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January 5th
1066 - Died this day, Edward the Confessor, England's most pious King. 1477 - Charles the Bold was defeated and killed by the Swiss at the Battle of Nancy in the Swiss-Burgundian Wars. 1589 - Died this day, Catherine de Medici, Queen of France. 1757 - Jean-Francois Damiens attempted to assassinate Louis XV of France as he was entering his carriage at Versailles. He was later executed. 1762 - Elizabeth, empress of Russia, died and was succeeded by her nephew, Peter III. 1779 - Born this day, Stephen Decatur, US naval officer: “Our country right or wrong.”. Died 22 March 1820. 1794 - Born this day, Edmund Ruffin, agriculturist, one of the originators of crop rotation and fertilization, publisher: Farmer’s Register, Confederate soldier - fired first shot on Fort Sumter in American Civil War. Died 18 June 1865. 1809 - Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) signed the Treaty of Dardanelles, also called the Treaty of Canak. Its main provision was to decree that no warship of any power should enter the Dardanelles or Bosphorus. 1855 - Born this day, King Camp Gillette, inventor of the safety razor. 1885 - The Long Island Railroad Company was the first to offer piggy-back rail service - it transported farm wagons on trains. 1889 - The hamburger was invented. (Who by?) 1895 - Born this day, Jeannette (Ridlon) Piccard, balloon pilot, first American woman to be free balloon pilot, set record [w/husband] for balloon ascent into stratosphere [57,579 ft. - 1934]; one of first women to become Episcopalian priest. Died 17 May 1981. 1903 - The general public could use the Pacific cable for the very first time. 1909 - Born this day, Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor, (Maria-Chapdelaine, Napoleon, The Happy Hooker, Windmills of the Gods, Becoming Colette). (Other source says born 1913). 1914 - Ford Motor Company proudly announced that there would be a new daily minimum wage of $5 and a (shortened to) eight-hour work day. 1918 - Born this day, Jeane Dixon, astrologer, newspaper columnist. Died 25 January 1997. 1919 - Spartacists in Berlin led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht attempted to take over the government and seized a number of buildings. 1919 - Adolf Hitler joined The German Worker's Party and renamed it The Nazi Party. (Another source says - National Socialist (Nazi) Party formed in Germany. Yet another says - The Nazi party was founded in Munich by Anton Drexler.) 1919 - Born this day, Al Blozis, track athlete. 1919 - Born this day, Erica Morini, concert violinist. 1922 - Died this day, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer, died aboard his ship. 1923 - Born this day, Sam Phillips, record executive, founder of Sun Records and the first label of Elvis Presley's recordings. (Sun Records: The [Memphis] Million Dollar Quartet: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis). 1925 - Nellie Taylor Ross took up her post as governor of Wyoming and became the first woman governor in the United States. 1926 - Born this day, [William DeWitt] W.D. Snodgrass, poet, (Heart’s Needle, The Fuhrer Bunker, The Complete Cycle, April Inventory). 1928 - Born this day, Walter ‘Fritz’ Mondale, US Senator, Vice President [1977-1981], Democratic presidential nominee [1984]. 1929 - Born this day, Wilbert Harrison, singer (Kansas City). 1931 - Born this day, Robert Duvall, Academy Award-winning actor, (Tender Mercies [1983]; A Family Thing, Stalin, A Show of Force, Days of Thunder, Colors, The Natural, True Confessions, Apocalypse Now, Network, The Godfather, M*A*S*H, True Grit, Countdown, Bullitt, To Kill a Mockingbird, Naked City). 1931 - Born this day, Alvin Ailey, choreographer, (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: 79 ballets in repertoire - establishing a place for blacks in modern dance). Died 1 December 1989. 1932 - Born this day, Umberto Eco, author. 1933 - The Golden Gate Bridge, spanning the deep channel at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, with the Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, went under construction. It would be called an engineering marvel when completed. Work started on the Marin County side. 1933 - Died this day, Calvin John Coolidge, 30th US President [1923-1927], in Northhampton, Massachusetts. He is buried in Plymouth, Vermont. 1934 - Both the National and American Leagues in baseball decided to use a uniform-size baseball. It was the first time in 33 years that both leagues used the same size ball. 1935 - Phil Spitalny’s All-Girl Orchestra was featured on CBS radio on the program, The Hour of Charm. 1938 - Born this day, King Juan Carlos I of Spain. 1938 - Born this day, Lindsay Crosby, actor, (Big Foot, Out of This World), son of crooner Bing Crosby. Died 12 December 1989. 1938 - Billie Holiday recorded When you're smiling (the whole world smile with you) in New York. 1940 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first demonstration of FM radio. The new medium, free of interference, static, and noise in thunderstorms, was developed by Major E.H. Armstrong. The first FM transmitter was put in operation in 1941. 