Fun On this date in history...

If I (still belatedly) may...

ON FEBRUARY 23rd:
In 1455, according to tradition, the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type, was published.

In 1685, composer George Frideric Handel was born in Halle, Duchy of Magdeburg, Holy Roman Empire.

In 1778, Prussian-born Inspector Gen. Baron von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge, PA to help to train the Continental Army.

In 1836, the siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas.

In 1848, John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States, died in Washington, D.C., at age 80, two days after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1863, British explorers John H. Speke and James A. Grant announced they had found the source of the Nile River to be Lake Victoria.

In 1870, Mississippi was readmitted to the Union.

In 1896, the Tootsie Roll was invented.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area around Guantanamo Bay to the United States.

In 1904, screenwriter/director/editor Terrence Fisher, best-known for his work with Hammer Films, was born in Maida Vale, London.

In 1915, Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, best-known as the pilot of the bomber Enola Gay, which dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima during World War II, was born in Quincy, IL.

In 1927, President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill creating the Federal Radio Commission, forerunner of the Federal Communications Commission.

In 1930, screenwriter Gerry Davis, co-creator of both the sci-fi series “Doomwatch” and the Cybermen from “Doctor Who”, was born.

In 1932, actress/producer Majel Barrett was born in Cleveland, OH. She’d sign on the Enterprise some years later.

In 1941, Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.

In 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised the American flag.

Also in 1945, the capital of the Philippines, Manila, was liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.

In 1954, the first mass inoculation of schoolchildren against polio using the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000 students were vaccinated.

In 1955, author/voice actor/radio host Tom Bodett was born in Campaign, IL. He’d later assure us that they’d leave the light on for us.

In 1965, actor/writer/director Stan Laurel died in Santa Monica, CA at age 74.

Also In 1965, filming began in the Bahamas for “Help!”, the Beatles’ second feature film.

In 1965, the horror anthology film “Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors” was released in London. It was produced by Amicus Productions, and starred Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland.

In 1970, Guyana became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.

In 1980, on “The Muppet Show”, the guests included Peter Mayhew (as Chewbacca), Anthony Daniels (as Threepio), Artoo (as himself), and Mark Hamill. Mark’s well-dressed cousin Luke Skywalker also made an appearance.

In 1983, on “Doctor Who”, part four of “Terminus” was broadcast. It featured the last regular appearance of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa.

In 1984, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Planet of Fire” was broadcast. It featured the first appearance of Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.

In 1991, during the First Gulf War, ground troops crossed the Saudi Arabian border and entered Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war.

In 1995, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 4,000 mark for the first time, ending the day at 4,003.33.

In 2012, a series of attacks across Iraq left at least 83 killed and more than 250 injured.

 

If I (not as belatedly) may...

ON FEBRUARY 24th:
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII issued an edict outlining his calendar reforms. (The Gregorian Calendar is the calendar in general use today.)

In 1803, in its Marbury v. Madison decision, the Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of statutes.

In 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain.

In 1863, Arizona was organized as a territory.

In 1864, the first Union prisoners arrived at the Confederates' Andersonville prison camp in Georgia. (During its 14 months of existence, the overcrowded camp ended up holding some 45,000 men, more than four times its intended capacity; nearly 13,000 prisoners perished from disease, starvation or exposure.)

In 1868, the House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.

In 1885, Adm. Chester Nimitz, CinCPac during World War II, was born in Fredericksburg, TX.

In 1917, during World War I, the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom was given the “Zimmerman Telegram”, in which Germany pledged to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona to Mexico if Mexico declared war on the United States.

In 1920, a fledgling German political party held its first meeting of importance in Munich; it became known as the Nazi Party, and its chief spokesman was Adolf Hitler.

In 1922, actor Steven Hill, best-known for playing D.A. Adam Schiff on “Law & Order”, was born in Seattle, WA. Fans of “Mission: Impossible” remember him for playing team leader Dan Briggs in the program’s first season.

In 1932, actor John Vernon was born in Zehner, Saskatchewan, Canada. Years later, one of his characters would impose the rare & unusual step of Double Secret Probation.

In 1942, the Voice of America went on the air for the first time.

Also in 1942, The Battle of Los Angeles occurred, when a false alarm led to an anti-aircraft barrage that lasted into the early hours of February 25th. The incident would later be loosely adapted in Speven Spielberg’s movie “1941”.

