Fun On this date in history...

23 January 1795, French cavalry of the 8th Hussars allegedly captured a Dutch fleet of 5 ships of the line, 3 frigates, 6 corvettes, 4 cutters, and 2 hulks, in the frozen harbor of Den Helder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_the_Dutch_fleet_at_Den_Helder

 

• 1779 Charles Messier catalogs M56 (globular cluster in Lyra)

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 25th:

In 41 A.D., Roman Emperor Caligula was assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. His uncle Claudius would succeed him.

In 1742, Charles VII was elected Holy Roman Emperor during the War of the Austrian Succession.

In 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of '49.

In 1908, the Boy Scouts movement began in England under the aegis of Robert Baden-Powell.

In 1916, in Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Federal income tax constitutional. And millions of Americans curse this decision to this very day.

In 1917, actor Ernest Borgnine was born in Hamden, CT.

In 1919, actor/filmmaker Coleman Francis was born in Oklahoma. He’d later ask us the immortal question, “Flag on the moon. How did it get there?”

In 1924, the Russian city of Petrograd, formerly St. Petersburg, was renamed Leningrad in honor of the late revolutionary leader. It would later be re-renamed St. Petersburg.

In 1927, actor John Hollis was born in Fulham, London, England. “Star Wars” fans remember him as silent Lobot in “The Empire Strikes Back”, and Whovians remember him as Sondergaard in “The Mutants”, where he had more lines.

In 1935, beer was first sold in cans in Richmond, Virginia, by the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Co.

In 1939, singer/songwriter Ray Stevens was born in Clarkdale, GA.

In 1940, the drama “The Grapes of Wrath”, starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford, premiered in New York City.

In 1942, the Roberts Commission placed much of the blame for America's lack of preparedness for Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on Rear Adm. Husband E. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, the Navy and Army commanders.

In 1944, author/screenwriter David Gerrold was born in Chicago, IL. He’s best-known for writing “The Trouble with Tribbles”, one of the best-received episodes of the original series “Star Trek”. It’s doubtful that Klingons agree with that assessment, though.

In 1945, Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among a group of captives executed by the Germans at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria.

In 1948, the adventure movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston, was released in the U.S.

In 1949, actor/comedian/musician John Belushi was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1955, decorated Marine Ira Hayes, veteran of the Bouganville and Iwo Jima campaigns in World War II, died in Bapchule, AZ at age 32.

In 1961, a U.S. Air Force B-52 crashed near Goldsboro, North Carolina, dropping its payload of two nuclear bombs, neither of which went off; three crew members were killed.

In 1963, a U.S. Air Force B-52 on a training mission crashed into Elephant Mountain in Maine after encountering turbulence and losing its vertical stabilizer; seven of the nine crew members were killed.

In 1965, British statesman Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

In 1967, actor/comedian Phil LaMarr was born in Los Angeles. One of his characters would later get stupidly shot dead in “Pulp Fiction”, while he’d voice animated characters with happier fates.

In 1968, in Italy, the movie “Diabolik” was first released.

In 1975, the extremist group FALN bombed Fraunces Tavern in New York City, killing four people.

Also in 1975, actor/comedian/Stooge Larry Fine died in Loa Angeles at age 72.

In 1981, on “Doctor Who”, part four of “Warrior’s Gate” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Lalla Ward as Romana, and John Leeson as K-9 Mk. II.

In 1985, the space shuttle Discovery was launched from Cape Canaveral on the first secret, all-military shuttle mission.

In 1986, the unmanned spacecraft Voyager 2 passed within 81,500 kilometres (50,600 mi) of the planet Uranus. (Go ahead, get all the rude jokes over with.)

In 1989, confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair.

In 2003, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security officially began operation.

In 2006, Walt Disney Co. announced its purchase of animation company Pixar for $7.4 billion.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 25th:

In 1533, England's King Henry VIII secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who later gave birth to Elizabeth I.

In 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes.

Also in 1890, The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, OH.

In 1915, America's first official transcontinental telephone call took place as Alexander Graham Bell, who was in New York, spoke to his former assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in San Francisco, over a line set up by American Telephone & Telegraph.

In 1916, composer/arranger Albert Glasser, best-known for his work on the films of Bert I. Gordon was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

In 1938, actor/cult filmmaker Ray Dennis Steckler was born in Reading, PA.

In 1945, the World War II “Battle of the Bulge” ended as German forces were pushed back to their original positions.

Also in 1945, Grand Rapids, MI, became the first community to add fluoride to its public water supply.

In 1949, the first Emmy Awards were given for excellence in television. The first Emmy winner was Shirley Dinsdale and her puppet, Judy Splinters, for Most Outstanding Personality.

