Fun On this date in history...

Also on January 28, 1932:

After seizing Manchuria the previous September, Japan now aims to increase their influence throughout the rest of China. Using anti-Japanese protests led by Chinese activists as a pretext, Japanese forces launch an attack on the city of Shanghai. Met with stout resistance from the Chinese 19th Route Army, both sides pour men and material into the battle, and the fighting rages until a ceasefire is signed on May 5th. The Chinese lose some 13,000 soldiers, while the Japanese lose 5,000.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 29th:

In 1820, Britain's King George III died at Windsor Castle.

In 1843, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was born in Niles, OH.

In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published in the New York Evening Mirror.

In 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the Union.

In 1923, author/screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky was born in the Bronx.

In 1936, the first inductees of baseball's Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, New York.

In 1958, Challenge Records released the single "Tequila" by The Champs.

In 1959, the Disney animated feature “Sleeping Beauty” premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1964, Stanley Kubrick's nuclear war satire "Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" premiered in New York, Toronto and London.

In 1966, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “The Destruction of Time” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the final part of the 12-part serial “The Daleks’ Masterplan”, the longest single serial in the program’s history.

In 1975, a bomb exploded inside the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., causing considerable damage, but injuring no one; the radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility.

In 1977, actor/comedian Freddie Prinze died in Los Angeles at age 22 from injuries from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In 1979, a female shooter killed two men and wounded nine children with a rifle as they entered the Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. She’d later plead guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

In 1982, principle photography was completed on the movie, ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”.

In 1990, former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in Anchorage, AK, on charges stemming from the 1989 oil spill. (Hazelwood was acquitted of the major charges, and convicted of a misdemeanor.)

In 1998, a bomb exploded at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, AL, killing security guard Robert Sanderson and critically injuring nurse Emily Lyons. (The bomber was captured in May 2003 and is serving a life sentence.)

In 2002, in his State of the Union address, President George W, Bush described "regimes that sponsor terror” as an “Axis of Evil”, in which he included Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

In 2009, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the U.S. Senate as a replacement for then- U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama.

In 2015, Malaysia officially declared the March 8, 2014 disappearance of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident and its passengers and crew presumed dead.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 30th:

In 1615, Thomas Rolfe, the only child of John Rolfe and his wife, Rebecca (the former Pocahontas), was born in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.

In 1649, England's King Charles I was executed for treason.

In 1661, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England was ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of Charles I, the monarch he himself deposed.

In 1781, Maryland became the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, almost three years after the official deadline given by Congress of March 10, 1778. (The Articles would be replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789.)

In 1806, the original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the “Trenton Makes the World Takes” Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, PA and Trenton, NJ, was opened.

In 1815, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in agreeing to purchase the personal book collection of former President Thomas Jefferson to replace volumes lost when the British burned the U.S. Capitol and its congressional library during the War of 1812.

In 1835, in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol, President Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the U.S., survived the first attempt against the life of a U.S. president, when Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot him. His pistols misfired and he was overcome by bystanders, as well as Jackson, himself.

In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States, was born in Hyde Park, NY.

In 1920, Carwood Lipton, decorated soldier and World War II veteran, was born in Huntington, WV. He’s best-known for his service with Easy Co., 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division.

In 1930, actor Gene Hackman was born in San Bernardino, CA.

In 1931, the Charlie Chaplin silent comedy/drama “City Lights” premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.

Also in 1933, the first episode of the radio Western "The Lone Ranger" was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit.

In 1941, Dick Cheney, 46th Vice-President of the U.S., was born in Lincoln, NE.

In 1945, during World War II, more than 500 Allied captives held at the Japanese prison camp in Cabanatuan in the Philippines were liberated by U.S. Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrilla fighters.

In 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, age 78, was shot and killed in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. (Godse and a co-conspirator were later executed.)

In 1951, singer/songwriter/musician Phil Collins was born in Chiswick, Middlesex, England.

In 1956, African-American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home was bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

In 1962, two members of "The Flying Wallendas" high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance at the State Fair Coliseum in Detroit.