In 1955, inventor/entrepreneur Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc., was born in San Francisco.

In 1961, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the nation’s first full-scale trial of pay television in Hartford, CT.

In 1979, on “Doctor Who”, part six of “Armageddon Factor” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the concluding episode of the “Key to Time” series, and featured the last appearance of Mary Tamm as Romana.

In 1980, the U.S. hockey team defeated Finland, four goals to two, to clinch the gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

In 1982, Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scored his 77th goal of the season to break the NHL record of 76 held by Phil Esposito.

In 1983, a congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a “grave injustice.”

In 1986, filming began on “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”.

In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $150,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and publisher Larry Flynt.

In 1989, a state funeral was held in Japan for Emperor Hirohito, who had died the month before at age 87.

Also in 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offered a $3,000,000 bounty for the death of Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses”.

In 1996, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the movie “The Incredible Melting Man” was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. The episode’s host segments featured a merciless parody of the studio-caused problems Best Brains had in making “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie”.

In 2008, Fidel Castro retired as the President of Cuba and the Council of Ministers after 32 years. He remained as head of the Communist Party for another three years.

In 2011, the Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on its final mission.

In 2014, actor/comedian/writer/director/producer Harold Ramis died in Glencoe, IL at age 69.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 25th:

In 1570, Pope Pius V excommunicated England's Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1836, inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver.

In 1870, Hiram Revels, a Mississippi Republican, was sworn in as the first black member of the U.S. Senate.

In 1901, United States Steel Corp. was incorporated by J.P. Morgan (no relation, so far as I know).

Also in 1901, actor/comedian/theatrical agent/inventor/engineer Zeppo Marx was born in New York City.

In 1910, journalist/politician/diplomat Millicent Fenwick was born in New York City. She’d later go on to serve as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from NJ, and was, in my Mom’s words, “a grand old lady”.

In 1913, The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect.

Also in 1913, actor Jim Backus was born in Cleveland, OH. One of his characters would later take an ill-fated three-hour tour.

In addition in 1913, actor Gert Frobe was born in Saxony, German Empire. The whole Fort Knox thing would come later.

In 1919, Oregon placed a one cent per gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.

In 1940, the first televised hockey game was broadcast over station W2XBS, New York City. The NY Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-2.

In 1943, musician/singer/songwriter/producer/Beatle George Harrison was born in Liverpool.

In 1948, Communists seized power in Czechoslovakia.

In 1950, the variety series "Your Show of Shows" debuted on NBC-TV.

In 1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "That'll Be the Day," their first and only number one hit.

Also in 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that baseball was the only professional sport exempt from antitrust laws.

In 1964, Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) became the world heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.

In 1968, during the Vietnam War, one hundred thirty-five unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province were killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Ha My massacre.

In 1970, “Hercules in New York”, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first feature film starring role, went into general release in the U.S.

In 1977, the comedy “Slap Shot”, starring Paul Newman, was released in the U.S.

In 1986, President Ferdinand E. Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.

In 1987, Southern Methodist University’s football program was the first college football program to receive the “death penalty” by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. It was revealed that athletic officials and school administrators had knowledge of a “slush fund” used to make illegal payments to the school's football players as far back as 1981.

In 1989, Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, fired head coach Tom Landry after a 29-year career.

In 1990, Nicaraguans voted in an election that led to victory for opponents of the ruling Sandinistas.

In 1991, an Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 Americans during the Persian Gulf War.

Also in 1991, The Warsaw Pact was declared disbanded.

In 1994, American-born Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire with an automatic rifle inside the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank, killing 29 Muslims before he was beaten to death by worshippers.

In 1999, a jury in Jasper, Texas, sentenced white supremacist John William King to death for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., an African-American man.

In 2004, Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ” was released in the U.S. on Ash Wednesday.

In 2015, producer/screenwriter/executive Harve Bennett, well-known for his work on the “Star Trek” movies, died in Medford, OR at age 84.

In 2017, actor/director Bill Paxton died at age 61.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 26th:

In 1616, Galileo Galilei was formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the Earth orbits the sun.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the Island of Elba and headed back to France in a bid to regain power.

