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February 12th
1049 - Bruno, count of Egesheim and Dagsburg, was crowned Pope Leo IX. 1130 - Pope Innocent II was elected. 1128 - Died this day, Toghtekin, slave of Damascus. 1211 - Born this day, Henry VII, Roman catholic German king (1220-35). 1242 - Died this day, Hendrik VII, Roman Catholics German king (1220-35), committed suicide. 1438 - Born this day, Adolf van Egmond, duke of Gelre, earl of Zutphen. 1541 - Santiago, Chile was founded (other source says February 24). 1554 - Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for nine days, was executed on Tower Green by her cousin and rival Mary. 1567 - Born this day, Thomas Campion, in England, composer, poet, physician. 1584 - Born this day, Casparus Barleaus, Flemish theologist, poet (Muiderkring). 1585 - Born this day, Caspar Bartholin, in Malmo, Denmark (now Sweden), physician, theologian, writer on anatomy. 1590 - Died this day, Francois Hotman [ or Hotomanus], French lawyer, diplomat, aged 65. 1594 - Died this day, [Giovanni] Gianetto P. da Palestrina, Italian bandmaster, composer. 1616 - Died this day, John Drusius, of Driesschen, Flemish Hebraist, aged 65. 1636 - Born this day, Herman Witsius [Wits], reformed theologist. 1637 - Born this day, John Swammerdam, anatomy, entomologist (Bible of nature). 1663 - Born this day, Cotton Mather, clergyman, writer, witchcraft authority. 1665 - Born this day, Rudolph J. Camerarius, German botanist, physician (sexuality plant). 1684 - Died this day, Pietro Andrea Ziani, composer, aged 67. 1688 - The Glorious Revolution ended. James II fled to France and Prince William of Orange and Princess Mary became King and Queen of England. 1706 - Born this day, Josef Christian, German sculptor. 1728 - Died this day, Agostino Steffani, composer, aged 73. 1733 - Led by philanthropist James Edward Oglethorpe, the first English colonists arrived in Georgia, at the site now occupied by Savannah. 1738 - Died this day, James Sherard, composer, aged 71. 1740 - Born this day, Matej Sojka, composer. 1751 - Born this day, Joseph Waast Aubert Nonot, composer. 1753 - Born this day, Lambert-Francois Godecharle, composer. 1758 - Born this day, Christian Ignatius Latrobe, composer. 1760 - Born this day, Jan Ladislav Dussek, in Bohemia, pianist, composer. 1768 - Born this day, Francis II, in Florence, Italy, last Holy Roman emperor (1792-1806). 1762 - Died this day, Laurent Belissen, composer, aged 68. 1771 - Died this day, Adolf Frederik, king of Sweden (1751-70), aged 60. 1772 - Yves de Kerguelen of France discovered the Kerguelen Archipelago, India. 1775 - Born this day, Louise Catherine Johnson Adams, first lady (1825-1829). 1778 - Born this day, Franz Joseph Volkert, composer. 1787 - Died this day, Ruggiero Boscovich, in Italy, physicist, astronomer, philospher, aged 75. 1791 - Born this day, John D. Zocher Jr, architect (Vondelpark, Amsterdam). 1791 - Born this day, Peter Cooper, industrialist, philanthropist (Cooper Union). 1793 - The first US fugitive slave law was passed; it required the return of escaped slaves. 1797 - Haydn's song Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser was first performed, in Vienna. 1799 - Died this day, Frantisek Xaver Dusek, composer, aged 67. 1804 - Died this day, Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (Zum ewigen Frieden), aged 79. 1809 - Born this day, Abraham Lincoln, in Springfield, Illinois, 16th US president. Died 15 April 1865, in Washington DC, and is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetary, Springfield, Illinois. Married Mary Ann Todd on 4 November 1842 in Springfield, Illinois. (Mary Ann Todd was born on 13 December 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky and died on 16 July 1882 in Springfield, Illinois.) 
