Today in History - 1918

Will Rogers' first movie, Laughing Bill Hyde, opens at the Rivoli Theater in New York. Although Rogers appeared in many silent films, his movie career failed to thrive until the introduction of sound.

Rogers was born in 1879 in Oklahoma-before Oklahoma achieved statehood. He had started performing in childhood, showing off his rope tricks with a Wild West show that toured abroad. Later, he appeared at fairs and vaudeville shows, sprinkling his act with gentle, folksy humor.