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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 'Canto Bight Casino' started by Juliet316 , Dec 26, 2012.

  1. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Nearly there...

    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.
     
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  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. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    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.

    In 2025, the Gaza ceasefire in the Israel/Hamas conflict went into effect, including the mutual freeing of hostages and prisoners.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2025
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  4. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    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 time a Presidential Inauguration took 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 2021, 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.

    In 2025, in one of his last acts in office, President Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons for members of his family, members of his administration, and members of the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

    Also in 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, the second man to be elected to two non-consecutive terms in the office. Shortly following his inauguration, he signed a large amount of Executive Orders, including revoking orders issued by President Biden, pardoning those indicted or convicted of actions during the January 6th attack, and restructuring immigration and border security policies.
     
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  5. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    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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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Ken, get your act together, would you?

    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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  9. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Keep at it, Ken.

    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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  10. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Nearly there, Ken.

    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.

    In 2024, former President Donald Trump was ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages in a defamation lawsuit for statements Trump made after Carroll accused him in 2019 of sexually assaulting her decades earlier. (A separate trial in 2023 had found that Trump did commit the offenses Carroll accused him of.)
     
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  11. 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 Chipmunks, 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.

    In 2023, protests occurred across the U.S. after the Memphis Police Dept. released multiple videos showing officers striking and pepper spraying 29-year-old African-American man Tyre Nichols, following his running away from a traffic stop. (Nichols died in the hospital three days later as a result of his injuries.)

    Also in 2023, A shooting at a synagogue in Neve Yaakov, East Jerusalem, killed seven people and injured three others. (The suspect was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with police.)
     
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  12. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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

    [​IMG]
     
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  13. 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.
     
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  14. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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

    [​IMG]
     
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  15. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Time-Traveling F&G Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
  16. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Where was I? Oh, yes...

    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 1974, the comedy series “The Uncle Floyd Show” premiered via UA-Columbia Cable TV, deep in the heart of Jersey. (It would run on several different stations until 1998.)

    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.

    In 2025, American Eagle Flight 5342 suffered a mid-air collision with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan International Airport. All 67 people onboard both aircraft were killed.
     
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  17. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
  18. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I (belatedly) may...

    ON JANUARY 30th:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
  20. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I (still belatedly) may...

    ON JANUARY 31st:

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

    In 1797, composer Franz Schubert was born in Vienna.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1936, the radio adventure series “The Green Hornet” premiered over station WXYZ, Detroit. (It would begin broadcasting nationally over the Mutual Broadcasting System in April, 1938.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 2020, The United Kingdom’s membership within the European Union ceased in accordance with Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union, after 47 years of being a member state.

    In 2025, Med Jets Flight 056 crashed near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, PA. Seven people, including the six occupants and one person on the ground, were killed, with 19 others injured.
     
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  21. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    If I (again belatedly) may...

    ON FEBRUARY 1st:

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1896, the opera “La Boheme” premiered in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by a young Arturo Toscanini.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In addition in 1942, Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the U.S. government, began broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.

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

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

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

    In 1950, RCA introduced the 45 RPM record player.

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

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

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

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

    Also in 1964, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” became the Beatles’ first number one hit in the United States.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1993, on “Batman: The Animated Series”, the episode “The Man Who Killed Batman” was broadcast on the Fox Network. It features one of the funniest funerals in fiction.

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

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

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

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

    In 2017, the animated film “The LEGO Batman Movie” premiered in Paris.

    In 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on goods from China. In response, both Canada and Mexico imposed a 25% tariff on goods imported from the U.S., with China promising to take the matter to the World Trade Organization.
     
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  22. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 1999
    Nearly there...

    ON FEBRUARY 2nd:

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

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

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

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

    In 1895, athlete/coach/team owner George Halas was born in Chicago. He’d later be the founder, owner and head coach of the Chicago Bears, and one of the first inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    In 1901, the funeral for Queen Victoria was held at Windsor Castle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1958, the Western series “Frontier Gentleman” premiered over CBS Radio. It starred John Dehner in the title role as J.B. Kendall.

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

    In 1969, actor Boris Karloff died in Midhurst, Sussex, England at age 81.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 2009, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck Morris County, NJ, with an epicenter near Morristown. No damage or injuries were reported.

    In 2012, the ferry MV Rabaul Queen sank off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.

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

    In 2020, in Super Bowl LIV, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. The win came fifty years after the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl victory in 1970.
     
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  23. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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

    ON FEBRUARY 3rd:

    In 1783, Spain formally recognized American independence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 2014, two people were shot and killed and 29 students were taken hostage at a high school in Moscow, Russia.

    In 2019, Pope Francis arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula.
     