1809 - Born this day, Charles Darwin, author, scientist and naturalist, discovered evolution (Origin of species), in Shrewsbury, England. 1818 - Born this day, Otto Ludwig, German writer (Die Heiterethei). 1818 - Chile proclaimed independence from Spain. 1820 - Died this day, Guillaume Albert Teniers, composer, aged 71. 1821 - The Mercantile Library of the City of New York opened. 1828 - Born this day, George Meredith, in England, poet, novelist (Shaving of Shagpat). 1828 - Born this day, Robert Ransom Jr, Major General (Confederate Army). Died in 1892. 1831 - Born this day, John Morrissey, boxer, developer of Saratoga Springs horse race track. 1832 - Ecuador annexed the Galapagos Islands. 1838 - Born this day, Charles Carroll Walcott, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers). Died in 1898. 1840 - The Housatonic Railroad opened. 1841 - Born this day, Bert van Tienhoven, mayor (Amsterdam), foreign minister. 1848 - The ballet Faust premiered, in Milan. 1850 - The original George Washington Farewell Address manuscript sold for $2,300. 1850 - Born this day, Amaat Vyncke, Flemish missionary (Flemish Wind). 1853 - Born this day, Bertram Luard-Selby, composer. 1861 - Born this day, Lou [Andreas-]Salom‚ Russian-German author (Im Kampf um Gott). 1861 - Died this day, Hippolyte-Andre-Baptiste Chelard, composer, aged 72. 1861 - State troops seized US munitions in Napoleon, Alaska. 1865 - Henry Highland Garnet, became the first black to speak in the US House of Representatives. 1865 - Born this day, Kazimierz P. Tetmajer, Polish writer, poet (Young Poland). 1867 - Born this day, Hedwig Courts Mahler, German author (That Kriegsbraut). 1867 - Born this day, Joe Howard, in New York City, singer (Gay Nineties Revue). 1868 - Born this day, Johan H.A. Schaper, founder SDAP, Member of Dutch 2nd Chamber. 1869 - Born this day, Hendrik P. Marchant, Dutch minister of OKW (VVD). 1870 - The Utah Territory granted women the right to vote (they revoked it in 1887). 1873 - US Congress abolished bimetal coins and authorised $1 and $3 gold coins. 1873 - Born this day, Jon Trausti [Gudmundur Magnusson], Icelandic writer (Heidarbylid). 1877 - Alexander Graham Bell's new invention, the telephone, was publicly demonstrated with a hookup between Boston and Salem, Masschusetts. The first news dispatch was made by telephone. 1877 - US railroad builders went on strike against a wage reduction. 1878 - Frederick Winthrop Thayer of Massachusetts, and the captain of the Harvard University Baseball Club, received a patent for his baseball catcher's mask on 12 February 1878. (Patent No.200,358). 1879 - The first artificial ice rink in North America, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, opened. 1880 - Born this day, John Llewellyn Lewis, US union leader (United Mine Workers, 1920-60). 1880 - The National Croquet League was organised in Philadelphia. 1881 - Born this day, Anna Pavlova, ballerina. 1882 - Born this day, Walter Vaes, Flemish painter, etcher. 1882 - The Social-Democratic Union formed in Amsterdam. 1883 - Born this day, Ludwig Stossel, in Austria, actor (Man With a Camera). 1884 - Born this day, Max Beckmann, German painter, graphic artist. 1885 - Born this day, Julius Streicher, Nazi German district leader (Der Stuermer). Found guilty of crimes against humanity at Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. Executed on 16 October 1946. 1885 - Born this day, Licinio Refice, composer. 1886 - Died this day, P.J. Edvard Backstrom, Swedish writer, aged 44. 1886 - Born this day, Gustaf Lazarus Nordqvist, composer. 1886 - Born this day, Michel Brusselmans, composer. 1891 - Born this day, Maurice Yvain, composer. 1891 - E. Millosevich discovered asteroid #303 Josephina. 1891 - Born this day, Max Terhune, actor (Arizona Stagecoach, Hit the Saddle, Range Justice). 1893 - Born this day, Marcel G.J. Minnaert, Dutch astronomer. 1893 - Born this day, Omar Bradley, General of Army during World War II (WWII). 1896 - Died this day, C.L. Ambroise Thomas, French composer (Mignon). 1896 - Died this day, Charles Louis Ambrose Thomas, composer, aged 84. 1896 - Died this day, Isaac Murphy, horserace jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), aged 35. 1898 - Henry Lindfield of Brighton became the first British motorist to be killed in a car crash. 1898 - Born this day, Roy Harris, composer. 1898 - Born this day, Wallace Ford, in Batton, England, actor (Deputy). 1898 - Born this day, [Le]Roy Harris, in Oklahoma, composer (When Johnny Comes Marching Home). 1899 - A temperature of -47 degrees Fahrenheit (-44 degrees Centigrade), was recorded at Camp Clarke, Nebraska (A state record). 1899 - The first 2-man team 6-day bicycle race in the US began, MSG, New York City. 1899 - Born this day, Albert Huybrechts, composer. 1900 - Born this day, Ferenc Kormendy, Hungarian-US author (Budapest Kaland). 1900 - Born this day, Fred Emney, actor (Let the People Sing, Lilac Domino). 