In 1904, the United States and Panama proclaimed a treaty under which the U.S. agreed to undertake efforts to build a ship canal across the Panama isthmus.

In 1908, director/animator Tex Avery was born in Taylor, TX. He’d later do legendary work at Termite Terrace, and later for MGM.

In 1909, Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, was first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.

How sweet it is! In 1916, actor Jackie Gleason was born in Brooklyn.

In 1917, The Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first jazz record, for the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional act establishing Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

In 1920, actor/producer/director Tony Randall was born in Tulsa, OK. He’d later help provide an answer to the question, “Can two divorced men share an apartment, without driving each other crazy?”

In 1928, pianist/singer/songwriter Fats Domino was born in New Orleans.

In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge signed a measure establishing Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

In 1932, singer/songwriter/musician Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, AR.

In 1935, Adolf Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1940, the United States Air Defense Command was created.

In 1945, authorities ordered a midnight curfew at nightclubs, bars and other places of entertainment across the nation.

In 1952, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed its own atomic bomb.

In 1960, the sci-fi movie “Der schweigende Stern” was released in East Germany. Years later, under the title “First Spaceship on Venus”, it would be shown to the S.O.L. crew.

In 1962, after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, astronaut John Glenn told a joint session of Congress, "Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge have always paid dividends in the long run."

In 1966, NASA launched the unmanned AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn 1B rocket.

Also in 1966, the ROK Capital Division of the South Korean Army massacred 380 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam.

In 1970, National Public Radio was incorporated.

In 1971, U.N. Secretary Gen. U Thant signed a U.N. proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.

In 1980, Egypt and Israel established full diplomatic relations.

In 1984, “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope” premiered on commercial TV over CBS.

In 1987, the Tower Commission, which had probed the Iran-Contra affair, issued its report, which rebuked President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff.

In 1988, the sci-fi adventure “Alien from L.A.”, starring Kathy Ireland, was released in the U.S. It also would be memorably MSTed.

In 1993, a truck bomb built by terrorists exploded in the parking garage of New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.

In 1995, Barings PLC, Britain's oldest investment banking firm, collapsed after Nick Leeson, a 28-year-old securities dealer, lost over $1.4 billion by gambling on Tokyo stock prices.

In 2005, a fragment of granite bearing the name "John" — all that remained of a memorial to the six people killed in the 1993 terror attack on the World Trade Center — was installed as the central piece of a new post-9/11 memorial.

In 2012, Trayvon Martin, age 17, was shot to death in Sanford, FL, during an altercation with neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who said he'd acted in self-defense. (Zimmerman was subsequently acquitted of second-degree murder.)

In 2017, judge/TV personality Joseph Wapner died in Los Angeles at age 97.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 27th:

In 1782, the British House of Commons voted against further war in America.

In 1801, pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C. was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.

In 1900, the British Labour Party was founded.

In 1902, during the Second Boer War, Australian soldiers Harry “Breaker” Morant and Peter Handcock were executed in Pretoria for war crimes.

In 1922, a challenge to the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, was rebuffed by the Supreme Court in Leser v. Garnett.

In 1932, actress Elizabeth Taylor was born in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London.

In 1933, Germany’s parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, was set on fire, apparently by the Communists.

In 1934, actor Van Williams, best-known for playing Britt Reid on the TV series “The Green Hornet”, was born in Ft. Worth, TX.

In 1939, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sit-down strikes violated property owners' rights and were therefore illegal.

In 1942, during World War II, during the Battle of the Java Sea, an Allied strike force was defeated by a Japanese task force.

In 1946, the comedy “Road to Utopia” had its U.S. premiere in New York City. It starred, of course, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, was ratified.

In 1960, writer/actress/comedienne Mary Jo Pehl was born in Circle Pines, MN. Her persecution of a certain hapless temp worker would come later.

In 1963, the Dominican Republic received its first democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.

In 1973, activists from the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied Wounded Knee, SD.

In 1985, in a highly-controversial move, the BBC announced that “Doctor Who” would be placed on an 18-month broadcast hiatus. Originally, the series had been fully cancelled, but widespread protests led to the change to a hiatus.

In 1986, the U.S. Senate allowed its debates to be televised on a trial basis.

In 2003, minister/educator/TV host Fred Rogers died in Pittsburgh, PA at age 74.

