1871 — A grand masquerade ball was given on this day at Mrs. Quarles'
Hotel. "Amusement is just as necessary to the human mind as study of
labor," read an announcement in the Fayetteville Democrat.
1932 — Julia J. Ward Pennington, the first woman nominated for state office in Arkansas, died at Fayetteville on this day.
1933 — Author Charles Portis was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, on this day.
Portis, who became well known for the film adaptation of his second
novel "True Grit," started writing while working for the student
newspaper, The Arkansas Traveler, at the University of Arkansas.