Fun On this date in history...

If I may...

ON JANUARY 13th:

In 1733, James Oglethorpe and some 120 English colonists arrived at Charleston, SC, while en route to settle in present-day Georgia.

In 1794, President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. (The number of stripes was later reduced to the original 13.)

In 1864, songwriter Stephen Foster died in New York City at age 37.

In 1883, the Henrik Ibsen play "An Enemy of the People" was first performed in Christiania (Oslo), Norway.

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

In 1898, Emile Zola's famous defense of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, "J'accuse," was published in Paris.

In 1915, a magnitude-7 earthquake centered in Avezzano, Italy, claimed some 30,000 lives.

In 1926, author Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, was born in Newbury, Berkshire, England.

In 1939, the Universal Horror film “Son of Frankenstein” was released in the U.S. It starred Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone and Lionel Atwill. It was also the last time Karloff played the Monster in a feature film.

In 1941, a new law went into effect granting Puerto Ricans U.S. birthright citizenship.

In 1942, actress Carol Cleveland, the First Lady of Python, was born in East Sheen, London.

In 1962, actor/comedian/TV pioneer Ernie Kovacs died in a car accident in west Los Angeles at age 42.

In 1964, Roman Catholic Bishop Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, by Pope Paul VI.

In 1966, on “Bewitched”, the episode “And Then There Were Three” was broadcast on ABC-TV. It featured the birth of Sam and Darrin’s daughter, Tabitha.

In 1968, Johnny Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in California. Segments of the performances would be released on a hit album later in the year.

In 1972, the John Wayne western “The Cowboys”, co-starring Bruce Dern and Roscoe Lee Browne, was released in the U.S.

In 1974, the Hammer Horror film “The Satanic Rites of Dracula” released in the UK. It was the last Hammer film to feature Christopher Lee as the Count, and the last Hammer film to co-star Lee and Peter Cushing.

In 1978, Senator/Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey died in Waverly, MN, at age 66.

In 1982, an Air Florida 737 crashed into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River after taking off during a snowstorm, killing a total of 78 people; four passengers and a flight attendant survived.

In 1990, L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the nation's first elected black governor as he took the oath of office in Richmond.

In 2000, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates stepped aside as chief executive and promoted company president Steve Ballmer to the position.

In 2002, "The Fantasticks" closed at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York's Greenwich Village. It was the longest-running musical in the world. It had begun production in 1960 and had been performed 17,162 times.

In 2009, actor/writer/director/producer Patrick McGoohan died in Santa Monica at age 80.

In 2012, the passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sank off the coast of Italy due to the captain's negligence and irresponsibility, with 32 confirmed deaths.

In 2018, a false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii, including messages via the media and the sounding of civil defense sirens, caused widespread panic in the state. (The incident was later blamed on miscommunication during a drill at the state’s Emergency Management Agency.)

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 14th:

In 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; Britain followed suit in April 1784.

In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel ended hostilities between Denmark and Sweden, with Denmark agreeing to cede Norway to Sweden, something Norway refused to accept.

In 1892, producer/director Hal Roach was born in Elmira, NY.

In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" had its world premiere in Rome.

In 1914, Ford Motor Co. greatly improved its assembly-line operation by employing an endless chain to pull each chassis along at its Highland Park plant.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation No. 2537, requiring aliens from Axis countries--Italy, Germany and Japan--to register with the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1943, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.

In 1949, producer/director/screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan was born in Miami, FL.

In 1951, the first American Football Pro Bowl was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The American Conference beat the National Conference 28-27.

In 1952, NBC's "Today" show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or "communicator."

In 1953, Josip Broz Tito was elected the first President of Yugoslavia.

In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married at San Francisco City Hall. (The marriage lasted about nine months.)

Also in 1954, the Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation. About fifteen years later, the Morgan family would purchase a “goat vomit green” 1969 4-door AMC Rebel sedan.

In 1957, actor Humphrey Bogart died in Los Angeles at age 57.

In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with the pledge, "Segregation forever!", a view Wallace later repudiated.

In 1966, engineer Sergei Korolev, the Chief Designer of the Soviet space program during the 1950’s and 60’s, died in Moscow at age 59.

