Wheeler Cumberland (1881 - 1966)

1881 - In the year that Wheeler Cumberland was born, on March 4th, James A. Garfield became the 20th President of the United States. On July 2nd, he was shot by Charles Guiteau, a lawyer, in Washington, D.C. The wound became infected and Garfield died on September 19. Vice President Chester A. Arthur immediately became the 21st President.

1894 - When this person was merely 13 years old, on March 12th, for the first time, Coca-Cola was sold in individual bottles as a drink for consumer consumption. Previously, it was sold as a syrup for upset stomachs - over the counter.

1895 - By the time this person was only 14 years old, on March 15th, in County Tipperary, Ireland, Michael Cleary killed his wife of 8 years, Bridget, and burned her body. His defense was that his "wife" was a changeling that was left in his real wife's place when she was abducted by fairies. He was nonetheless convicted and imprisoned for manslaughter. He spent 15 years in prison.

1904 - By the time this person was 23 years old, the United States acquired the Panama Canal Zone. Now an unincorporated territory of the U.S., the Canal Zone had been previously held by the French, who were constructing a canal. The U.S. took over the construction of the Panama Canal and it was finally finished in 1914, when it was opened to commercial shipping. The United States held the Canal Zone until 1979.

1966 - In the year of Wheeler Cumberland's passing, on September 8th, the first Star Trek episode, "The Man Trap," was broadcast on NBC. The plot concerned a creature that sucked salt from human bodies. The original series only aired for 3 seasons due to low ratings.