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February 21st
1431 - In a trial demanded by the English and staged by the Burgundians, French heroine Joan of Arc was accused of heresy before the judges in Rouen. 1849 - Britain annexed the Punjab at the end of the Second Sikh War. 1858 - The first electric burglar alarm was installed by Edwin T. Holmes of Boston, Massachesetts, USA. 1885 - On this date in 1885. the Washington Monument, built in honour of America's revolutionary hero and first president, was dedicated in Washington, DC. The 555-foot-high marble obelisk was first proposed in 1783, and Pierre L'Enfant left room for it in his designs for the new US capital. After George Washington's death in 1799, plans for a memorial for the "father of the country" were discussed, but none were adopted until 1832, the centennial of Washington's birth. Architect Robert Mills' hollow Egyptian obelisk design was accepted for the monument, and on 4 July 1848, the cornerstone was laid. Work on the project was interrupted by political quarreling in the 1850s, and construction ceased entirely during the American Civil War. Finally, in 1876, Congress, inspired by the American centennial, passed legislation appropriating $200,000 for completion of the monument. In February 1885, the Washington Monument was formally dedicated, and three years later it was opened to the public, who were permitted to climb to the top of the monument by stairs or elevator. The monument was the tallest structure in the world when completed and remains today, by District of Columbia law, the tallest building in the nation's capital. 1907 - Born this day, W. H. Auden, poet, educated at Oxford. 1924 - Born this day, Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe. 1933 - Born this day, Nina Simone [Eunice Wayman], in Tryon, North Carolina, US jazz and soul singer, 1959 US No.18 single I Love You, Porgy, 1968 UK No.2 single Ain't Got No - I Got life. 1937 - Born this day, Jilly Cooper, English author and novelist. 1942 - Born this day, Bob Day, Allisons, 1961 UK No.2 single Are You Sure. 1943 - Born this day, David Geffen, Geffen record label boss. Formed Asylum Records signed The Eagles, CSN&Y, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell. Formed Dreamworks in 1995. 1945 - Born this day, Paul Newton, Uriah Heep, 1975 UK No.7 album Return To Fantasy. 1946 - Born this day, Alan Rickman, actor (Harry Potter, Truly Madly Deeply, Bob Roberts). 1947 - The first TV soap opera began in the USA, A woman to remember. 1949 - Born this day, Jerry Harrison, keyboards, guitar, Jonathon Richman And The Modern Lovers, Talking Heads, 1983 US No.9 single Burning Down The House, 1985 UK No.6 single Road To Nowhere, also with Casual Gods. 1951 - Born this day, Vince Welnick, keyboards, The Tubes, 1977 UK No.28 single White Punks On Dope. 1983 US No.10 single She's A Beauty. 1952 - Identity Cards were abolished in Britain. 1952 - A year after her first divorce, Liz Taylor got married for the second time. This husband (number two of eight) was Michael Wilding; the marriage would last five years. 1952 - Born this day, Jean-Jacques Burel, guitarist, bass, vocals, The Stranglers, 1982 UK No.2 single Golden Brown plus over 20 other UK top 40 hits. 1954 - Born this day, Mike Pickering, DJ, M People, 1993 UK No.2 single Moving On Up, plus over 15 other UK top 40 singles. 1958 - Born this day, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, country singer, 1992 album Come On, Come On. 1960 - Fidel Castro nationalised all American owned businesses in Cuba. 1961 - The Beatles appeared for the very first time at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, they would go on to make a total of 292 other appearances at the Club. 1961 - Born this day, Ranking Roger, The Beat, 1983 UK No.3 single Can't Get Used To Losing You, Fine Young Cannibals, 1989 US No.1 and UK No.5 single She Drives Me Crazy. 1962 - Born this day, Mark Arm, vocals, Mudhoney, 1991 UK No.60 single Let It Slide. 1962 - Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed was released. It made No.10 in the UK. 1963 - Born this day, William Baldwin, actor. 1964 - The New York band, The Echoes, recruited a new young unknown piano player, called Billy Joel. 1964 - Three classic British singles were released, The Rolling Stones Not Fade Away, UK No.3, The Hollies 1965 - Died this day, American Black Moslem Leader Malcolm X, was shot dead while addressing a meeting in New York. 1967 - Already a hit in Europe, One Million Years BC was released in the US. Raquel Welch was the memorable star of this cave-man flick that, along with Fantastic Voyage, made her an international sex goddess. 1967 - Born this day, Michael Ward, guitar, The Wallflowers, 1997 US No.3 album Bringing Down The Horse. 