1940 - Born this day, Athol Guy, The Seekers, 1965 UK No.1 single I'll Never Find Another You. 1941 - Born this day, Chuck McKinley, tennis champion, (Wimbledon [1963]; US National Doubles [w/Dennis Ralston]; Davis Cup [1963]). 1941 - Decca record #23210 was recorded. The title was Chica Chica Boom Chic, by the lovely Carmen Miranda. It seems she sang the song in the film, That Night in Rio. 1941 - Died this day, Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930, died in an accident over the Thames. 1942 - Born this day, Charlie Rose, US newscaster. 1942 - Born this day, Jan Leeming, newscaster. 1944 - The London Daily Mail was the first transoceanic newspaper ever published. 1945 - Pepe Le Pew debuted in his first cartoon. 1946 - Born this day, Diane Keaton (Diane Hall), in Los Angeles, California, Academy Award-winning actress, producer, director and screenwriter. Began her career in theatre as the understudy in Hair. In 1969, she met Woody Allen, who directed her in his Broadway production Play It Again Sam. Received a Tony nomination as featured actress. Made her film acting debut in director Cy Howard's Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), starred and appeared in a series of Woody Allen films including Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), Manhattan (1979), Radio Days (1987), and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). Shoot the Moon (1982), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), an adaptation of the John Le Carre novel, and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), in which Keaton played a woman drawn to sexual promiscuity in the singles scene of the time. Was cast by Francis Ford Coppola, as Al Pacino's love interest in The Godfather (1972) when she played the wife of Michael Corleone (Pacino). She reprised the role of Kay Corleone in The Godfather, Part II (1974). Warren Beatty cast her in Reds (1981). Crimes of the Heart (1986) and Baby Boom (1987), the latter film was about a professional woman's attempts to balance job and baby. She also directed Heaven (1987), and appeared in TV films during the early 1990s, Running Mates, The Girl with the Crazy Brother, Wildflower, and Amelia Earhart: the Final Flight, playing the pioneering aviator, and she directed an episode of David Lynch's surreal Twin Peaks, and released her feature-length directorial debut, Unstrung Heroes (1995). Was Oscar nominated for Marvin's Room (1996), co-starred with Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn in the comedy hit The First Wives Club (1996) and co-starred with Steve Martin in the hit comedy Father of the Bride (1991) and the sequel Father of the Bride 2 (1995). Brief career. Not in any particular order or meant to be a complete list. Town and Country (2001), Hanging Up (2000), The Other Sister (1999), The Only Thrill (1997), The First Wives Club (1996), Marvin's Room (1996), Father of the Bride Part II (1995), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Look Who's Talking Now (1993), Father of the Bride (1991), The Lemon Sisters (1990), The Godfather: Part III (1990), The Good Mother (1988), Baby Boom (1987), Crimes of the Heart (1986), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), Shoot the Moon (1982), Best Actress Oscar nomination in Reds (1981), Manhattan (1979), Interiors (1978), Best Actress Oscar in Annie Hall (1977), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Love and Death (1975), The Godfather: Part II (1974), Sleeper (1973), Play It Again, Sam (1972), The Godfather (1972), Lovers and Other Strangers (1970). Director - Hanging Up (2000), Unstrung Heroes (1995), Heaven (1987), and the music videos for Belinda Carlisle's recordings of Heaven Is a Place on Earth and I Get Weak. Producer - The Lemon Sisters (1990). Screenwriter - Heaven (1987). 1947 - Born this day, Ted Lange, actor, (Perfume, Terminal Exposure, The Love Boat). 1947 - Born this day, Mike DeWine, US Senator. 1948 - Warner Brothers-Pathe showed the very first colour newsreel. Pictures of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football classic were seen by theatre audiences. 1949 - Born this day, George ‘Funky’ Brown, musician, drums, Kool and The Gang, 1979 UK No.9 single Ladies Night, 1981 US No.1 and UK No.7 single Celebration, 1981 UK No.12 single Steppin' Out, 1981 UK No.3 single Get Down On It. Plus over 15 other UK top 40 hits. 1950 - Born this day, Chris Stein, musician, guitar, (group: Blondie: In the Flesh, Denis, [I’m Always Touched by Your] Presence Dear, Picture This, Hanging on the Telephone, Sunday Girl, 1979 UK and US No.1 single Heart Of Glass, Dreaming, Union City Blue, Atomic, The Tide is High, Rapture, 1978 world-wide No.1 album Parallel Lines. Also solo: French Kissin’; scored theme: Fifteen Minutes). 1951 - Born this day, Biff Byford, Saxon, 1980 UK No.5 album Wheels Of Steel. 