In 1963, actress Daphne Ashbrook was born in Long Beach, CA. Years later, she’d play a cardiologist treating a patient with a very unusual hearts (plural) condition.

In 1965, some one million people attended former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral, the biggest in the United Kingdom up to that point.

In 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.

In 1969, The Beatles staged an impromptu concert atop Apple headquarters in London; it was the group's last public performance.

In 1971, Carole King’s “Tapestry” album was released to become the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sell 24 million copies worldwide.

In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."

In 1981, an estimated 2 million New Yorkers turned out for a ticker-tape parade honoring the freed American hostages from Iran.

In 1986, Steve Jobs of Apple Computers bought the computer graphics division of Industrial Light and Magic for $10 million. He would later incorporate the company as Pixar.

In 1993, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the second part of the short subject “Hired!”, followed by the movie “Manos, the Hands of Fate” was broadcast on Comedy Central. The episode included the first appearance of Michael J. Nelson as Torgo, and was the only time that the characters of Dr. Forrester and TV’s Frank ever apologized for showing a particular movie. And they certainly should’ve.

In 2001, the Prequel-era novel Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves was published by Del Rey. It’s unclear if it has retained its canonicity.

In 2005, Iraqis voted in their country's first free election in a half-century.

In 2017, actor Peter Capaldi announced that he would be leaving the role of the Doctor on “Doctor Who” at the close of the series’ 10th season, later in the year.

 

Their subsequent reappearance at Devil's Tower remains unconfirmed.


Too soon?

 

It's kind of a gray area.

 

For January 29th:

 

For January 30th:

 

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Chronicle-Covers-Gandhi-s-assassination-only-6795456.php

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 31st:

In 1606, Guy Fawkes, convicted of treason for his part in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.

In 1797, composer Franz Schubert was born in Vienna.

In 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery, sending it to states for ratification. (The amendment was adopted in Dec. 1865.)

Also in 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate States Army by President Jefferson Davis.

In 1892, comedian/entertainer Eddie Cantor was born in New York City.

In 1915, during World War I, Germany was the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimow against Russia.

In 1917, during World War I, Germany announces that its U-boats would resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.

In 1919, baseball player Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, GA.

In 1921, actor John Agar was born in Chicago, IL. The supremely smug characters in sci-fi movies would come later.

In 1941, the comedy “Buck Privates”, the first movie starring Abbott & Costello, was released in the U.S.

In 1943, during World War II, German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered to the Soviets at Stalingrad, followed 2 days later by the remainder of his Sixth Army, ending one of the war's fiercest battles.

In 1944, actress/screenwriter/psychotherapist Connie Booth was born in Indianapolis, IN. Years later, she’d play the sanest staff member of a certain hotel in Torquay.

In 1945, during World War II, Pvt. Eddie Slovik, age 24, became the first U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion as he was shot by an American firing squad in France.

In 1949, “These Are My Children”, the first television daytime soap opera was broadcast live from Chicago over NBC-TV.

In 1950, U.S. President Harry S. Truman publicly announces his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb

In 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I. The satellite detected the Van Allen Belt of radiation around the Earth.

In 1961, NASA launched Ham the Chimp aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral; Ham was recovered safely from the Atlantic Ocean following his 16 1/2-minute suborbital flight.

In 1968, during the Vietnam War, Viet Cong attacked the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.

In 1970, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Doctor Who and the Silurians” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Bessie, the Doctor’s car, and began the only serial in the program’s history to include “Doctor Who” in the title.

In 1971, astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.

In 1973, the private eye movie “Shamus”, starring Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon, premiered in New York City.

In 1981, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “The Keeper of Traken” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, as well as the first series appearance of actor Anthony Ainley.

In 1990, McDonald's Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow.

In 2000, an Alaska Airlines MD-83 jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Port Hueneme, California, killing all 88 people aboard.

In 2004, the Sci-Fi Channel broadcast “Mystery Science Theater 3000” for the last time. It was a repeat of the episode featuring the horror movie “The Screaming Skull”.

