The Erie Canal opens, the Pony Express closes, Wyatt Earp shoots it out in Tombstone, "Baby Fae" gets a baboon heart, and the Patriot Act is signed into law, all on this day.
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Gary Hershorn/Reuters
1990: Wayne Gretzky becomes the first NHL player to reach 2,000 points after recording an assist at Winnipeg. Gretzky, seen here with the Hart Trophy in 1989, would retire in 1999 with 2,857 points, and no other NHL player has yet to top the 2,000-point plateau.