1954 - Born this day, Pamela Sue Martin, in Connecticut, actress, (The Poseidon Adventure, Dynasty, The Nancy Drew Mysteries). 1955 - A tune used in a 'Studio One' production became the No.1 song on the pop music charts. Joan Weber’s song, Let Me Go, Lover, rode the hit parade as the most popular record in the land for four weeks straight. Before being aired on television, the song had only been heard on a limited basis. In fact, the title was even different. It used to be known as Let Me Go, Devil. 1955 - As Algerian nationalists continued their armed campaign to win independence from France, Interior Minister Francois Mitterand emerged as a hard-liner determined not to lose control over his country's north African colony. 1956 - Prince Rainer of Monaco announced his engagement to film star Grace Kelly. 1956 - Screen actress Grace Kelly announced to the press her marriage engagement to Monaco's Prince Ranier III. 1957 - Pat Boone began filming the movie Bernardine. 1961 - Mr. Ed, the talking horse, debuted for what would be a six-year run. The show starred Alan Young as Ed’s owner, Wilbur Post. Wilbur’s wife, Carol, was played by Connie Hines. Good old neighbour Roger Addison was played by Larry Keating. The voice of Mr. Ed was Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane. 1961 - Born this day, Suzy Amis, actress, (The Usual Suspects, Nadja, Blown Away). 1962 - Tony Sheridan and the Beatles produced My Bonnie and When The Saints. 1963 - Lerner and Loewe's smash-hit musical Camelot closed on Broadway after 873 performances. This show made superstars of Richard Burton (playing King Arthur) and Julie Andrews (playing Guenevere). 1964 - Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I met in Jerusalem, the first meeting of the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century. Pope Paul VI visited Jordan and Israel. 1964 - The London Underground's first automatic ticket barrier was installed at Stamford Brook. 1964 - Born this day, Phil Thornalley, songwriter, vocals, guitar, Johnny Hates Jazz, The Cure. Writer of Natalie Imbruglia world-wide hit Torn. 1964 - Born this day, Grant Young, drums, Soul Asylum, 1993 US No.5 and UK No.7 single Runaway Train. 1965 - The Supremes recorded Stop! In The Name Of Love. 1965 - Born this day, Vinnie Jones, footballer, actor (Swordfish). 1966 - Wild, Wild Winter with Chris Noel was released. (Film?) 1966 - Born this day, Kate Schellenbach, US singer, Luscious Jackson, 1997 UK No.25 single Naked Eye. 1966 - The Who appeared on a new BBC TV programme The Whole Scene Going. 1968 - Jimi Hendrix was jailed for one day in Stockholm, Sweden on drink charges after going berserk and destroying everything in his room at the Goteberg Hotel. 1968 - In Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubcek succeeded Antonin Novotny as First Secretary of the Communist Party. His policy of democracy within a Communist framework led to the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union. 1968 - Dr. Spock was indicted on draft law violations. 1969 - Born this day, Brian Hugh Warner [Marilyn Manson], singer, named himself after Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. 1998 UK No.12 single The Dope Show. 1969 - Soviet interplanetary spacecraft Venus 5 (Venera 5) was launched. Five days later, Venus 6 was launched. They reached Venus on May 16 and 17 respectively. It was the first successful landing on another planet. 1970 - All My Children the popular TV soap opera, aired for the first time on ABC. The show was the brainchild of writer Agnes Dixon. 1971 - Chile's socialist government led by Salvador Allende agreed to establish diplomatic relations with China. 1971 - Former world heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston was found dead at the age of 38 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 1972 - US President Richard Nixon signed a bill instructing NASA to begin research on a manned space shuttle. 1972 - John Denver received a gold record for the album, Aerie. 1974 - The Carpenters went to No.1 on the US album chart with The Singles 1969-1973. 1974 - Yes scored their first UK No.1 album with the double set Tales From The Topographic Oceans. 1976 - The Khmer Rouge promulgated a new constitution in Cambodia, renaming it Democratic Kampuchea. 1976 - Died this day, Mal Evans, The Beatles road manager, during a confrontation with Los Angeles police. 1978 - The Sex Pistols started a US tour in Atlanta, Georgia before an estimated audience of 500 people. 1979 - Prince made his live debut at the Capri Theatre, Minneapolis. 1979 - Died this day, Charles Mingus [Charlie], jazz musician and bandleader. 1979 - The soundtrack LP of Saturday Night Fever reached $25 million in sales. 1980 - Donna Summer scored her third US No.1 album with On The Radio - Greatest Hits- Vol. 1 & II. 1980 - KC and The Sunshine Band had their 5th US No.1 single and scored the first No.1 of the 1980's when Please Don't Go hit No.1 in the UK. 1981 - The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper ended as lorry driver Peter Sutcliffe was charged with murder of 13 women. 