1968 - Otis Redding had his first entry on the UK singles chart when (Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay entered the chart, peaking at No.3. 1969 - Born this day, James Dean Bradfield, guitar, vocals, Manic Street Preachers, 1996 UK No.2 single A Design For Life plus 2 UK No.1 singles. 1969 - The only patent known to have been registered by a reigning monarch was for a heart monitor, granted to King Hussein of Jordan. 1970 - The Simon And Garfunkle album Bridge Over Troubled Water went to No.1 on the UK chart. It went on to stay on the chart for over 300 weeks returning to the top on 8 separate occasions. Also a US No.1 album. 1972 - Luna 20 landed on Moon at 19:19:00 UT, Latitude 3.57 N, Longitude 56.50 E, in the Mare Fecunditatis. Lunar sample were returned to Earth 25 February 1972. 1972 - On this date in 1972, US President Richard M. Nixon arrived in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, on the first presidential visit to the world's most populous nation. As the federal government had formally opposed China's Communist government since it took power in 1949, Nixon was also the first president to visit a nation not recognised by the United States. In Beijing, President Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. At the Shanghai Communique on 27 February, Nixon and the Chinese premier agreed to lessen the risk of war, expand cultural contacts between the two nations, and to establish a permanent US trade mission in China. In addition, the US acknowledged China's 'One China' policy and agreed to a gradual withdrawal of US troops from the island of Taiwan as tensions decrease. The two leaders also secretly discussed ways in which they might co-operate to check the growth of Soviet power in Asia and elsewhere. 1976 - Died this day, Florence Ballard of The Supremes, died of cardiac arrest aged 32, she left The Supremes in 1967, lost an $8 million lawsuit against Motown and was living on welfare when she died. 1976 - The Four Seasons had their only UK No.1 single with December '63 (Oh What A Night). 1977 - Fleetwood Mac released their album Rumours, it went on to sell more than 15 million copies world wide and spent 31 weeks at No.1 on the US chart. 1981 - Dolly Parton started a two week run at No.1 on the US charts with 9 to 5, it was the singers first No.1, it made No.47 in the UK. 1981 - REO Speedwagon went to No.1 on the US album chart with Hi Infidelity. The album spent a total of 15 weeks at No.1. 1982 - Died this day, Murry K, US DJ. He is thought to be the first person to play a Beatles record on radio in the States. 1986 - Born this day, Charlotte Church, opera singer, 1999 UK No.34 single Just Wave Hello. 1986 - Appearing at JB's, Dudley, were Ten Pole Tudor. 1987 - Ben E. King was at No.1 in the UK singles chart with Stand By Me. 1988 - The grave of Boadicea, the warrior queen who fought the Romans almost 2000 years ago, was discovered under a platform at Kings Cross station, London, UK. 1991 - Died this day, Dame Margot Fonteyn, the top British ballerina, died in Panama at the age of 71. Faultless Fonteyn had London at her feet from the moment she made her debut in Giselle at the age of 18. She could still dance like a teenager at the age of 50, most notably in her partnership with Rudolf Nereyev. 1991 - Phil Collins entered the UK album chart at No.1, with Face Value. 1998 - Celine Dion went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with My Heart Will Go On. The song was featured in the film Titanic. 2000 - Arrests were made on both sides of the Irish border as investigations into the bomb attack on Omagh continued. 2001 - Robbie Williams was attacked and thrown from the stage during a concert in Stuttgart, Germany after a man got onto the stage and pushed Williams into the security pit. The attacker was arrested and taken to a secure psychiatric clinic. 2002 - Elton John accused the music industry of exploiting young singers and dumping talented artists for manufactured groups. He said 'There are too many average and mediocre acts, it damages real talent getting airplay. It's just fodder'. 2002 - The CIA warned Afghanistan could descend into violent chaos once again if its rival warlords and ethnic rivalries were not restrained. 2004 - Died this day, Les Gray, lead singer of the 1970s chart-topping band Mud, of a heart attack days before he was to make a comeback appearance in Scotland. He was aged 57. Caroline McFarlan, the director of KidsCharities UK, said Monday that Gray died Saturday in Portugal, where he had lived for 12 years. She said Gray had throat cancer. Mud had a British No.1 single with Tiger Feet in 1974, followed up with Oh Boy in 1975 and went on to have 10 top 20 hits. Their last album was Let's Have a Party, released in the 1990s. |
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.