In 1969, 27 people aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, off Hawaii, were killed when a rocket warhead exploded, setting off a fire and additional explosions.

In 1972, the sit-com "Sanford and Son" premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1973, Elvis Presley’s concert “Aloha from Hawaii” was broadcast live via satellite, and set the record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.

Also in 1973, the Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go undefeated in a regular season. They also defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.

In 1975, the House Internal Security Committee (formerly the House Un-American Activities Committee) was disbanded.

In 1976, the spin-off “The Bionic Woman” premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1981, the science fiction film “Scanners” was released in the U.S.

In 1989, President Ronald Reagan delivered his 331st and final weekly White House radio address, telling listeners, "Believe me, Saturdays will never seem the same. I'll miss you."

In 1990, "The Simpsons" made its premiere as a weekly show on the FOX network.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an accord to stop aiming missiles at any nation; the leaders joined Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in signing an accord to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.

In 2009, actor Ricardo Montalban died in Los Angeles at age 88.

In 2016, a bomb exploded in Jakarta, Indonesia, followed by a gun battle between suspected terrorist and local police. Two victims and five perpetrators were killed.

Also in 2016, actor/director Alan Rickman died in London at age 69.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 15th:

In 1559, England's Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1777, the people of New Connecticut declared their independence. (The republic later became the state of Vermont.)

In 1782, Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris went before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.

In 1862, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Abraham Lincoln's choice of Edwin M. Stanton to be the new Secretary of War, replacing Simon Cameron.

In 1865, during the closing months of the Civil War, the Second Battle of Fort Fisher near Wilmington, NC, ended as Union forces captured the "Gibraltar of the South," depriving the Confederates of their last major seaport.

In 1870, a political cartoon by for the first time symbolized the Democratic Party with a donkey. The cartoon was by Thomas Nast and appeared in “Harper’s Weekly”.

In 1889, the Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, was incorporated in Atlanta, GA.

In 1892, Phys-Ed teacher James Naismith published the original rules of basketball, the games he’d developed the previous year.

Also in 1892, actor/director William Beaudine, best-known for his work with the Monogram and PRC film companies, was born in New York City.

In 1908, physicist Edward Teller was born in Budapest, Hungary. A member of the Manhattan Project, he would later be known to some as “the father of the hydrogen bomb”.

In 1913, actor Lloyd Bridges was born in San Leandro, CA. Years later, one of his characters would pick the wrong week to quit smoking. And drinking. And amphetamines. And sniffing glue.

In 1919, in Boston, a tank containing an estimated 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst, flooding the city’s North End, killing 21 people.

In 1920, Roman Catholic prelate John O’Connor was born in Philadelphia. He’d later serve as Bishop of Scranton, PA, and later as Archbishop of New York. He would also develop a friendship with Monsignor Ed Koch.

In 1927, actress Phyllis Coates, who was the first actress to play Lois Lane in “The Adventures of Superman”, was born in Wichita Falls, TX.

In 1929, pastor/civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA.

In 1936, actor Richard Franklin, well-known to Whovians for playing Mike Yates on “Doctor Who”, was born in Marylebone, London, England.

In 1943, work was completed on the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of War (now Defense).

In 1947, actress/comedienne Andrea Martin was born in Portland, ME. Her tenure at a Melonville-based TV network would come later.

Also in 1947, the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles. (Later known as the infamous “Black Dahlia” murder, the case remains unsolved.)

In 1948, singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd was born in Jacksonville, FL.

In 1967, the Rolling Stones appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS-TV to sing "Let's Spend the Night Together." To satisfy censors, the lyrics were changed to "Let's Spend Some Time Together."

Also in 1967, the Green Bay Packers of the NFL defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL 35-10 in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, known later as Super Bowl I.

In 1969, the Soviet Union launched Soyuz 5, crewed by Boris Volynov, Aleksei Yeliseyev, and Yevgeny Khrunov. The mission would accomplish the first docking (with Soyuz 4) of two manned spacecraft.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam, citing progress in peace negotiations.

Also in 1973, actor/filmmaker Coleman Francis died in Hollywood, CA.

In 1974, the TV sitcom "Happy Days", starring Ron Howard, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1976, Sara Jane Moore was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford the previous year. (She was released from prison in 2007.)

