1627: Irish chemist Robert Boyle, of Boyles gas law fame, was born. 1812: English mathematician William Shanks, who held the record for calculating p to the most places (707) until the digital computer was developed, was born. 1881: Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and others signed an agreement to organize the Oriental Telephone Company. 1915: Alexander Graham Bell inaugurated U.S. Transcontinental Telephone Line. 1945: Grand Rapids, MI, became the first U.S. city to begin fluoridating the drinking water. 1970: The movie M*A*S*H premiered in theaters. 1981: The 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States. 2004: The Opportunity  rover returned its first pictures from the Martian surface.