TODAY IN HISTORY: Death row inmate saves last meal's dessert 'for later'

On January 24, 1992, Ricky Ray Rector, convicted of murder, was executed, sparking immense controversy. It was estimated that Rector had an IQ between 60 and 70 following a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His last meal consisted of steak, fried chicken, and a slice of pecan pie.

However, Rector left the pie to the side, telling the officers escorting him to the execution chamber that he was "saving it for later." Due to the highly controversial nature of the execution, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton seized the opportunity to highlight his tough-on-crime stance. He returned to Arkansas from his presidential campaign to oversee the execution within the state.

The execution was considered a turning point in the campaign, with voters approving of Clinton's actions. Mel Blanc, the "Man of 1000 Voices," was involved in a serious car accident on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on January 24, 1961. For two weeks, the voice actor for almost all Warner Brothers cartoons was in a coma and unresponsive.

Then, one of his neurologists asked him, "How are you feeling today, Bugs Bunny?" Blanc responded in his signature voice, "Eh, just fine, Doc. How are you?" Blanc soon recovered enough to record his voice from his hospital bed. He was still in a full body cast when he voiced Barney Rubble in several episodes of "The Flintstones."

After being discharged and returning home, Blanc sued the city for the accident at the intersection. He was one of 26 accidents that had occurred at the location in the previous two years. The road would be reconstructed, but the location remains the subject of the song "Dead Man's Curve," released by the band Jan and Dean (pictured) in 1964.

Togolese President Gnassingbé Eyadéma survived a plane crash in a remote area on January 24, 1974. Eyadéma claimed his plane was sabotaged by French imperialists and that he was the sole survivor of the crash due to his superhuman strength. In fact, there were several other survivors.

Nevertheless, he declared the day of the crash an annual holiday. Eyadéma remained President of Togo for another 31 years before his death in 2005. Ironically, he died of a heart attack while on an airplane. On January 24, 1984, Apple's first Macintosh personal computer went on sale in the United States.

The now iconic device weighed over seven kilograms and came with a graphics package, a word processing program, and a mouse. It was advertised for $2495.