In 2004, the initial version of the John Jay Report, with details about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in the U.S., was released.

In 2010, the horror movie “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” premiered in Los Angeles. The guys at Rifftrax would take it on some time later.

In 2014, author/game designer Aaron Allston, best-known for his books in the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe series, died in Springfield, MO at age 53.

In 2015, actor/producer/director/author Leonard Nimoy died in Bel Air, CA at age 83.

 

If I may...

ON FEBRUARY 28th:

In 1784, minister/theologian John Wesley chartered the Methodist Church.

In 1844, a 12-inch gun aboard the USS Princeton exploded as the ship was sailing on the Potomac River, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others.

In 1861, the Territory of Colorado was organized.

In 1867, seventy years of Holy See/United States relations were ended by a Congressional ban on federal funding of diplomatic envoys to the Vatican. (They were restored on January 10, 1984.)

In 1885, The American Telephone and Telegraph Company was incorporated in New York as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.)

In 1915, actor/comedian Zero Mostel was born in Brooklyn, NY.

In 1935, DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invented nylon.

In 1940, the first televised college basketball games were broadcast by New York City station W2XBS as Pittsburgh defeated Fordham, 57-37, and New York University beat Georgetown, 50-27, at Madison Square Garden.

In 1942, the heavy cruiser USS Houston and the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth were attacked by Japanese forces during the World War II Battle of Sunda Strait; both were sunk shortly after midnight.

Also in 1942, musician/songwriter Brian Jones, founding member of the Rolling Stones, was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.

In 1944, Corrie Ten Boom and members of her family were arrested by the Nazis for sheltering refugee Jews in their home in Haarlem in the Netherlands.

In 1953, scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announced they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.

In 1958, a school bus in Floyd County, KY hit a wrecker truck and plunged down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children died in what remains one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history.

In 1960, a day after defeating the Soviets at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California, the United States won its first Olympic hockey gold medal by defeating Czechoslovakia, 9-4.

In 1966, astronauts Elliot See, Jr., age 38, and Charles Bassett II, age 34, the primary crew for Gemini 9, were killed when their T-38 jet crashed at the McDonnell Aircraft complex in St. Louis, MO.

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, which called for normalizing relations between their countries, at the conclusion of Nixon's historic visit to China.

In 1975, 42 people were killed in London's Underground when a train smashed into the end of a tunnel.

In 1977, actor/comedian Eddie “Rochester” Anderson died in Los Angeles at age 71.

In 1981, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Logopolis” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Janet Fielding as Tegan.

In 1983, the final episode of “M*A*S*H” was broadcast on CBS-TV. It attracted the biggest TV audience of any program to that date.

In 1986, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot to death in central Stockholm. (The killing remains unsolved.)

In 1993, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raided the Branch Davidian church compound in Waco, TX with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh. Four ATF agents and five Davidians died in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.

Also in 1993, director Ishiro Honda, best-known for his work on the “Godzilla” series, died in Tokyo at age 81.

In 1997, the North Hollywood shootout took place, resulting in the injury of 19 people and the deaths of both perpetrators.

In 1998, actor/comedian Dermot Morgan, best-known for playing the title role in the Brit-com “Father Ted”, died in Hounslow, London at age 45. He died the day after taping the series’ final episode.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI resigned as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415.

In 2016, actor/singer/writer Frank Kelly, best-known for playing Father Jack in the Brit-com “Father Ted”, died at age 77.

 

Lest we forget...

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 1st:

In 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese knight Estacio de Sa.

In 1642, Georgeana, MA (now known as York, ME), becomes the first incorporated city in the United States.

In 1692, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, MA, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials.

In 1781, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first attempt at a governing document for the United States. It would later be replaced by the U.S. Constitution.

In 1790, President George Washington signed a measure authorizing the first U.S. Census.

In 1803, Ohio was admitted as the 17th U.S. state.

In 1815, Napoleon, having escaped exile in Elba, arrived in Cannes, France, and headed for Paris to begin his "Hundred Days" rule.

In 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the world's first national park.

In 1890, J.P. Lippincott published the first U.S. edition of the Sherlock Holmes mystery A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.

In 1918, actor Roger Delgado, the original Master, was born in Whitechapel, London.