In 2007, Boston authorities responded to calls of bomb scares for blinking electronic signs on bridge overpasses and near transit stations. The signs ended up being promotional items for Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

In 2016, radio & TV broadcaster Sir Michael Terence “Terry” Wogan, KBE, DL died in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England at age 77.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 1st:

In 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened for the first time in New York. (However, since only three of the six justices were present, the court recessed until the next day.)

In 1861, Texas voted to leave the Union at a Secession Convention in Austin.

In 1865, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began the Carolinas Campaign as they invaded South Carolina.

Also in 1865, Abolitionist John S. Rock became the first black lawyer admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1893, Thomas A. Edison finished construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, NJ.

In 1894, producer/director John Ford was born in Cape Elizabeth, ME.

In 1901, actor Clark Gable was born in Cadiz, OH.

In 1908, producer/animator George Pal was born in Cegled, Hungary. The lunar flight, time machine and invading Martians would come along later.

In 1909, singer/songwriter George Beverly Shea was born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada.

In 1921, actor Peter Sallis, best-known as Clegg in “Last of the Summer Wine” and as the voice of Wallace, was born in Twickenham, Middlesex, England.

In 1937, actor/singer/original Not Ready For Prime Time Player Garret Morris was born in New Orleans.

In 1940, actress Bibi Besch was born in Vienna, Austria. Years later, she’d play one of Jim Kirk’s past girlfriends, but with a significant difference.

In 1942, U.S. Navy conducted the Marshalls-Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater.

Also in 1942, actor/writer/director/Python Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales.

In 1943, one of America's most highly decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost exclusively of Japanese-Americans, was authorized.

In 1946, actress Elisabeth Sladen was born in Liverpool, England.

Also In 1946, Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie was chosen to be the first secretary-general of the United Nations.

In 1950, RCA introduced the 45 RPM record player.

In 1954, actor Bill Mumy was born in San Gabriel, CA. “Twilight Zone”, “Lost in Space”, “Babylon 5” and “Fish Heads” were some years away.

In 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, where they'd been refused service.

In 1961, the drama “The Misfits” was released in the U.S. Directed by John Huston and writtem by Arthur Miller, it starred Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe (in, respectively, their last completed film), along with Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach.

In 1964, the governor of Indiana declared the song "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen to be pornographic, even though the average listener wasn't able to decipher the lyrics. The governor asked a state broadcasters' association to ban the record.

In 1965, James Brown recorded "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" in Charlotte, NC.

Also in 1965, actor/martial artist Brandon Lee was born in Oakland, CA.

In 1968, during the Vietnam War, South Vietnam's police chief (Nguyen Ngoc Loan) executed a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head. The act would be memorably filmed and photographed.

Also in 1968, Richard M. Nixon announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

In 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.

Also in 1979, the Sherlock Holmes thriller “Murder by Decree” was released in Canada. Directed by Bob Clark, it starred Christopher Plummer as Holmes, and James Mason as Dr. Watson.

In 1982, "Late Night with David Letterman" premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1983, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Mawdryn Undead” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Mark Strickson as Turlough, and a return appearance by Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

In 1988, actress Heather O'Rourke, who'd co-starred in the 1982 movie "Poltergeist," died in San Diego at age 12.

In 1993, on “Batman: The Animated Series”, the episode “The Man Who Killed Batman” was broadcast on the Fox Network.

In 1997, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the movie “Revenge of the Creature” was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. It was the first regular episode of the series shown on the Sci-Fi Channel, and it featured Bill Corbett’s first appearance as Crow T. Robot, and Kevin Murphy’s first appearance as Professor Bobo.

In 2002, Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of the “Wall Street Journal”, who was kidnapped in Pakistan on January 23, 2002, was beheaded and mutilated by his captors.

In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of its crew members.

In 2014, the animated film “The LEGO Movie” premiered in Westwood, CA.

 

Lest we forget...