1902 - Born this day, William D. Revelli, in Spring Gulch, Colorado, band leader. 1902 - L. Carnera discovered asteroid #481 Emita. 1904 - Born this day, Ted Mack, in Denver, Colorado, TV host (Original Amateur Hour). 1905 - Born this day, Harry Bellaver, actor (Sgt Arcaro-Naked City). 1908 - The Around the World Automobile Race, from Times Square, New York City to Paris auto race (via Alaska & Siberia) began. George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel. 1908 - Anna Jeanes bequeathed $1,000,000 to Swarthmore to become all female. 1909 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded. 1909 - Born this day, Barry Wood, in New Haven, Connecticut, singer (Your Hit Parade). 1910 - Born this day, Lee Byung Chull, Korean industrialist, founder of Samsung Business. 1911 - Born this day, Charles Mathiesen, in Norway, 1500 metre speed skater (Olympic gold 1936). 1911 - Born this day, Sylvstre A Guzman Fernandez, president (Dominican Republic). 1912 - China became a republic under Sun Yat-sen after the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty (Ch'ing). Emperor of China, Henry P'u-i, abdicated. 1912 - China adopted the Gregorian calendar. 1912 - Born this day, Ernest Clark, in London, England, actor (Doctor in the House). 1913 - Born this day, Pedro Gastao de Orleans e Braganca II, emperor of Brazil. 1914 - Born this day, Gordon Tex Beneke, saxophonist, bandleader, vocalist (Glenn Miller Orchestra). 1915 - The cornerstone was laid for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. 1915 - Born this day, Andrew J. Goodpaster, US general, supreme commander NATO-Europe. 1915 - Born this day, Lorne Greene, in Ottawa, Canada, star of the NBC TV show Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica. US No.1 single Ringo, making him the second Canadian to have a US No.1 single. It was a No.22 hit in the UK. Died 11 September 1987. 1915 - Died this day, Charles Emile Waldteufel, composer, aged 77. 1916 - Died this day, J.W. Richard Dedekind, German mathematician. 1916 - Born this day, Joseph L. Alioto, Mayor-San Francisco. 1916 - Born this day, Karl Hubert Rudolf Schiske, composer. 1917 - Born this day, Thomas K. Scherman, in New York City, conductor (Little Orchestra Society 1947-75). 1918 - Born this day, Dominic DiMaggio, baseball outfielder (Boston Red Sox). 1918 - Born this day, Julian S. Schwinger, US physicist. 1919 - Born this day, Forrest Tucker, in Plainfield, Indiana, actor (O'Rourke-F Troop, Dusty Trail). 1920 - 14,000 Rotterdam, Amsterdam harbour workers went on strike. It lasted till 26 April. 1920 - Died this day, Emile Sauret, composer, aged 67. 1921 - Soviet troops invaded Georgia (not the one in America). 1921 - Winston Churchill became minister of Colonisation for England. 1923 - Born this day, Franco Zeffirelli, in Italy, film producer, director (Romeo & Juliet). 1923 - Born this day, James Abdnor, (Senator-R-South Dakota, 1981-87). 1923 - Born this day, Mel Powell, composer. 1924 - George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was performed for the first time in New York. 1925 - The first federal arbitration law was approved by US Congress. 1925 - E. Thieffry departed with Handley Page for the Belgian Congo. 1925 - Estonia banned the communist Party. 1926 - Born this day, Joe Garagiola, in St Louis, Missouri, baseball player, sports commentator, host (Today Show). 1926 - S. Belyavskij discovered asteroids #1084 Tamariwa and #1094 Siberia. 1927 - The British expeditionary army landed in Shanghai. 1927 - Born this day, Anne Gillis, in Little Rock, Arkansas, actress (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Men). 1929 - Karst Leemburg won the Dutch 11 city skate in 11 hours 30 minutes. 1929 - Born this day, Agustin Gonzalez Acilu, composer. 1929 - Died this day, Freiherr Albert von Schrenk-Notzing, German para-psychologist. 1929 - P. Bourgeois discovered asteroid #1547 Nele. 1930 - Born this day, Arlen Specter, (Senator-R-Pennsylvania, 1981- ). 1931 - Born this day, Constance A. Morella, (Representative-R-Maryland). 1932 - Born this day, Lincoln Kilpatrick, in St Louis, Missouri, actor (BJ-Leslie Uggams Show). 1932 - The Communistic Party in Holland formed the Unemployed Combat Committee. 1933 - Born this day, Juanita [Ruth] Coulson, sci-fi author (Web of Wizardry, Space Trap). 1933 - Died this day, Henri Duparc, composer, aged 85. 