer Fort Smith Arkansas 1863 Event Failed Confederate assault on Helena Arkansas (640 casualties) 1863 Event Union forces capture Arkansas Post, or Ft. Hindman, Arkansas 1862 Event Battle at Cane Hill, Arkansas (475 casualties) 1862 Event Confederate Army ironclad "Arkansas" is badly damaged in Union attack 1862 Event CSS Arkansas vs USS Cardondelet and Queen of the West engage at Yazoo R 1862 Event Federal troops occupy Helena, Arkansas 1862 Event Skirmish at Devall's Bluff Arkansas (106 casualties) 1861 Event Arkansas and Tennessee becomes 9th and 10th state to secede from US 1861 Event Arkansas troops seize Ft. Smith 1861 Event State troops seize U.S. munitions in Napoleon, Arkansas 1859 Event Arkansas legislature requires free blacks to choose exile or slavery 1836 Event Arkansas becomes 25th state 1833 Birthday Powell Clayton, born in Bethel Pennsylvania, Brigadier General Union volunteers, Arkansas Governor 1868 - 1871, Republican 1831 Event Louisiana and Arkansas are 1st states to observe Christmas as holiday 1819 Event Territory of Arkansas organized