In 1981, the crime drama “Hill Street Blues” premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1989, NATO, the Warsaw Pact and 12 other European countries adopted a human rights and security agreement in Vienna, Austria.

In 1991, the United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expired, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.

In 1993, at a ceremony in Paris, the last of a group of 125 countries signed a treaty banning chemical weapons.

In 1996, location filming began in Vancouver for the “Doctor Who” TV-Movie.

In 2001, Wikipedia, a free Internet-based encyclopedia, went online. It would later be used as one of many sources by your humble correspondent.

In 2009, US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger ditched his Airbus 320 in the Hudson River after a flock of birds disabled both engines; all 155 people aboard survived.

In 2020, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Japan.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 16th:

In 27 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus was granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.

In 1547, Ivan IV of Russia (popularly known as "Ivan the Terrible") was crowned Czar.

In 1707, The Scottish Parliament ratified the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of Great Britain.

In 1786, Virginia enacted the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson.

In 1862, two hundred and four men and boys were killed in the Hartley Colliery mining disaster in Northumberland, England, prompting a change in UK law which henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape.

In 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, which decreed that 400,000 acres of land in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida would be confiscated, divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves. (The order, which was later revoked by President Andrew Johnson, is believed to have inspired the expression, "Forty acres and a mule.")

In 1883, the U.S. Civil Service Commission was established.

In 1902, missionary/Olympic runner Eric Liddell was born in Tianjin, China.

In 1918, producer/screenwriter Stirling Silliphant was born in Detroit, MI. An Oscar-winner for the screenplay for “In the Heat of the Night”, he’s also known for his work on the TV series “Route 66” and “Naked City”, and for reportedly being one-half of the bet that brought the world “Manos, the Hands of Fate”.

In 1920, Prohibition began in the United States as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect, one year to the day after its ratification. (It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.)

In 1935, fugitive gangster Fred Barker and his mother, Kate "Ma" Barker, were killed in a shootout with the FBI at Lake Weir, Florida.

In 1938, “King of Swing” Benny Goodman and his band performed a legendary jazz concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

In 1939, the radio adventure series “I Love a Mystery” premiered over the NBC West Coast network.

In 1942, actress Carole Lombard, age 33, her mother and about twenty other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas. They were returning from a war-bond promotion tour.

In 1944, the radio sit-com “The Life of Riley”, starring William Bendix, premiered on the NBC Blue Network (later known as ABC).

In 1948, filmmaker/composer John Carpenter was born in Carthage, NY.

In 1949, actress/model Caroline Munro was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England. She’d later co-star in “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad”, alongside past-Diabolik John Phillip Law and future-Doctor Tom Baker.

In 1957, three B-52's took off from Castle Air Force Base in California on the first non-stop, round-the-world flight by jet planes, which lasted 45 hours and 19 minutes.

Also in 1957, classical music conductor Arturo Toscanini died in New York at age 89.

In 1963, the Disney comedy “Son of Flubber”, starring Fred MacMurray, was released in the U.S.

In 1964, the musical "Hello, Dolly!" starring Carol Channing, opened on Broadway at the St. James Theater.

In 1966, the spy spoof “Our Man Flint”, starring James Coburn in the title role, was released in the U.S.

In 1971, the TV game show “Celebrity Bowling” premiered in syndication.

In 1973, the last first-run episode of the Western series "Bonanza" aired on NBC-TV.

In 1978, NASA named 35 candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America's first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America's first black astronaut in space.

In 1981, actor Bernard Lee, best-known for playing the original M in the James Bond films, died in London at age 73.

In 1989, three days of rioting began in Miami when a police officer fatally shot Clement Lloyd, a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of Lloyd's passenger, Allan Blanchard. (The officer, William Lozano, was convicted of manslaughter, but then was acquitted in a retrial.)

In 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

In 1995, “Caretaker”, the premiere episode of the sci-fi spin-off "Star Trek: Voyager" was broadcast on UPN-TV.
In 1997, actor/comedian Bill Cosby's 27-year-old son Ennis Cosby was murdered during the course of a robbery after he stopped to fix a flat tire along California’s Interstate 405 in Los Angeles.