In 1951, runner Steve Prefontaine was born in Coos Bay, OR.

In 1955, the Soviet Union formally ended its state of war with Germany.

In 1958, Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" became the first single ever to enter the U.K. pop chart at No. 1.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first presidential news conference to be carried live on radio and television.

Also in 1961, the Disney animated feature “101 Dalmatians” was released in the U.S.

In 1963, the movie “The Raven” was released in the U.S. It starred Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson; it was directed by Roger Corman, and it was (sort of) based on the poem by Edgar Allen Poe.

In 1970, special effects designer/producer/director Eiji Tsuburaya, best-known for his work in the kaiju films for Toho, died in Ito, Shizuoka, Japan at age 68.

In 1970, the comedy/drama “MASH” premiered in New York City.

In 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.

Also in 1971, Idi Amin seized power in Uganda by ousting President Milton Obote in a military coup.

In 1975, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “The Ark in Space” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode with Phillip Hinchcliffe as Producer and Robert Holmes as Story Editor, and is recognized as the start of the “Gothic Horror” era of the program.

In 1980, Paul McCartney was released from a Tokyo jail after being held for more than a week. He had been arrested when marijuana was found in his luggage.

In 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.

In 1990, an Avianca Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and crashed in Cove Neck, Long Island, NY; 73 of the 158 people aboard were killed.

In 1993, five people were shot outside CIA Headquaters in Langley, VA. Two people were killed and three wounded.

In 1995, the U.S. and Norway launched a Black Brant rocket carrying equipment to study the aurora borealis, startling Russian officials who wondered at first if the rocket was an incoming Trident missile. (Russian President Boris Yeltsin reportedly was given his "nuclear briefcase" for possible retaliation before realizing there was no threat.)

Also in 1999, the horror movie “The Blair Witch Project” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2014, Morris "Morrie" Turner, creator of the "Wee Pals" comic strip and the first African-American cartoonist to be syndicated nationally, died in Sacramento, CA at age 90.

In 2017, actress/producer/philanthropist/activist Mary Tyler Moore died in Greenwich, CT at age 80.

 

1-26 Birthdays

• 1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1957 – Road Warrior Hawk, American wrestler (d. 2003)
• 1958 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
• 1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
• 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

 

Don't get me started on how awful I think it is that people continue to exploit the victims of Manson and his 'family', while glorifying such terrible people/acts.

 

1986, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Chicago Bears score a Super Bowl record number of points to defeat the New England Patriots, 46-10

 

If I may...

ALSO ON JANUARY 26th:

In 1564, The Council of Trent established an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

In 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guided a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding the colony, later the nation, of Australia.

In 1837, Michigan was admitted as the 26th U.S. state.

In 1838, Tennessee enacted the first prohibition law in the U.S.

In 1861, the state of Louisiana seceded from the Union.

In 1863, during the Civil War, General Ambrose Burnside was relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Fredericksburg campaign. He was replaced by Joseph Hooker.

In 1870, following the Civil War, Virginia rejoined the Union.

In 1885, troops loyal to the Mahdi conquered Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.

In 1880, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, AR.

In 1911, Glenn H. Curtiss flew the first successful American seaplane, the Curtiss Model D.

In 1915, the Rocky Mountain National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress.

In 1934, the Apollo Theater reopened in Harlem.

In 1950, The Constitution of India came into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad was sworn in as its first president.

In 1962, the comedy “The Three Stooges Meet Hercules” premiered in the U.S.

In 1946, journalist/critic Gene Siskel was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1972, the caper comedy “The Hot Rock”, starring Robert Redford and George Segal, was released in the U.S.

In 1979, the action-comedy series "The Dukes of Hazzard premiered on CBS-TV.

Also in 1979, the 121st and last shooting day of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” was completed.

In addition in 1979, businessman/politician Nelson Rockefeller, 41st Vice-President of the U.S., died in New York City at age 70.

In 1980, at the request of President Jimmy Carter, the U.S. Olympic Committee voted to ask the International Olympic Committee to cancel or move the upcoming Moscow Olympics. (They did neither.)

Also in 1980, Israel and Egypt established diplomatic relations.

In 1992, Russian Head of Government Boris Yeltsin announced that Russia would stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.

In 1994, the sci-fi series “Babylon 5” premiered over the PTEN network, nearly a year after the broadcast of the series pilot.

In 2004, President Hamid Karzai signed the current Constitution of Afghanistan.

In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Condoleezza Rice to the post of secretary of state, making her the highest ranking African-American woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 27th:

In 1606, the trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators in connection with the Gunpowder Plot began.

In 1756, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.

In 1785, The University of Georgia was founded, the first public university in the United States.

In 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.

In 1888, the National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, D.C.