1933 - Born this day, Costa-Gavras, director. 1934 - Born this day, Annette Crosbie, actress (One Foot In The Grave). 1934 - Born this day, Bill Russell, basketball, NBA star (Olympic gold 1956). 1934 - France was hit by a general strike against fascist and royalists. 1935 - Born this day, Ray Manzarek, keyboards, The Doors, 1967 US No.1 and UK No.9 single Light My Fire and 1971 single Riders On The Storm. 1935 - Born this day, Gene McDaniels, US singer, bandleader, actor (Young Swingers, Point Of No Return). 1935 - The great airship, USS Macon, crashed into the Pacific Ocean. 1936 - Born this day, Joe Don Baker, in Groesback, Texas, actor (Eischied, Walking Tall, Fletch). 1936 - E. Delporte discovered asteroid #2101 Adonis. 1936 - Born this day, Arnost Parsch, composer. 1936 - Born this day, Paul Shenar, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, actor (Carrington-Roots). 1937 - Born this day, Charles Everett Dumas, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, high jumper (Olympic gold 1956). 1937 - The Cleveland (now Los Angeles) Rams were granted an NFL franchise. 1937 - L. Boyer discovered asteroids #1413 Roucarie and #1414 Jerome. 1938 - Born this day, Judy Blume, author (Wifey). 1939 - Born this day, John D. Hancock, actor, director (Black Marble, Traxx, Houston Knights). 1939 - Y. Vaisala discovered asteroid #1541 Estonia. 1940 - Born this day, Hank Brown, (Representative-R-Colorado, 1981-88). 1941 - Born this day, Naomi Uemura, mountain climber, first Japanese to scale Everest. 1941 - The Jewish Council for Amsterdam was established under Ascher-Cohen. 1942 - L. Oterma discovered asteroids #1680 Per Brahe and #2846 Ylppo. 1942 - Born this day, Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister. 1942 - Born this day, Rick Frank, drummer, Elephant’s Memory, worked with John Lennon on his 1972 album Some Time In New York City. 1942 - Three German battle cruisers escaped via the English Channel to Brest in Northern Germany. 1942 - Died this day, Grant Wood, US painter (American Gothic), aged 49. 1944 - Born this day, Desmond Nuttall, English theorist. 1944 - Born this day, Moe Bandy, in Meridian, Mississippi, country singer (Just Good Ol' Boys). 1945 - Died this day, ... de Young, Dutch vicar, resistance fighter, executed. 1945 - Died this day, [Walraven] Wally van Hall, banker, resisted Nazis, executed aged 39. 1945 - San Francisco was selected for the site of the United Nations (UN) Conference. 1945 - Born this day, Maud Adams, in Lulea, Sweden, leggy Swedish actress. Moved from modeling to a film career, Rollerball (1975). The only Bond girl to star in two films, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Octopussy (1985). 1945 - Born this day, Joe Schermie, bass, Three Dog Night, 1970 UK No.3 and US No.1 single Mamma Told Me Not To Come. 1946 - Born this day, Cliff Deyoung, in Los Angeles, California, actor (F/X, Hunger, Shock Treatment). 1946 - Born this day, Ever Meulen [Eddy Vermeulen], designer (children stamps 1992). 1947 - Born this day, Gus Willemse, bassist, singer (Solution). 1947 - Died this day, Sidney Toler, actor (Charlie Chan, Dark Alibi), aged 72. 1947 - A daytime fireball and a meteorite were seen falling in eastern Siberia. 1947 - A record 100.5kg sailfish was caught by C.W. Stewart off the Galapagos Islands. 1948 - First Lieutenant Nancy Leftenant-Colon became the first black in the US Army nursing corps. 1948 - Born this day, Nicholas Soames, politician. 1949 - Born this day, Stanley Knight, country artist, Black Oak Arkansas, 1970's US No.1 radio hit single Jim Dandy To The Rescue. (High on the Hog). 1949 - There was panic in Quito, Ecuador, after War of the World was played on radio. 1949 - Team Canada beat Denmark 47-0 in hockey. 1949 - An unidentified aircraft bombed Jerusalem. 1950 - Born this day, Steve Hackett, guitar, 1974 UK No.21 single I Know What I Like In Your Wardrobe, quit Genesis in 1977 for solo work. 1950 - Albert Einstein warned against the hydrogen bomb. 1950 - Senator Joe McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 communist goverment employees. 1951 - Born this day, Gil Moore, rock muscian (Triumph). 1951 - Born this day, Vincent James, Sweet Sensation, 1974 UK No.1 single with Sad Sweet Dreamer. 1952 - Born this day, Salvador Pineda, in Mexico City, doctor. 