In 2001, President Bill Clinton awarded former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War.

In 2003, the NASA Space Shuttle Columbia took off for mission STS-107, its final mission.

In 2016, during a counter-attack following a hostage situation, 33 out of 126 freed hostages were injured and 23 killed in the city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso in West Africa. The terrorist attack was carried out on a hotel and a nearby restaurant in the capital.

In 2017, aviator/engineer/astronaut Capt. Gene Cernan died in Houston at age 82. As an astronaut, he served as pilot on Gemini 9, as LM Pilot on Apollo 10, and as Mission Commander on Apollo 17. During the latter, he became the last man (to date) to walk on the Moon.

In 2020, the trial phase of the first impeachment of President Donald Trump formally began with the presentation on the Articles of Impeachment to the U.S. Senate.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 17th:

In 1562, French Protestants were recognized under the Edict of St. Germain.

In 1706, statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston.

In 1781, Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and a mixed Patriot force routed British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and a group of Redcoats and Loyalists at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina.

In 1806, Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha, gave birth to James Madison Randolph, the first child born in the White House.

In 1867, producer Carl Laemmle, co-founder of Universal Pictures, was born in Laupheim, Wurttemberg, Germany.

In 1880, actor/director Mack Sennett, founder of Keystone Studios, was born in Danville, Quebec.

In 1893, Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown in a coup led by a group of American sugar planters.

Also in 1893, Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the U.S., died in Fremont, OH, at age 70.

In 1904, Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” received its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre. The “Gumby Theater” production would come along later.

In 1912, Capt. Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition reached the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen’s expedition.

In 1916, The Professional Golfers Association was formed in New York City.

In 1926, attorney and former FCC Chairman Newton Minow was born in Milwaukee, WI. He’s best-known for his 1961 speech referring to television as “a vast wasteland”.

In 1927, actress/singer Eartha Kitt was born in St. Matthews, SC.

In 1929, Popeye the Sailor first appeared in E.C. Segar’s comic strip “Thimble Theater”.

In 1931, actor James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, MS. His voice is somewhat familiar to a great many movie fans.

In 1933, actress/puppeteer Shari Lewis was born in the Bronx.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces launched the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties.

In 1945, Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II.

Also in 1945, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody in Budapest, Hungary. (His fate has never been determined.)

In 1946, The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting.

In 1949, the TV version of the radio serial “The Goldbergs” premiered on CBS-TV, the first sitcom on American television.

In 1950, 11 men stole more than $2 million from the Brinks Armored Car depot in Boston, MA.

In 1961, in his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against "the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

In 1966, a B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 jet tanker over Spain's Mediterranean coast, dropping three 70-kiloton hydrogen bombs near the town of Palomares and one in the sea.

In 1970, animator Genndy Tartakovski was born in Moscow, Russia. He’d later create the original animated “Clone Wars” series, and a certain bespectacled Boy Genius.

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first execution in the U.S. in a decade.

In 1980, actress/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel was born in Los Angeles. She’d later appear in a movie about a wholly-remarkable book.

In 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 61 people and causing $20 billion worth of damage.

In 1995, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake devastated the city of Kobe, Japan; more than 6,000 people were killed.

In 1997, a court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country's history.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment.

In 2002, Mount Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.

In 2010, rioting between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, resulted in at least 200 deaths.

 

I've got to get back on track...

ON JANUARY 18th:

In 1778, English navigator Captain James Cook reached the present-day Hawaiian Islands, which he named the "Sandwich Islands."

In 1788, the first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrived at Botany Bay.

In 1862, John Tyler, 10th President of the U.S., died in Richmond, VA, at age 71, shortly before he could take his seat as an elected member of the Confederate Congress.

In 1892, actor/comedian Oliver Hardy was born in Harlem, GA.

In 1904, actor Cary Grant was born in Horfield, Bristol, England.

In 1911, the first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely brought his Curtiss biplane in for a safe landing on the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Harbor.

In 1913, actor/comedian Danny Kaye was born in Brooklyn.

In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference, held to negotiate peace treaties ending the First World War, opened in Versailles, France.