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  24. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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

    ON FEBRUARY 4th:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1936, comedian/actor/author David Brenner was born in Philadelphia, PA.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 1976, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Guatemala, causing widespread damage, with an initial death toll of approximately 23,000, with an estimated 76,000 injured.

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

    In 1987, pianist Liberace died at his Palm Springs, CA, home at age 67.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused all casinos in Macau to be closed down for 15 days.

    In 2023, a high-altitude balloon, operated from China and carrying spy equipment, was shot down by a USAF F-22 Raptor over the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first time an aircraft had been shot down over U.S. territory since World War II.
     
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  25. Kenneth Morgan

    Kenneth Morgan Chosen One star 5

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

    ON FEBRUARY 5th:

    In 1597, a group of early Japanese Christians were killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.

    In 1723, minister/educator/Founding Father John Witherspoon was born in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland. He’d later serve on the NJ delegation to the Second Continental Congress, and was one of the signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

    In 1778, South Carolina became the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

    In 1783, Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.

    In 1837, evangelist Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Church and Moody Bible Institute, was born in Northfield, MA.

    In 1900, politician/diplomat Adlai Stevenson was born in Los Angeles. He’s perhaps best-known for his confrontation with Soviet U.N. representative Valerian Zorin during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

    In 1906, actor John Carradine was born in New York City. He’d frequently be a much better actor than some of his movies deserved.

    In 1917, Mexican President Venustiano Carranza proclaimed the modern Mexican constitution, which promised the restoration of lands to native peoples, the separation of church and state, and dramatic economic and educational reforms.

    Also in 1917, with more than a two-thirds majority, Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto and passed the Immigration Act, requiring a literacy test for immigrants and barring laborers from East Asian countries, except for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the U.S., such as the Philippines.

    In 1919, movie studio United Artists was incorporated by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith and Charles Chaplin.

    In 1921, production designer Ken Adam was born in Berlin, Germany. He’s best-known for his work on many of the James Bond movies, including the oft-parodied hollowed-out volcano base from “You Only Live Twice”.

    In 1922, the first edition of “Reader's Digest” was published.

    In 1930, radio host John A. Gambling was born. Listeners in the NY/NJ/CT Tri-State area remember him as the second of three generations of Gamblings on the airwaves.

    In 1934, baseball player Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron Jr., best-known for breaking Babe Ruth's legendary record of 714 home-runs, was born in Mobile, AL.

    In 1936, the Charlie Chaplin silent comedy “Modern Times” premiered in New York City.

    In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, drew accusations that Roosevelt was attempting to "pack" the nation's highest court.

    In 1939, Generalísimo Francisco Franco became the 68th "Caudillo de España", or Leader of Spain. And, as of today, he’s still dead.

    In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Tuxedo Junction" for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.

    Also in 1940, surrealist artist H.R. Giger was born in Chur, Graubunden, Switzerland. Years later, he’d help create the creature that would cause so much trouble for the crew of the Nostromo.

    In 1943, the Western “The Outlaw” premiered in San Francisco. Directed by Howard Hughes, it’s more famous today for star Jane Russell’s…attributes.

    In 1953, Walt Disney's animated feature "Peter Pan" was first released in the U.S.

    In 1956, the science fiction/horror film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was released in the U.S.

    In 1957, Bill Haley and His Comets arrived in London for a tour and were mobbed by fans.

    In 1967, the comedy-variety series "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" premiered on CBS-TV.

    In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell left the Lunar Module Antares and stepped onto the surface of the Moon in the first of two Lunar excursions.

    In 1973, services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for U.S. Army Col. William B. Nolde, the last official American combat casualty before the Vietnam cease-fire took effect.

    In 1985, Ugo Vetere, the mayor of modern Rome, and Chedli Klibi, the mayor of modern Carthage, signed a treaty ending the Punic Wars after more than 20 centuries.

    In 1988, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was indicted in Miami and Tampa, FL on drug smuggling and money laundering charges. (He would be convicted in Miami and serve 17 years in prison.)

    In 1989, the Soviet Union announced that all but a small rear-guard contingent of its troops had left Afghanistan.

    In 1994, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, MS, of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison. (Beckwith died Jan. 21, 2001 at age 80.)

    In 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in his first impeachment trial.

    In 2013, make-up designer/artist Stuart Freeborn, best-known for his work on the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died in London at age 98.

    In 2015, after 94 years of existence, electronics retailer Radio Shack filed for bankruptcy.

    In 2018, the second teaser trailer for the “Star Wars” movie “Solo” was released on-line, following a premiere showing on “Good Morning, America” on ABC-TV.

    In 2020, actor/producer/writer/director Kirk Douglas died in Beverly Hills at age 103.

    In 2021, actor Christopher Plummer, CC died in Weston, CT at age 91.
     
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