On This Day: Geraldine Ferraro is 1st female running mate on major party ticket

July 12 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1862, the U.S. Congress authorized a new award, the Medal of Honor, highest military decoration for valor against an enemy.

In 1957, Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first sitting president to ride in a helicopter. He traveled in a Bell Ranger as part of a nationwide civil defense exercise. The presidential helicopter has always been called Marine One.

In 1962, the Rolling Stones gave their first public performance -- at the Marquee Club in London. Twenty years later, the band entered into a long-term, $28 million contract with CBS Records -- the richest deal in music history.

File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI

In 1979, thousands of spectators at a Chicago White Sox game rushed the field at Comiskey Park, declaring disco dead. Police made 39 arrests and nine people were injured during the so-called Disco Demolition.

In 1984, Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale named U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., as his running mate. She was the first woman to share a major U.S. political party's presidential ticket. Mondale lost in November to incumbent Ronald Reagan.

In 1990, Boris Yeltsin quit the Soviet Communist Party, saying he wanted to concentrate on his duties as president of the Russian republic.

In 1993, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, killing 160 people. It was the deadliest temblor to hit the country in 10 years.

In 2008, Tony Snow, who was press secretary under U.S. President George W. Bush and a Fox News Channel host, died of cancer at age 53.

The urn containing the ashes of former White House press secretary Tony Snow is carried out of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception following his funeral service in Washington on July 17, 2008. File Photo by Kevin DietschUPI

In 2011, Ahmed Wali Karzai, 48, a half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a powerful figure in Kandahar, was killed at his home by a bodyguard.

In 2018, Sandra Oh became the first Asian American to earn an Emmy nomination for Best Actress for her role in Killing Eve. She won the award two months later.

In 2022, South Korean drama Squid Game became the first non-English-language series to be nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Drama. The Netflix series lost to HBO drama Succession.

Hwang Dong-hyuk accepts the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series award for "Squid Game" onstage during the 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12, 2022. File Photo by Mike Goulding/UPI