1953 - Born this day, Simon MacCorkindale, in Cambridge, England, actor (Falcon Crest, Manimal). 1953 - On this date in 1953, the Willys-Overland Company, which brought America the Jeep, celebrated its golden anniversary. The original design for an all-terrain troop transport vehicle - featuring four-wheel drive, masked fender-mount headlights, and a rifle rack under the dash - was submitted to the US Armed Forces by the American Bantam Car Company in 1939. The Army loved Bantam's design, but the production contract was ultimately given to Willys-Overland on the basis of its similar design and superior production capabilities. Mass production of the Willys Jeep began after the US declaration of war in 1941. By 1945, 600,000 Jeeps had rolled off the assembly lines and onto battlefields in Asia, Africa, and Europe. The name Jeep is supposedly derived from the Army's request to car manufacturers to develop a 'General Purpose' vehicle. Gee Pee turned to Jeep somewhere along the battle lines. The Willys Jeep became a cultural icon in the US during World War II (WWII), as images of GIs in Gee Pees liberating Europe saturated the newsreels in movie theatres across the country. Unlike the Hummer of recent years, the Jeep was not a symbol of technological superiority but rather of the courage of the American spirit, a symbol cartoonist Bill Mauldin captured when he drew a weeping soldier firing a bullet into his broken down Willys Jeep. In 1945, Willys-Overland introduced the first civilian Jeep vehicle, the CJ-2A. 1953 - Born this day, Joanna Kerns, in San Francisco, California, actress (Maggie Seaver-Growing Pains). 1953 - The Soviet Union broke off relations with Israel after terrorists bombed the Soviet legation in Tel Aviv. 1955 - Born this day, Arsenio Hall, actor, talk show host, comedian (Alan Thicke, Arsenio, Coming to America). 1955 - Died this day, Tom Moore, actor (Ladies be Seated, Majority Rules), aged 71. 1955 - The McGuire Sisters' Sincerely single went to No.1 on the US charts and stayed No.1 for 10 weeks. 1955 - President Eisenhower sent the first US advisors to South Vietnam. 1955 - The Soviets decided their space centre would be built in Baikonur, Kazachstan. 1955 - WTVY TV channel 4 in Dothan, Alabama (CBS) began broadcasting. 1955 - Born this day, Daniele Masala, in Italy, pentathelete (Olympics 1976). 1956 - Born this day, Ad P Melkert, Dutch 2nd Chamber member (PvdA). 1956 - 'Screamin'' Jay Hawkins recorded I Put A Spell On You. 1957 - Died this day, Johannes Anker Larsen, Danish writer (Martha og Maria), aged 82. 1958 - Born this day, Grant McLennan, singer, songwriter, The Go-Betweens and solo. 1958 - Born this day, Leslie Carter [Fruitbat], Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, 1992 UK No.7 single The Only Living Boy In New Cross. 1958 - General Miguel Ydegoras Fuentes was elected president of Guatemala. 1958 - Born this day, Andie MacDowell [Rosalie Anderson MacDowell], in Gaffney, South Carolina, actress (Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), St. Elmo's Fire (1985), Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), Green Card (1990), The Object of Beauty, Hudson Hawk (both 1991), Groundhog Day, Short Cuts and Deception (all in 1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bad Girls (both in 1994)). 1958 - Born this day, Ruth Guerri, in St Louis, Missouri, playmate for July 1983. 1959 - Born this day, Nancy Remy, reporter (New York City's Shadow Traffic). 1959 - Born this day, Omar Hakim, drummer (Dire Straits, Weather Report). 1959 - Born this day, Sigrid Thornton, in Australia, actress (Amelia Lawson-Guns of Paradise). 1959 - Born this day, Neil Conti, Prefab Sprout, 1988 UK No.7 single The King Of Rock 'n' Roll. 1959 - Born this day, Per Gessle, Roxette, 1990 US No.1 and UK No.3 single It Must Of Been Love. 1959 - Died this day, George Antheil, composer, aged 58. 1961 - Shop Around by The Miracles became Motown's first million-selling single. 1961 - The USSR launched Venera 1 toward Venus. 1962 - A bus boycott started in Macon, Georgia. 1963 - Argentina asked for the extraditon of ex-president Peron. (Where from?) 1964 - Born this day, Raphael Sbarge, in New York, NY, actor (Risky Business (1983), My Science Project (1985), Werewolf (1987)). 1964 - The Beatles played New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall, a first for a pop group and a significant step in the Fab Four's reach for mass acceptance. 