In 1924, astronaut Donald K. “Deke” Slayton, the last of the Mercury Seven to orbit the Earth, was born in Sparta, WI.

In 1932, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, NJ. (Remains identified as those of the child were found the following May.)

In 1935, actor Robert Conrad was born in Chicago. His activities with the Secret Service during the post-Civil War era remain classified by the U.S. Government.

In 1941, W47NV began operations in Nashville, TN, becoming the first FM radio station in the U.S..

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, back from the Yalta Conference, proclaimed the meeting a success as he addressed a joint session of Congress.

Also in 1945, actor Dirk Benedict, the one and only Starbuck, was born in Helena, MT.

In 1949, Joe Louis announced that he was retiring from boxing as world heavyweight boxing champion.

In 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the spectators' gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five members of Congress.

Also in 1954, The United States detonated a dry-fuel hydrogen bomb, codenamed Castle Bravo, at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. (Later theories that this was an attempt to destroy a large, prehistoric creature remain apocryphal.)

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

In 1966, the Soviet space probe Venera 3 crashed on Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet’s surface.

In 1969, Mickey Mantle announced his retirement from baseball.

In 1971, a bomb went off inside a men's room at the U.S. Capitol; the radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn blast.

In 1978, the “Star Wars” novel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster was published. It is one of the earliest parts of what would later be called the “Star Wars Expanded Universe”.

Also in 1978, the movie “Laserblast”, featuring Cheryl Smith, Keenan Wynn, Roddy McDowell and Eddie Deezen, was released. Years later, it would be the last movie featured on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (or so we thought).

In 1981, Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands began a hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he died 65 days later.

In 1983, actress Lupita Nyong’o was born in Mexico City. She’d later play one of Han’s old friends, who found Luke’s original ‘saber…somehow.

In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence from the Socialist Federal Repub;ic of Yugoslavia.

In 1995, the Internet search engine website Yahoo! was incorporated by founders Jerry Yang and David Filo.

In 1997, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the episode featuring the movie “The Thing that Couldn’t Die” was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. It featured the debut of Bill Corbett as Observer (a.k.a. Brain Guy).

In 2003, The International Criminal Court held its inaugural session in The Hague.

In 2005, Dennis Rader, accused as the BTK serial killer, was charged in Wichita, KS, with 10 counts of first-degree murder. (Rader later pleaded guilty and received multiple life sentences.)

 

2 March 1978, Major Charles Fulop died while steering a crippled jet fighter-bomber away from homes near Victorville, California.

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/2...XLHCx9IZrDKMIlBnE7zADK1KdH395Y1EJVzWydPN-8cMQ

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 2nd:

In 1793, the first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, was born near Lexington, VA.

In 1797, the Bank of England issued the first £1and £2 banknotes.

In 1807, The U.S. Congress passed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.

In 1836, the Republic of Texas formally declared its independence from Mexico.

In 1865, Congress established the position of Naval Judge Advocate General.

In 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden had won the popular vote.

In 1882, Queen Victoria narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.

In 1886, SPFX creator Willis O’Brien was born in Oakland, CA. He’s best-known for his work with stop motion effects, as used in “King Kong” and “Mighty Joe Young”.

In 1901, United States Steel Corporation was founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.

In 1904, author/illustrator Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, was born in Springfield, MA.

In 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship as President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act.

Also in 1917, actor/singer/producer Desi Arnaz was born in Santiago de Cuba. He’d later go on to be one of the most influential TV producers of all time, and have to contend with that crazy redhead who took too much Vitameatvegamin.

In 1933, the original movie “King Kong” opened at Radio City Music Hall.

In 1937, the movie “Lost Horizon”, starring Ronald Colman, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1939, Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected pope on his 63rd birthday; he took the name Pius XII.

Also in 1939, the Massachusetts legislature voted to ratify the Bill of Rights, 147 years after the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution had gone into effect. (Georgia and Connecticut soon followed.)

In 1940, the cartoon character Elmer Fudd made his debut in the Warner Bros. animated short "Elmer's Candid Camera," in which the title character finds himself pitted against a rascally rabbit that was a precursor to Bugs Bunny.

In 1943, U.S. and Australian land-based planes begin an offensive against a convoy of Japanese ships in the Bismarck Sea, in the western Pacific.