1983 - Everything But The Girl made their live debut at the ICA in London. They took their name from a second hand furniture store in Hull. 1984 - The group, The Police, planned a farewell concert for March 2 in Australia. After nine years together, band members decided to go their separate ways. 1987 - Young Welsh chorister Alied Jones announced his retirement from pop music at the age of 16, to study for his O Level exams. 1987 - The case of surrogate Baby M began in Hackensack, New Jersey. 1989 - In Melody Makers Readers Poll results, The Mission won best band, best live act, best single and album, Morrissey won male singer, Julianne Regan, female singer, worst LP was Bros with Push, best new band, House Of Love. 1989 - Appearing at Cork City Hall, Big Country and Diesel Park West. 1990 - Appearing at the NEC Birmingham, was Paul McCartney. 1991 - Barbara Eden got married for the fourth time, this time to Jon Eicholtz. She is best known for playing the midriff-baring wish-granting master-serving title role in I Dream of Jeannie. 1991 - Iron Maiden went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter. 1991 - Madonna went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Justify My Love. It was co-written with Lenny Kravitz. 1993 - Oil poured onto the coast of northern Scotland's Shetland Islands after the 89,000-ton Liberian-registered Braer hit rocks in heavy seas. The tanker carried 84,500 tons of crude oil. A huge oil slick stretched 25 miles up the coast. 1994 - Former US House of Representatives Speaker Thomas 'Tip' O'Neill, a Democratic party stalwart whose political career spanned nine presidencies, died in Boston. 1995 - On Eye to Eye, Connie Chung's interview with House Speaker Newt Gingrich's mother, Kathleen, aired on CBS, complete with the whispered comment from Kathleen that Newt thought First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was a "bitch." Not only was the comment newsworthy, but Chung's method of getting the quote caught journalists' attention, which was she telling Kathleen, "Why don't you just whisper it to me, just between you and me." It was the center of talk for the TV news industry, with many staffers privately critical of Chung while others gave her credit for getting Newt's mother to open up. Phone lines at Newt's office were jammed once his mother's quote was made public, as were those at CBS News headquarters. Many people, including Newt, felt Chung had played "dirty pool" and reflected a trend in journalism to sensationalize and bring news down to a level comparable to gossip in order to gain television viewers. Chung countered, stating that with three video cameras focused and rolling, Kathleen knew what she was doing when she made the comment about Hillary. 1996 - In Russia, Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, admired in the West but reviled by Russian conservatives, resigned. 1996 - Japan's Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama announced his resignation in a surprise move. 1996 - Yahya Ayyash, the 'Engineer', the elusive mastermind behind a wave of Islamic suicide bombings against Israel, was killed in Gaza, apparently by a booby-trapped cellular telephone. 1997 - Russia withdrew the last of its Defense Ministry troops from Chechnya, marking a formal end to Moscow's ill-fated military campaign in the region. 1997 - No Doubt went to No.1 on the US album chart with Tragic Kingdom. 1998 - Died this day, Sonny Bono, composer, producer, actor, restaurateur, politician, aged 62, was killed after slamming into a tree while skiing at a resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Bono, formerly married to entertainer Cher (he was 29, she was 17 when they married), had become active in politics following their breakup. He had served as the mayor of Palm Springs, California, and a congressman. The pop duo Sonny and Cher had several big hits, including The Beat Goes On and I've Got You, Babe. (Worked as a record packer). 2001 - Kirsty MacColl was laid to rest at a private funeral ceremony, ahead of a public memorial to pay tribute to her life. The singer songwriter was killed in a boating accident on 18 December 2000. 2002 - In UK Pop magazine Smash Hits The Best Singles Of 2001 had Kylie Minogue at No.3 with Can't Get You Out Of My Head, No.2 was Shaggy It Wasn't Me and at No.1 were S Club 7 with Don't Stop Movin'. 2002 - Prime Minister Tony Blair condemned terrorist attacks in India which sparked renewed tensions and moved the region to the brink of war. 2003 - Little Richard guested on Fox-TV's The Simpsons. 2004 - Died this day, John Toland, historian. He was awarded the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his book The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945 which tells the story of the Pacific War mainly from the Japanese viewpoint. Toland also wrote a monumental biography of Hitler, Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography. Toland died in Connecticut at the age of 91. |
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.