In 1943, during World War II, Jewish insurgents in the Warsaw Ghetto launched their initial armed resistance against Nazi troops, who eventually succeeded in crushing the rebellion.

Also in 1943, actor Paul Freeman was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England. One of his characters would later make a foolish decision to open the Ark of the Covenant.

In 1944, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosted a jazz concert for the first time. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.

In 1952, actor/comedian Curly Howard died in San Gabriel, CA at age 48.

In 1957, a trio of B-52's completed the first non-stop, round-the-world flight by jet planes, landing at March Air Force Base in California after more than 45 hours aloft.

In 1964, the fantasy movie “The Incredible Mr. Limpet”, starring Don Knotts, premiered in the U.S.

In 1974, following three TV movies, the weekly series “The Six Million Dollar Man” premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1983, the International Olympic Committee restored Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals to his family.

In 1990, a jury in Los Angeles acquitted former preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child molestation charges.

In 1992, the movie “The Castle of Fu Manchu”, starring Christopher Lee, was featured on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” over Comedy Central. It remains the time the Mads came closest to breaking Joel & the ‘bots.

In 1993, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was officially observed for the first time in all 50 states.

In 1997, the Special Edition version of “Star Wars” premiered in Los Angeles. The fan arguments started about thirty minutes later.

In 2005, The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial jet, was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.

 

If I (belatedly) may...

ON JANUARY 19th:

In 1807, Gen. Robert E. Lee, who served with the United States Army during the Mexican-American War, and later commanded the Army of Northern Virginia for the Confederacy, was born in Westmoreland County, VA.

In 1809, author Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston.

In 1853, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premiered in Rome. Its best-known production, featuring the Marx Brothers, would come along decades later.

In 1861, Georgia became the fifth state to secede from the Union.

In 1883, the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, began service at Roselle, NJ.

In 1915, Germany carried out its first air raid on Britain during World War I as a pair of Zeppelins dropped bombs onto Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn in England.

Also in 1915, Georges Claude patented the neon discharge tube for use in advertising. “Eat at Joe’s” would come along later.

In 1920, The U.S. Senate voted against joining the League of Nations.

In 1932, director Richard Lester, best-known for directing the Beatles movies “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!”, was born in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, NJ, in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.

In 1940, the Three Stooges short “You Nazty Spy!” was released. It was the first Hollywood film to make fun of Hitler and the Nazis, upstaging Chaplin by nine months.

In 1942, during World War II, Japan invaded Burma, now known as Myanmar.

In 1943, singer/songwriter Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, TX.

In 1944, the U.S. Federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads to their owners following settlement of a wage dispute.

In 1946, General Douglas MacArthur established the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.

In 1949, singer/songwriter/musician Robert Palmer was born in Batley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

In 1953, CBS-TV broadcast the episode “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” of the sitcom “I Love Lucy”, in which Lucy gave birth to her and Ricky’s son, Little Ricky. That same day, Lucille Ball gave birth to her and Desi Arnaz’s son, Desi Arnaz, Jr.

In 1955, a presidential news conference was filmed for television and newsreels for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister of India.

In 1977, in one of his last acts of office, President Gerald R. Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino, also known as “Tokyo Rose”, an American convicted of treason for making wartime broadcasts for Japan.

In 1981, the United States and Iran signed an accord paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.

In 1983, Klaus Barbie, the Nazi Gestapo chief of Lyons, France, during the German occupation, was arrested in Bolivia for his crimes against humanity four decades earlier.

Also in 1983, Ham, the first U.S. “astrochimp” and passenger aboard Project Mercury flight MR-2, died at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. at age 26.

In 1992, German government and Jewish officials dedicated a Holocaust memorial at the villa on the outskirts of Berlin where the notorious Wannsee Conference had taken place.

In 1998, singer/songwriter/musician Carl Perkins died in Jackson, TN at age 65.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 20th:

In 1265, England's first representative Parliament met for the first time; the gathering at Westminster was composed of bishops, abbots, peers, Knights of the Shire and town burgesses.

In 1649, King Charles I of England went on trial, accused of high treason. (He was found guilty and executed by month's end.)

In 1783, The Kingdom of Great Britain signed a peace treaty with France and Spain, officially ending hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1887, the U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

In 1892, the first official basketball game was played by students at the Albany, NY YMCA Training School.