 

The Chronicle’s front page from Feb. 2, 1983, features a story by current Chronicle columnist Carl Nolte, who reported on the transatlantic liner’s arrival: “The Queen Elizabeth 2, the world’s most famous passenger ship, steamed majestically under the Golden Gate Bridge at high noon yesterday to a welcome fit for a queen.

“Crowds lined the shore, the San Francisco fireboat Phoenix set up plumes of spray, a Harbor Tour boat hooted a salute and one woman waved a Union Jack from the deck of the bridge above.”

It was a celebratory event befitting a vessel of its size: nearly 1,000 feet long and 170 feet tall, weighing more than 70,000 tons. It had 12 decks and could hold around 1,800 passengers with a crew of over 1,000.

Holy ship — that’s a big boat.

Top O’ the Top of the News: “The Dow plunged 15.91 points as Wall Street was beset by fears of falling oil prices and higher interest rates. Page 23.” Move the decimal point one place to the right and you have a story we could run in tomorrow’s Chronicle Business Report.

 

If I may...

ALSO ON FEBRUARY 2nd:

In 1653, New Amsterdam - now New York City - was incorporated.

In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War, was signed.

In 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, which comes to be more commonly known as the National League (NL), was formed.

In 1887, Punxsutawney, PA, held its first Groundhog Day festival. Bill Murray’s involvement would come later.

In 1913, Grand Central Terminal was opened in New York City.

In 1914, Charles Chaplin made his movie debut as the comedy short "Making a Living" was released by Keystone Film Co.

In 1925, the legendary Alaska Serum Run ended as the last of a series of dog mushers brought a life-saving treatment to Nome, the scene of a diphtheria epidemic, six days after the drug left Nenana.

Also in 1925, the silent film "The Lost World," based on the Arthur Conan Doyle novel about explorers who encounter living prehistoric animals in South America, had its world premiere.

In 1927, musician Stan Getz was born in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1937, comedian/actor/musician Tom Smothers was born in New York City. His later battles with CBS-TV censors would become both celebrated and infamous, depending on your viewpoint.

In 1943, during World War II, The Battle of Stalingrad came to an end when Soviet troops accepted the surrender of the last German troops in the city.

In 1949, actor Brent Spiner was born in Houston, TX. He’d later become well-known for starring in some syndicated sci-fi show, I understand it’s popular.

In 1950, the game show “What’s My Line?” premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1964, the Hasbro toy company launched the G.I. Joe line of action figures. The Kung-Fu grip would be added later.

In 1972, the British embassy in Dublin was destroyed in protest for the “Bloody Sunday” incident.

In 1973, the musical variety series “The Midnight Special” premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1979, the caper movie “The Great Train Robbery”, starring Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland, was released in the U.S.

In 1980, NBC News reported the FBI had conducted a sting operation targeting members of Congress using phony Arab businessmen in what became known as "Abscam," a codename protested by Arab-Americans.

In 1985, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Mark of the Rani” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Kate O’Mara as the Rani.

In 1990, in a dramatic concession to South Africa's black majority, President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela.

In 2016, actor/comedian/writer Bob Elliott died in Cundy Harbor, ME at age 92.

 

I forgot one...

In 1991, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the kaiju movie “Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster” was featured. Due to copyright issues with Toho, it is highly unlikely the episode will be officially released on home video.

 

Of all the Godzilla movies, that one is my favorite.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 3rd:

In 1783, Spain formally recognized American independence.

In 1787, militia led by General Benjamin Lincoln crushed the remnants of Shays’ Rebellion in Petersham, MA.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens held a shipboard peace conference off the Virginia coast; the talks deadlocked over the issue of Southern autonomy.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to citizens regardless of race.

In 1876, Albert Spalding and his brother started a sporting goods store. They manufactured the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball and football.

In 1894, author/artist Norman Rockwell was born in New York City.

In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified.

In 1924, Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the U.S., died in Washington, D.C., at age 67.

In 1930, the chief justice of the United States, former U.S. President William Howard Taft, resigned for health reasons. (He died just over a month later.)

