April 1 — This Day in History — Apple Inc. Formed

The rather quaint picture at the head of this article is the original logo for Apple Computers. Kind of Currier and Ives, isn't it?

It was on this date in 1976 that the Apple was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.  Wayne, later sold out his portion to the other two. How much did Wayne pocket off his sale of his portion of Apple? You'll find out at the end of this blog.

1621-- - The first colonial treaty with Native Americans was signed between Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags and English pilgrims on behalf of King James I at Strawberry Hill, Massachusetts.

1700- English pranksters began popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools' Day by playing practical jokes on each other.

1778- Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, created the dollar "$" symbol.

1853- Cincinnati, Ohio, became the first U.S. city to pay its firefighters a regular salary.

1868- Hampton Institute University, a historically and predominantly black university in Hampton, VA, was founded by Samuel Chapman Armstrong.

1905- Clara "Mother" Hale, humanitarian who founded Hale House, a sanctuary for drug-addicted and HIV/AIDS-infected babies in Harlem, NY, was born in Philadelphia, PA. She died in 1992 at age 87.

1938- The Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York.

1950- Charles R. Drew, the surgeon and developer of the blood bank concept, died in an automobile accident near Burlington, North Carolina at age 45.

1970- President Richard Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to take effect after New Year's Day, 1971.

1976- Apple Inc. was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.

1976- The Rocky Horror Picture Show began its second and much more successful life as the midnight show at the Waverly Theater in New York City's Greenwich Village.

1979- Nickelodeon debuted as a cable TV network.

1979- Iran was proclaimed an Islamic Republic following the fall of the Shah.

1984- Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father following an argument between the two. The incident came one day short of the younger Gaye's 45th birthday.

1985- In one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history, the Villanova Wildcats beat the Georgetown Hoyas, 66-64, to win the NCAA Men’s Division I tournament. The victory was Villanova’s first-ever national championship.

1987- Steve Newman became the first man to walk solo around the world. No joke! The 15,000-mile trek took him four years and untold pairs of shoes to complete.

1987- In his first major speech on the AIDS epidemic, President Ronald Reagan told a meeting of doctors in Philadelphia, "We've declared AIDS public health enemy No. 1."

1989- Six-time all-star first baseman Bill White was elected President of the National Baseball League.  White became the first black person to head a major professional sports league in the United States.

1991-Comedy Central was launched.

1993- "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle was released.  It is the theme of the Fox reality series COPS.

1995- ESPNET SportsZone (now ESPN.com) was launched during Final Four Weekend.

1995- More than 1,500 mourners attended a vigil for Mexican-American singer Selena in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she had been shot to death the day before.

1996- In a widely published April Fools' joke, Taco Bell said it purchased the Liberty Bell from the federal government in Philadelphia in order to reduce the federal budget. Actually, the Liberty Bell is owned by the city of Philadelphia.

1998- A federal judge threw out Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton.

2003- American troops rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, where she had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed nine days earlier.

2004- Actress Carrie Snodgress (Diary of a Mad Housewife) died of liver failure in Los Angeles at age 58.

Now...When Ronald Wayne sold out to Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak, he made $800. Hmmm. Easy to judge him on his short sightedness, but still.... $800?

That's Ronald Wayne in the middle. No attempt to defraud here. As we can all plainly see from the white out line around Wayne's head, Wayne's image was added "after the fact."..But still...$800????