In 1896, comedian George Burns was born in New York City.

In 1900, actor Colin Clive was born in Saint-Malo, Brittany, France. Years later, he’d play one of the most infamous doctors in literary fiction.

In 1920, actor DeForest Kelley was born in Toccoa, GA. Years later, he’d play one of the most famous doctors in contemporary fiction.

Also in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union was founded.

In 1923, singer/songwriter/musician Slim Whitman was born in Tampa, FL.

In 1930, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, pilot of Gemini 12 and LM pilot of Apollo 11, and the second man to set foot on the Moon, was born in Glen Ridge, NJ.

In 1934, actor Tom Baker was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Years later, he’d play one of the most famous doctors in contemporary fiction.

In 1936, Britain's King George V died; he was succeeded by Edward VIII.

Also in 1936, the science fiction movie “The Invisible Ray”, co-starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, was released in the U.S.

In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner were sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice-President, the first occasion a Presidential Inauguration to take place on January 20th following the ratification of the 20th Amendment.

In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Jews.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for an unprecedented fourth term.

In 1958, Elvis Presley was due to be inducted into the U.S. Army. However, he was granted a 60-day deferment to allow him to finish his commitment to make the film “King Creole”.

In 1961, on the newly renovated east front of the U.S. Capitol, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.

In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in and began his elected term as 36th President of the U.S.

In 1965, the Poe-based horror movie “The Tomb of Ligeia”, starring Vincent Price and directed by Roger Corman, was released in the U.S.

In 1966, the comedy “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”, starring Don Knotts, was released in the U.S. Atta boy, Luther!

In 1967, production for the “Star Trek” episode “The Devil in the Dark” was shut down due to the death of star William Shatner’s father. Shatner would later speak well of the cast & crew’s kindness to him following his loss.

In 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States.

In 1975, several former William Morris talent agents, including Michael Ovitz, founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

In 1977, Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as the 39th President of the United States.

In 1979, part one of the “Doctor Who” serial “The Armageddon Factor” was broadcast on BBC 1. It included the first appearance of Lalla Ward in the series, before she assumed the role of Romana.

In 1980, in a letter to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and a television interview, President Jimmy Carter proposed that the 1980 Summer Olympics be moved from the planned host city, Moscow, if the Soviet Union failed to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within a month. (The Games were not moved, and the U.S. Olympic Team boycotted them.)

In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush were sworn in for second terms of office in a brief White House ceremony. (It being a Sunday, the public swearing-in was held the following day.)

In 1986, the United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1987, Church of England envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Lebanon.

In 1989, George H.W. Bush was inaugurated as the 41st President of the United States.

In 1993, Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States.

In 2001, President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada was ousted in a nonviolent 4-day revolution, and was succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In 2005, President George W. Bush was inaugurated for a second term as Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ill with thyroid cancer, delivered the oath of office.

In 2009, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first African-American to hold the office.

In 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, becoming the fifth President to have never been previously elected to a public office. (The other four were Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

In 2018, a group of gunmen attacked the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack and resulting gun battle killed 40 people and injured many others.

In 2020, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. Also, Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the first woman to hold the office of Vice-President.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 21st:

In 1793, during the French Revolution, King Louis XVI, condemned for treason, was executed on the guillotine.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi and four other Southerners whose states had seceded from the Union resigned from the U.S. Senate.

In 1908, New York City's Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance prohibiting women from smoking in public establishments. (The measure was vetoed by Mayor George B. McClellan Jr., but not before one woman, Katie Mulcahey, was jailed overnight for refusing to pay a fine.)

In 1910, the Great Paris Flood began as the rain-swollen Seine River burst its banks, sending water into the French capital.

In 1911, the first Monte Carlo Rally automobile event took place.

In 1915, the first Kiwanis Club, dedicated to community service, was founded in Detroit.

In 1918, Richard “Dick” Winters was born in New Holland, PA. A decorated war veteran, he was best-known for his command of “E” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division in the ETO during World War II.

In 1924, Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin died in Gorki, Russia at age 53.

Also in 1924, actor/comedian Benny Hill was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England. His association with “Yakety Sax” would come later.

