You have it a little backwards. The Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Dash took place several times in the 70s. The 1981 film was inspired by the real event, which in turn inspired people to keep doing it.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Baker_Sea-To-Shining-Sea_Memorial_Trophy_Dash

http://allamericanracers.com/first-cannonball-run/

When I was 12 and in Boy Scouts, my Mom taught me to hand-sew so I could sew on my patches. I hated it, with a passion I now reserve for grammatical errors and Star Wars sequels. It didn't help that my Mom was a perfectionist and she would rip out my work if it was just a little bit crooked. But I persevered and got my patches on my uniform. 9 years later, I made about $500 in a week or so sewing patches on my fellow sailor's uniforms before a huge inspection, a requirement for us to go on liberty. Once I went on liberty myself, I bought my Mom a really nice present.

(Oh, and I still do some sewing but I now help run a knitting shop. Yay threadwork.)

Also, he coined the term "Michigander" while describing Governor Lewis Cass in 1848. Granted, that might only be important to 3% of the population, but I still thought it was cool when I found it out.