In 1913, actor Michael Ripper, best-known for his appearances in movies from Hammer Films and Amicus Productions in the 1950’s & 60’s, was born in Portsmouth, England.

In 1919, singer/songwriter Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., creator of the Chipmuks, was born in Fresno, CA.

In 1943, during World War II, the VIII Bomber Command sortied ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-boat construction yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. This was the first American bombing attack on Germany.

In 1944, during World War II, the Soviet Union announced the complete end of the deadly German siege of Leningrad, which had lasted for more than two years.

In 1945, during World War II, Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.

In 1956, the comedy “The Court Jester”, starring Danny Kaye, was released in the U.S.

In 1957, comic book author/artist Frank Miller was born in Olney, MD.

In 1967, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo 1 spacecraft.

Also in 1967, more than 60 nations signed a treaty banning the orbiting of nuclear weapons, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.

In 1968, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding was released, six weeks after he was killed in a plane crash.

In 1969, actor/comedian Patton Oswalt was born. Well-known for his role as Spencer on “King of Queens”, he later helped torment another trio watching bad movies.

In 1972, singer Mahalia Jackson died of heart failure in Chicago. She was 60.

In 1973, the Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris. The same day, Colonel William Nolde was killed in action becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.

Also in 1973, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “The Carnival of Monsters” was broadcast on BBC 1. The cast included Ian Marter, two years before his appearance as Companion Harry Sullivan.

In 1976, the sit-com "Laverne and Shirley" premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1980, through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escaped hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper. This event would later be the basis of the book and movie “Argo”.

In 1984, singer Michael Jackson suffered serious burns to his scalp when pyrotechnics set his hair on fire during the filming of a Pepsi-Cola TV commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

In 1998, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, on NBC's "Today" show, charged the sexual misconduct allegations against her husband were the work of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."

In 2003, the first selections for the National Recording Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.

In 2006, Western Union discontinued its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.

In 2013, two hundred forty-two people died in a nightclub fire in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.

In 2014, singer/songwriter/musician/activist Pete Seeger died in New York City at age 94.

In 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, NASA officially opened a tribute to astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee at the Visitor’s Complex at the Kennedy Space Center. The hatch to the spacecraft was placed on display, along with remains of the Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia, which had been destroyed in flight.

Also in 2017, actor Sir John Hurt, CBE died in London at age 77.

 

Lest we forget...

 

Don't think this was posted for last Thursday but Princess Charlene of Monaco turned 40 on January 25th....and me!

 

You need to get on over to the '80s music thread and post a Super Bowl Shuffle music video.

 

Happy belated birthday!

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 28th:

In 1547, England's King Henry VIII died; he was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

In 1813, the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was first published anonymously in London.

In 1896, Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, became the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined one shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thereby exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).

In 1909, the United States withdrew its forces from Cuba, with the exception of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, as Jose Miguel Gomez became president.

In 1910, actor John Banner, best-known for playing Sgt. Schultz on the sit-com “Hogan’s Heroes”, was born in Vienna, Austria.

In 1915, the United States Coast Guard was created as President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill merging the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service.

Also in 1915, the American merchant vessel SS William P. Frye, en route to England with a cargo of wheat, became the first U.S. ship to be sunk during World War I by a German cruiser, the SS Prinz Eitel Friedrich, even though the United States was not at war.

In 1945, during World War II, Allied supplies began reaching China over the newly reopened Burma Road.

In 1950, the crime drama “Radar Secret Service” was released in the U.S., years before Mike & the ‘bots got a hold of it.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first national TV appearance on "Stage Show," a CBS program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

In 1958, the Lego company patented the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.

Also in 1958, the last episode of the British radio comedy program “The Goon Show” was broadcast.

In 1959, the Green Bay Packers signed Vince Lombardi to a five-year contract as the team's coach and general manager.

In 1962, the last of Washington, D.C.'s original streetcars made its final run.

In 1967, the spy thriller “Il Ragio Infernale” was released in Italy. Some years later, re-titled “Danger!! Death Ray”, it would be memorably MSTed.

In 1973, a cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War.

Also in 1973, actor John Banner died in Vienna, Austria at age 63.

In 1977, the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 began, dumping 10 feet (3.0 m) of snow in one day in Upstate New York, with Buffalo, Syracuse, Watertown, and surrounding areas most affected.

In 1979, “CBS News Sunday Morning” premiered with original host and cocreator Charles Kuralt.

In 1985, the charity supergroup USA for Africa recorded the Michael Jackson-Lionel Richie song "We Are the World" at A&M Studios in Los Angeles.

In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members.

In 1996, author/illustrator Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman, died in Los Angeles at age 81.

 

Lest we forget...

 

- First ever!