In 1926, actor/bodybuilder Steve Reeves, best-known for his roles in Italian-made “Sword and Sandal” movies, was born in Glasgow, MT.

In 1937, Count Basie and his band recorded "One O'Clock Jump" for Decca Records. (On this date in 1942, they re-recorded the song for Okeh Records.)

In 1938, actor/DJ Wolfman Jack was born in Brooklyn.

In 1941, bodybuilder/professional wrestler Ivan “Polish Power” Putski was born in Krakow, Poland.

In 1950, former State Department official Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury in regards to testimony about his alleged involvement in a Soviet spy ring before and during World War II.

In 1954, the first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched at Groton, CT. (However, the Nautilus did not make its first nuclear-powered run until nearly a year later.)

In 1968, the Battle of Khe Sanh began during the Vietnam War.

Also in 1968, an American B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed in Greenland, killing one crew member and scattering radioactive material.

In 1972, the first “Star Trek” convention was held at the Statler Hilton hotel in New York City. (However, some accounts hold that the actual first one was held in Newark, NJ in 1969.)

In 1975, female reporters entered a National Hockey League locker room for post-game interviews for the first time. Robin Herman of The New York Times and Canadian radio reporter Marcel St. Cyr were allowed to talk to players following the NHL All-Star Game in Montreal in which the Wales Conference defeated the Campbell Conference 7-1.

In 1976, commercial service of the supersonic Concorde airliner began with the London-Bahrain and Paris Rio routes.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.

In 1981, production of the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car began in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.

In 1994, a jury in Manassas, VA, found Lorena Bobbitt not guilty by reason of temporary insanity of maliciously wounding her husband John, whom she'd accused of sexually assaulting her.

In 1997, The U.S. House of Representatives voted 395–28 to reprimand Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker to be so disciplined.

In 2020, actor/writer/director/comedian/historian/Python Terry Jones died in London at age 77.

 

On this day in 1982, I was born.

 

Happy Birthday @PCCViking !

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 22nd:

In 1552, explorer/spy/courtier Sir Walter Raleigh was born in Hayes Barton, East Budleigh, Devon, England. It would be centuries before Newhart fans would remember him as “Nutty Walt”.

In 1875, filmmaker D.W. Griffith was born in La Grange, KY. His best-known film, “Birth of a Nation”, still inspires controversy.

In 1879, at the Battle of Isandlwana, Zulu troops decisively defeated British troops.

Also in 1879, at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, 139 British soldiers successfully defended their garrison against an onslaught by three to four thousand Zulu warriors.

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

In 1901, Britain's Queen Victoria died on the Isle of Wight at age 81 after a reign of 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

In 1907, aviator Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan was born in Galveston, TX. Whether his flight from New York to Ireland, rather than New York to California, was in error or deliberate is still disputed.

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for "peace without victory." (By April, however, America also was at war.)

In 1922, Pope Benedict XV died in Rome at age 67; he was succeeded by Pius XI.

In 1924, Ramsay McDonald became the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

In 1927, Teddy Wakelam gave the first live radio commentary of a football match anywhere in the world, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury.

In 1931, singer/songwriter Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, MS.

In 1934, actor/producer/director Bill Bixby was born in San Francisco. Years later, TV viewers would learn not to get him angry.

In 1938, Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town" was performed publicly for the first time, at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ.

In 1940, actor John Hurt was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Years later, a hostile alien would kill one of his characters, while another of his characters would take down many other equally-hostile aliens.

In 1941, during World War II, British and Commonwealth troops captured Tobruk from Italian forces during “Operation Compass”.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces commenced “Operation Shingle”, an assault on Anzio, Italy.

In 1947, KTLA, the first commercial TV station west of the Mississippi River, began operation in Hollywood.

In 1953, "The Crucible," Arthur Miller's drama about the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theater.

In 1959, water breached the River Slope Mine near Pittston, PA in Port Griffith; 12 miners were killed.

In 1968, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, premiered on NBC-TV.

Also in 1968, the unmanned Apollo 5 spacecraft was launched, carrying the first Lunar Module into space.

In 1970, the Boeing 747, the world's first "jumbo jet", entered commercial service for launch customer Pan-Am with its maiden voyage from JFK Airport in New York City to London’s Heathrow Airport.