In 1938, the radio adventure series “Challenge of the Yukon” (later re-titled “Sergeant Preston of the Yukon”) premiered. Heard over Detroit station WXYZ, it featured many of the same creative team as the station’s two previous hit series, “The Lone Ranger” and “The Green Hornet”.

In 1943, during World War II, the U.S. transport ship Dorchester, which was carrying troops to Greenland, sank after being hit by a German torpedo; of the more than 900 men aboard, only some 230 survived.

In 1945, the U.S. and the Philippine Commonwealth began a month-long battle to retake Manila from Japan.

In 1950, Klaus Fuchs, a German-born British scientist who helped developed the atomic bomb, was arrested in Great Britain for passing top-secret information about the bomb to the Soviet Union.

In 1959, rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.

Also in 1959, an American Airlines Lockheed Electra crashed into New York's East River, killing 65 of the 73 people on board.

In 1961, the USAF began Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a "Doomsday Plane" was always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States' bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the SAC's command post.

In 1966, the Soviet probe Luna 9 became the first manmade object to make a soft landing on the moon.

In 1967, photography started on the “Star Trek” episode “City on the Edge of Forever”.

In 1969, "Candid Camera" creator Allen Funt and his family were aboard an Eastern Airlines flight that was hijacked to Cuba. (Fellow passengers who recognized Funt thought the whole thing was a stunt for his TV show; in an article written for The Associated Press, Funt said the whole episode "looked like a bad movie.")

In 1970, actor Warwick Davis was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. Helping turn the tide of battle on the Moon of Endor would come later.

In 1972, the XI Olympic Winter Games opened in Sapporo, Japan.

In 1989, Alfredo Stroessner, president of Paraguay for more than three decades, was overthrown in a military coup.

In 1994, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off, carrying Sergei Krikalev, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. spacecraft.

In 1995, Astronaut Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as Shuttle Discovery launched on mission STS-63.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 4th:

In 1783, Britain’s King George III proclaimed a formal cessation of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first President of the United States. He remains the only President to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College.

In 1861, delegates from six southern states that had recently seceded from the Union met in Montgomery, AL, to form the Confederate States of America.

In 1895, actor Nigel Bruce, best-known for playing Dr. Watson opposite Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes, was born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

In 1902, aviator/inventor/author Charles Lindbergh was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1915, actor William Talman, best-known for playing District Attorney Hamilton Burger on the TV series “Perry Mason” was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1918, actress/writer/director Ida Lupino was born in Camberwell, London, England.

In 1919, Congress established the U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Cross.

In 1920, actress/voice artist Janet Waldo was born in Yakima, WA. She’s probably best-known for playing Judy on “The Jetsons”.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY, the first Winter Games held in the U.S.

In 1940, writer/director George A. Romero was born in the Bronx. The “Living Dead” movies would come along later.

In 1941, the United Service Organizations (USO) came into existence.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.

In 1948, Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) became independent within the British Commonwealth.

Also in 1948, actor/singer/songwriter Alice Cooper was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1962, a rare conjunction of the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn occurred.

In 1966, the Disney cartoon short “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree” was released in the U.S.

In 1970, the movie “Patton”, starring George C. Scott in the title role, premiered in New York City.

In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, age 19, was kidnapped in Berkeley, CA, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army.

Also in 1974, the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb on a bus carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel in Yorkshire, England. Nine soldiers and three civilians are killed.

In 1977, a Chicago Transit Authority elevated trail rear-ended another train and derailed, killing 11 and injuring 180 in the worst accident in the agency's history.

In 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, CA, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

In 1999, unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race relations in the city.

In 2003, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is officially renamed the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and adopts a new constitution.

In 2004, the social networking website Facebook had its beginnings as Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched “Thefacebook.”

In 2016, aviator/engineer/astronaut Edgar Mitchell, LM Pilot for Apollo 14, died in West Palm Beach, FL at age 85.

In 2018, the teaser trailer for the “Star Wars” movie “Solo” premiered on NBC-TV, during their coverage of Super Bowl LII.