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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Fun On this date in history...

Discussion in 'Fun and Games' started by Juliet316, Dec 26, 2012.

  1. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 27, 2005
  2. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I may...

    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.

    In 2019, an oil pipeline explosion near Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico killed 137 people.

    In 2023, Microsoft announced that it would cut 10,000 jobs, approximately 5% of its global workforce, due to a slowdown in overall consumer spending.
     
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  3. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 27, 2005
  4. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I (very 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.
     
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  5. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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    May 27, 1999
    If I (belatedly) 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.
     
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  6. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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    May 27, 1999
    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.
     
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  7. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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  8. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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  9. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    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.
     
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  10. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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    - *coughTuckRulecough*



     
  11. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    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.
     
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  12. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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  13. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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    May 27, 1999
    If I may...

    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.
     
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  14. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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  15. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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    May 27, 1999
    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 Sir John Hurt, CBE died in Cromer, Norfolk, England at age 77.
     
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  16. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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  17. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I may...

    ON JANUARY 26th:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1934, the Apollo Theater reopened in Harlem.

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

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

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

    In 1965, Hindi became the official language of India.

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

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

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

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

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

    Also in 1980, Israel and Egypt established diplomatic relations.

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

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

    In 1995, New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman dedicated the Howard Stern Rest Stop on southbound I-295 in Springfield Township. This was done to fulfill a campaign promise she made in return of his support for her candidacy. (The rest stop was closed in 2003.)

    In 2001, The Gujarat earthquake struck Western India, leaving over 20,000 dead and nearly 167,000 injured.

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

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

    In 2020, basketball player Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, CA at age 41. Eight others were killed in the crash, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
     
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  18. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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  19. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I may...

    ON JANUARY 27th:

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1905, actor Howard McNear was born was born in Los Angeles. He’s best-known for his role as Floyd the Barber on “The Andy Griffith Show”, and his very active career in old-time radio drama.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Also in 1956, the anthology series “The CBS Radio Workshop” premiered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 2018, cartoonist Mort Walker, the creator of “Beetle Bailey” and “Hi & Lois”, died in Stamford, CT at age 94.
     
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  20. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Lest we forget...

     
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  21. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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  22. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I may...

    ON JANUARY 28th:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan lifted remaining domestic petroleum price and allocation controls in the United States, helping to end the 1979 energy crisis and begin the 1980s oil glut.

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

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

    In 1988, in R v. Morgentaler, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down all anti-abortion laws.

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

    In 2006, the roof of one of the buildings at the Katowice International Fair in Poland collapsed due to the weight of snow, killing 65 and injuring more than 170 others.

    In 2021, a nitrogen leak at a poultry food processing facility in Gainesville, GA killed six people and injured at least ten others.

    In 2022, the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA collapsed, resulting in a leak from a severed natural gas pipeline. Several vehicles were on the bridge during the collapse, but no deaths were reported. President Joe Biden, in the area for a previously-scheduled speech on infrastructure, visited the site of the collapse. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.
     
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  23. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Lest we forget...

     
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  24. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 27, 2005
  25. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I may...

    ON JANUARY 29th:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 2017, opened fire at mosque in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, killing six people and wounding 19 others. (The gunman eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and attempted murder charges, and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.)

    In 2020, The Trump Administration established the White House Coronavirus Task Force under Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.
     
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