1965 - Died this day, Henry Kulky, actor (Otto-Life of Riley), aged 53. 1965 - KHFI (now KBVO) TV channel 42 in Austin, Texas (NBC) began broadcasting. 1965 - Pye Records announced that they had signed 'the British Bob Dylan', when they added Donovan to their label. 1966 - Born this day, Gary Whelan, drums, Happy Mondays, 1990 UK No.5 single Step On. 1967 - Kees Verkerk became the world champion all round skater. 1967 - 15 police officers invaded and raided 'Redlands' the English country home of Keith Richards. One of the most famous raids of the decade. At the party being held, Marianne Faithfull was found naked in a fur rug, and she, Keith, and Mick Jagger were later among those charged with drug possession. 1967 - Born this day, Stephen Baldwin, actor (William Cody-Young Riders). 1967 - Pirate Radio Free Harlem, in New York City, began transmitting. 1968 - Born this day, Chynna Phillips, in Los Angeles, California, Wilson Phillips, 1990 US No.1 and UK No.6 single Hold On, daughter of Michelle Gilliam, Mamas And The Papas. 1968 - Eldridge Cleaver's Soul on Ice was published. 1968 - Jimi Hendrix was given an honorary high school diploma and the key to his hometown of Seattle. 1969 - If Paradise Is Half As Nice by Amen Corner started a two week run as the UK No.1 single. 1969 - Born this day, Steve Backley, Olympic athlete. 1969 - Born this day, Josh Brolin, actor (Johnny-Private Eye, Jimmy Hickok-Young Riders). 1970 - Born this day, Bryan Roy, soccer player (Ajax). 1970 - John Lennon performed Instant Karma, on BBC TV's Top Of The Pops, becoming the first Beatle to have appeared on the show since 1966. 1970 - Born this day, Jim Creeggan, bass, Barenaked Ladies, 1998 US No.1 and UK No.5 single One Week. 1970 - Died this day, Andre Souris, composer, aged 79. 1971 - Died this day, George Shelton, actor (It Pays to be Ignorant), aged 86. 1971 - Died this day, James Cash Penney, US founder (JC Penney), aged 95. 1972 - Al Green went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Let's Stay Together, his only US chart topper. Tina Turner took the song to No.26 in 1984. 1973 - Died this day, Benjamin Frankel, composer, aged 67. 1973 - The first American prisoners of war in North Vietnam were released. 116 POWs out of 456 were flown from Hanoi to the Philippines. 1974 - Born this day, 'Prince' Nassem Hamed, boxer. 1976 - Workmen engaged in reconstruction at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, found a rose, sealed up in a wall 800 years earlier and still in tact. 1976 - Died this day, Sal Mineo, actor (Start Movin', Exodus, Rebel Without a Cause) was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant aged 37. 1976 - Born this day, Christopher Pettiet, in Los Angeles, California, actor (Young Riders). 1976 - Died this day, Clifton Williams, band master (Sinfonians). 1976 - Appearing at the Marquee Club London, were Eddie and The Hot Rods supported by The Sex Pistols who were playing their first London show. 1977 - Barbra Streisand started a six-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with A Star Is Born. 1977 - Julie Covington was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Don't Cry For Me Argentina, taken from the Evita musical, (Covington had been in the 1977 TV series based on an all female group Rock Follies). 1977 - The Police recorded their first single, Fall Out for £150 at Pathway Studios, London. 1977 - The Toronto Maple Leafs shutout the Washington Capitals 10-0. 1978 - Appearing at the Birmingham Odeon, were Rush, promoting their new single Closer To The Heart, which was in the shops for 99p. 1978 - Jesus Christ Superstar closed at the Longacre Theatre in New York City after 96 performances. 1979 - Kosmos 1076, the first Soviet oceanographic satellite, was launched. 1979 - Born this day, Jade Jones, singer (Damage). 1979 - Died this day, Jean Renoir, French writer, director (La Nuit du carrefour (1932), Le Crime de Monsieur Lange (1936), La Grande illusion (1937), La Bête humaine (1938), La Marseillaise (1938), La Règle du jeu (1939)), aged 84, in Beverly Hills, California, USA. Was born 15 September 1894, in Montmartre, Paris, France. 1980 - The New York Islanders made their second scoreless tie, vs the Winnipeg Jets at Nassau. 1980 - Died this day, Floyd Taliaferro Alderson. 