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, legalized abortions using a trimester approach.

Also in 1973, former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at his Texas ranch near Stonewall, TX at age 64.

In addition in 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica, George Foreman defeated reigning heavyweight champion Joe Frazier in four minutes and 35 seconds of the first round to win the heavyweight boxing championship of the world.

In 1987, Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shot and killed himself in Harrisburg, PA during a televised press conference shortly before he was due to be sentenced on bribery charges. He was age 47. Subsequent broadcasts of his suicide would inspire controversy.

In 1999, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.

In 2002, Kmart became the largest retailer in U.S. history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In 2003, cartoonist Bill Mauldin died in Newport Beach, CA at age 81.

In 2008, actor Heath Ledger died in New York City at age 28.

In 2010, after a tenure of nearly eight months, Conan O’Brien hosted his last episode of “Tonight Show”. (Jay Leno would return as host the following March, while O’Brien would begin hosting his own show on TBS in November.)

In 2012, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died in State College, PA at age 85.

In 2018, Minnie Mouse received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2019, the Reproductive Health Act was enacted in the state of New York. It repealed most restrictions on abortion, and removed it from the New York criminal code.

In 2021, baseball player Hank Aaron died in Atlanta, GA at age 86.

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 23rd:

In 1556, the deadliest earthquake in recorded history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hit Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington D.C.

In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was awarded her M.D. by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, NY, becoming the United States' first female doctor.

In 1919, actor/comedian/TV pioneer Ernie Kovacs was born in Trenton, NJ.

In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called "Lame Duck Amendment," was ratified as Missouri approved it.

In 1937, 17 people went on trial in Moscow during Josef Stalin's "Great Purge." (All were convicted of conspiracy; all but four were executed.)

In 1941, aviator Charles Lindbergh testified before the U.S. Congress and recommended that the U.S. negotiate a neutrality pact with Nazi Germany.

In 1939, artist Greg & Tom Hildebrandt were born in Detroit, MI. And your humble correspondent is one of a multitude of fans who had their “Star Wars” poster hanging on his wall back in 1977.

In 1944, actor Rutger Hauer was born in Breukalen, Netherlands. One of his characters would later see things that you wouldn’t believe.

In 1950, the Israeli Knesset approved a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Also in 1950, actor/producer Richard Dean Anderson was born in Minneapolis, MN.

In 1960, the U.S. Navy-operated bathyscaphe Trieste carried two men to the deepest known point in the Pacific Ocean, reaching a depth of more than 35,000 feet.

In 1964, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified as South Dakota became the 38th state to endorse it.

In 1968, North Korea seized the Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, charging its crew with being on a spying mission. (The crew was released 11 months later.)

In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War, and would be formally signed four days later in Paris.

In 1975, the sitcom “Barney Miller” premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1976, actor/singer/activist/Rutgers alumnus Paul Robeson died in Philadelphia, PA at age 77.

In 1977, the mini-series “Roots” premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1983, the action series “The A-Team” premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1985, debate in Britain's House of Lords was carried on live television for the first time.

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court, in McKennon vs. Nashville Banner Publishing Co., ruled that companies accused of firing employees illegally could not escape liability by later finding a lawful reason to justify the dismissal.

In 1997, Madeleine Albright became the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State.

In 2002, U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered.

In 2003, the last (to date) signal from NASA’s Pioneer 10 space probe was detected. No usable data could be extracted from the very weak signal.

In 2004, actor Bob Keeshan, best-known as Captain Kangaroo, died in Windsor, VT at age 76.

In 2005, comedian/TV host Johnny Carson died in Los Angeles at age 79.

In 2017, Lucasfilm announced that the next “Star Wars” movie would be titled “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi”.

In 2020, The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

 

Come on, Morgan. Get your act together...

ON JANUARY 24th:

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/singer 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 comic-based 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 1979, a fire destroyed Stage 3 at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, near London. At the time, the stage was being used by director Stanley Kubrick for the horror movie “The Shining”.

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.

In 2011, at least 35 people were killed and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

 

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.

Also in 2017, actor John Hurt died in Cromer, Norfolk, England at age 77.