Today in history - 1935

Beloved actor and humorist Will Rogers dies in a plane crash in Alaska while flying with his friend, aviation pioneer Wiley Post.

Rogers, born in 1879 in Oklahoma--before Oklahoma became a state--became an immensely popular entertainer in the early 1900s. An expert rider and rope-twirler since childhood, he traveled abroad with a Wild West show. Later, he appeared at fairs and vaudeville shows, sprinkling his act with his gentle, folksy humor.