1980 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected a US proposal to postpone or cancel the 1980 Summer Games or move the site from Moscow as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 1980 - Appearing at London’s Hammersmith Palais, were Iggy Pop and The Psychedelic Furs. Tickets were £3.00. 1980 - Born this day, Christina Ricci, actress (Wednesday-Addams Family, Mermaids). 1981 - Died this day, Jean Dixon, actress (Joy of Livng, You Only Live Once). 1981 - Cape Verde amended its constitution. 1981 - Pete Squires set a record for 1575 steps of the Empire State Building, in 10 minutes. 1982 - Wayne Gretzky scored his 153rd point of a season, tieing the NHL record. 1982 - Died this day, Cornelis Rijnsdorp, writer (Owing), aged 87. 1982 - Died this day, Victor Jory, actor (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1st Lady, Jigsaw). 1984 - Cale Yarborough, became the first Daytona 500 qualifier, above 200mph. 1984 - Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean skated to Ravel's Bolero at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics, winning the gold medal with perfect scores for quality. 1984 - Died this day, Anna Anderson Manahan [Grand Duchess Anastasia?], in Virginia. 1984 - Died this day, Julio Cortazar, Argentina writer (Final del Juego), aged 69. 1985 - Died this day, Nicholas Colssanto, actor (Coach-Cheers), aged 61. 1986 - The governments of Lady Thatcher and Francois Mitterand signed the Treaty of Canterbury, permitting the construction of the Channel Tunnel. 1986 - Died this day, Guy Douglas Hamilton Warrack, composer, aged 86. 1986 - Died this day, Sid Stone, comedian (Milton Berle Show), aged 82. 1987 - Survivors of a black man murdered by KKK members, were awarded $7 million damages. 1987 - Died this day, Lang Jeffries, actor (Skip-Rescue 8), aged 55. 1989 - Tiny Tim ran for mayor of New York City and naturally lost. 1989 - Died this day, Mauritius Balfoort, French-Flemish director, aged 83. 1989 - Five Pakistani Moslem rioters were killed while protesting about the Satanic Verses novel. (Where?) 1989 - Wayne Gretzky set 2 records, his 45th hat trick and his 10th 40+ goal season. 1989 - Thursday's Child set a sailing record, New York-Cape Horn-San Francisco, in 80 days 20 hours. 1989 - Died this day, Thomas Bernhard, Dutch-Austrian writer (Heldenplatz). 1989 - Aretha Franklin lost a court case against Broadway producer Ashton Springer who sued for a $1 million when Aretha failed to turn up for rehearsals for the stage show Sing Mahalia Sing, blaming her fear of flying on the non appearance. 1990 - Donald Trump confirmed plans to divorce his wife, Ivana, touching off the battle over his fortune, estimated at $1.7 billion. 1991 - Died this day, Edward A. Blatt, director (Between 2 Worlds). 1991 - Died this day, Robert Wagner, mayor (New York City-D - 1954-65). 1991 - Iceland recognised Lithuania's independence. 1991 - North and South Korea formed a joint team for table tennis competition. 1992 - Died this day, [Lambertus] Bep van Klaveren, boxing champ (Olympic gold 1928). 1992 - Died this day, Dorothy Tree, actress (Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Nazi Agent). 1992 - Died this day, Ton Brandsteder, CEO (Sony Netherland BV). 1992 - President Bush formally announced he was running for re-election. 1992 - A state of emergency was declared after the third winter storm to hit Southern California triggered mudslides and flooding. At least four people were killed. 1992 - On this date in 1992, fifteen verdicts of guilty and sane were pronounced against serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer for the fifteen charges of first degree murder levied against him. Over a thirteen-year period beginning in 1982, Dahmer, who lived primarily in the Midwest, murdered at least seventeen young men and boys. Most of his victims were young, gay, African-Americans, who Dahmer lured back to his home, promising to pay them money to pose for nude photographs. Dahmer would then drug and strangle them to death, often mutilating, and occasionally cannibalizing, their bodies afterwards. Dahmer was finally arrested on 22 July 1991, and confessed seventeen murders to the police. In his subsequent criminal trial, he pleaded guilty but insane to fifteen of the murders. On 12 February 1992 the jury found him sane in each murder, and five days later he was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life sentences. Two years later, Dahmer was beaten to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver while performing cleaning duty in a bathroom at the Columbia Correctional Institute gymnasium in Portage, Wisconsin. Scarver, a convicted murderer, also fatally beat the third man on their work detail, inmate Jesse Anderson, who was serving a life sentence for brutally killing his wife. Scarver's motive in killing the two men was not entirely clear; however, in his subsequent criminal trial Scarver maintained that God told him to kill Dahmer and Anderson. 