In 1949, actress Gates McFadden was born in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Her tenure with Star Fleet was some time in the future.

Also in 1949, Capt. James Gallagher landed his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, TX after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute.

In 1952, actress/comedienne/writer Laraine Newman, one of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, was born in Los Angeles.

In 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks' famous act of defiance, Claudette Colvin, a black high school student in Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white passenger.

In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a game against the New York Knicks, an NBA record that still stands. (Philadelphia won, 169-147.)

In 1964, filming began on the Beatles’ first movie, “A Hard Day’s Night”.

In 1965, the movie version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical "The Sound of Music," starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, had its world premiere at New York's Rivoli Theater.

In 1968, actor Daniel Craig was born in Chester, England. The license to kill would be assigned later on.

In 1969, Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the first player in the NHL to score 100 points in a season.

In 1972, the United States launched the Pioneer 10 space probe, which flew past Jupiter in late 1973, sending back images and scientific data.

In 1978, two men stole the corpse of actor Sir Charles Chaplin from a cemetery in the Swiss village of Corsier-sur-Vevey, located in the hills above Lake Geneva, near Lausanne, Switzerland. (After a five-week investigation, police arrested two auto mechanics–Roman Wardas, of Poland, and Gantscho Ganev, of Bulgaria–who on May 17 led them to Chaplin’s body, which they had buried in a cornfield about one mile from the Chaplin family’s home in Corsier.)

In 1979, the mockumentary “Real Life”, directed, co-written & Starring Albert Brooks, premiered in New York City.

In 1984, on “Doctor Who”, part four of “Planet of Fire” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Mark Strickson as Turlough.

In 1985, the government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply.

In 2003, writer/producer Fred Freiberger, best-known for his work as line producer for the third season of the original series “Star Trek”, died.

In 2004, Al-Qaeda carried out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.

In 2017, the elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson were officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia. The addition of Upsidasium and Unobtainium are still under review.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 3rd:

In 1820, the U.S. Congress passed the Missouri Compromise. An effort to regulate slavery, it would be effectively repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, then was ruled unconstitutional in 1857 by the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling.

In 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the Union.

In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior was established.

In 1875, the first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey was played in Montreal, Canada as recorded in the “Montreal Gazette”.

In 1885, American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) was incorporated.

In 1913, more than 5,000 suffragists marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., a day before the presidential inauguration of Woodrow Wilson.

In 1920, actor James Doohan was born in Vancouver, British Colombia. He served with the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II, including the landing on Juno Beach on D-Day during Operation Overlord, long before he joined Star Fleet.

In 1923, “Time” magazine, founded by Briton Hadden and Henry R. Luce, made its debut.

In 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" became the national anthem of the United States as President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution.

Also in 1931, Cab Calloway recorded "Minnie the Moocher." It was the first jazz album to sell a million copies.

In 1934, bank robber John Dillinger escaped from the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana, along with another prisoner, Herbert Youngblood.

In 1940, Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Frenesi" for RCA Victor.

In 1945, the Allies fully secured the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese forces during World War II.

In 1948, the film noir “The Naked City” premiered in New York City.

In 1959, the United States launched the Pioneer 4 spacecraft, which flew by the Moon.

Also in 1959, actor/comedian Lou Costello died in East Los Angeles at age 52.

In 1965, the movie “The Human Duplicators”, later featured on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, was released in the U.S.

In 1969, Apollo 9, crewed by James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott and Russell L. Schweickart, blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a mission to test the Lunar Module in Earth orbit.

In 1974, a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris, killing all 346 people on board.

In 1985, coal miners in Britain voted to end a year-long strike that proved to be the longest and most violent walkout in British history.

In 1987, actor/singer/comedian Danny Kaye died in Los Angeles at age 76.

In 1991, motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured on amateur video.

Also in 1991, twenty-five people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs airport.

In 2005, Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly an airplane, the GlobalFlyer, around the world alone without stopping or refueling, touching down in central Kansas after a 67-hour, 23,000-mile journey.

In 2012, designer/illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, best-known for his conceptual art & designs for the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died in Berkeley, CA at age 82.

 

4 March

1936 - first flight of the Hindenburg

1944 - Pilot Officer Chuck Yeager shot down a Luftwaffe Me-109 near Kassel, Germany

1955 - first flight of the Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter prototype, designed by the legendary Kelly Johnson of Lockheed's Skunk Works

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/

 

When it comes to the F-104, all I can think of is MST3K. And endless refueling.

 

5 March

1936 First flight of K5054, first of Supermarine's legendary Spitfire fighter planes

1962 Two supersonic B-58 Hustlers set speed records flying coast-to-coast and back over the US

1966 A Boeing 707 operated by BOAC broke up in severe turbulence near Mount Fujiyama. Wreckage was scattered across 10 miles, 113 passengers and 11 crew died.

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/

 

6 March

1931 Ruth Rowland Nichols set a world altitude record of 28,743 feet piloting a Lockheed Vega

1965 Dawdling Dromedary, a Sikorski Sea King SH-3A helicopter, launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet in San Diego and flew non-stop 2105 miles to Mayport Florida, landing aboard the carrier Franklin D Roosevelt.

 

7 March

1945 First flight of the Piasecki PV-3, prototype for the first successful tandem-rotor helicopter, at Morton Grove, PA

1961 Major Robert White becomes the first pilot to exceed Mach 4, flying over Silver Lake, Nevada in a North American X-15, reaching 77,450 feet and Mach 4.43

 

I've gotten terribly lazy with this of late. Anyway...

ON MARCH 4th:
In 1776, the Continental Army fortified Dorchester Heights with cannon, leading the British troops to abandon the Siege of Boston.

In 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into effect as the first Federal Congress met in New York. (The lawmakers then adjourned for lack of a quorum.)

In 1791, Vermont became the 14th state.

In 1797, John Adams was inaugurated as the 2nd President of the United States of America, becoming the first President to begin his presidency on March 4th.

In 1837, the city of Chicago was incorporated.

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States.

Also in 1861, The Confederate States of America adopted as its flag the original version of the Stars and Bars.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for a second term of office; with the end of the Civil War in sight, Lincoln declared, "With malice toward none, with charity for all."

In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first game. They were the first professional baseball team.

In 1913, the "Buffalo nickel" officially went into circulation.

In 1913, actor John Garfield, twice-nominated for an Oscar and later a victim of blacklisting, was born in New York City.

In 1914, animator Ward Kimball, one of the “Nine Old Men” at Walt Disney Studios, was born in Minneapolis, MN.

In 1917, Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first female member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1923, astronomer Patrick Moore was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England.

In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was broadcast live on 21 radio stations coast-to-coast.

In 1930, Coolidge Dam in Arizona was dedicated by its namesake, former President Calvin Coolidge.

In 1940, Kings Canyon National Park in California was established.

In 1941, the United Kingdom launched Operation Claymore on the Lofoten Islands; the first large scale British Commando raid.

In 1954, actress/comedienne Catherine O’Hara was born in Toronto, Canada. Her work at that TV station in Melonville would come later.

In 1964, Teamsters president James Hoffa and three co-defendants were found guilty by a federal court in Chattanooga, TN, of jury tampering.

In 1966, the London newspaper "Evening Standard" published an interview with John Lennon with his now-infamous quote, "We're more popular than Jesus Christ right now."

In 1966, the notorious potboiler “The Oscar” premiered in New York City.

In 1974, the first issue of “People” magazine, then called “People Weekly”, was published by Time-Life Inc.; on the cover was actress Mia Farrow, then co-starring in "The Great Gatsby."

In 1986, the Soviet Vega 1 spacecraft began returning images of Halley’s Comet and the first images of its nucleus.

In 1989, Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. announced plans for a huge media merger.

In 1992, the Lucasfilm series “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” premiered on ABC-TV. And the elderly Indy of the series has since gone the way of Han shooting first and the Force ghost of Sebastian Shaw.

In 1994, actor/comedian John Candy died in Durango, Mexico at age 43.

In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment at work can be illegal even when the offender and victim are of the same gender.

In 2001, a massive car bomb exploded in front of the BBC Television Centre in London, seriously injuring one person. The attack was attributed to the Real IRA.

In 2009, The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

In 2012, a series of explosions was reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, killing at least 250 people.

In 2018, Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, causing a diplomatic uproar that resulted in mass-expulsions of diplomats from all countries involved.