1993 - About 5,000 demonstrators march on Atlanta's State Capitol to protest the Confederate symbol on the Georgia state flag. 1993 - Died this day, James Bulger, English child beaten to death at 2 years of age, by 10 year old boys. 1994 - Inna Lassovskaya jumped a world record 14.90 metres. 1994 - Model Anna Nicole Smith was hospitalised for drug overdose. 1994 - Died this day, Donald Judd, US furniture maker, architect, artist, aged 65. 1994 - As the 17th Olympic Winter Games opened in Lillehammer, Norway, the US Olympic Committee agreed to allow Tonya Harding to compete in the women's figure skating competition, despite claims she was involved in the assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan the month before. 1994 - Alice In Chains entered the US album chart at No.1 with Jar Of Flies. 1994 - The 20th century premiere of 6 restored Haydn sonatas took place in Boston, Massachustetts. 1994 - Celine Dion started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with The Power Of Love, the singers first US No.1, and a No.4 hit in the UK. 1994 - Edvard Munch's painting The Cry was stolen. 1996 - Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole won the Iowa caucuses, with Pat Buchanan a close second. 1997 - The Democrats' fund-raising scandal continued to grow. The Washington Post reported the Chinese government might have channeled money to the Democratic National Committee in order to influence the Clinton administration. 1997 - South Korea announced that a secretary with North Korea's ruling Workers (Communist) Party had sought asylum at the South Korean consulate in Beijing, China. Hwang Jang Yop was the highest-level official ever to defect from North Korea. 1997 - U2 launched their Popmart world tour at the Manhattan K Mart discount store, the tour started in Las Vegas on April 25th. 1999 - The US Senate acquitted President Clinton of impeachment charges. [Charges of perjury and obstruction of justice]. 2000 - Died this day, John C. Kuehne, aged 58. He had been the bass player with The Monkees, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. 2000 - Mariah Carey started a two-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Thank God I Found You. 2000 - Died this day, Screamin Jay Hawkins, aged 70. Married nine times, the singer recorded I Put A Spell On You in 1956, covered by The Animals and Nina Simone. Was a Golden Gloves boxing champion at the age of 16. Spent 2 years in jail, and was temporarily blinded by one of his flaming props on stage in 1976. 2000 - Died this day, Oliver (Good Morning Starshine), of cancer. 2001 - A NASA spacecraft landed on the asteroid EROS. 2002 - Algerian pilot Lofti Raissi, who had been accused of training September 11 suicide hijackers, walked free after being bailed at an extradition hearing. 2002 - The war crimes trial of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic began at the Hague in the Netherlands. 2003 - MP Clare Short said Britain should not join a unilateral American attack on Iraq without UN authorisation. 2003 - Former Doors drummer John Densmore took out legal action against The Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger for breach of contract, trademark infringement and unfair competition. The band had reformed with ex-Cult singer Ian Astbury and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland. Densmore said "It shouldn't be called The Doors if it's someone other than Jim Morrison singing." |
Trivia
Trivia - petty details or considerations, matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.
Trivial - of very little importance or value; insignificant: "Don't bother me with trivial matters." Trivially - unimportant, nugatory, slight, immaterial, inconsequential, frivolous, trifling.