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January 16th
1547 - Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) was formally crowned as the first Russian Tsar; his reign brought reforms but was more noted for its oppression, during which over 3,000 were executed. 1556 - Charles I of Spain was succeeded by his son, Philip II. 1599 - Died this day, Edmund Spencer, English poet. 1756 - The Treaty of Westminster was signed between George II of England and his nephew Frederick of Prussia; it guaranteed the neutrality of Hanover in the Anglo-French wars. 1769 - The Haymarket Theatre in London was the scene of one of the worst riots in theatre history when an act failed to turn up. 1780 - Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron at Cape St Vincent, thus relieving Gibraltar. 1809 - The British army under Sir John Moore defeated a superior French force at the battle of Corunna, but Moore was killed in the fighting. 1854 - Paddington Station in London opened. 1866 - Mr. Everett Barney patented the metal screw, clamp skate. 1883 - The United States Civil Service Commission was established as the Pendleton Act went into effect. 1891 - Died this day, Clement-Philibert-Leo Delibes, French composer, best remembered for his ballet Coppelia and his opera Lakme. 1909 - Born this day, Ethel Merman (Zimmerman), singer, Tony Award-winning actress, (musical: Call Me Madam [1951]; It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, There’s No Business Like Show Business, Alexander’s Ragtime Band; Musical Theater Hall of Famer). Died 15 February 1984. 1909 - The magnetic South Pole was found by Ernest Shackleton, who was knighted later the same year. 1919 - On this date in 1919 the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes", achieved the necessary two-thirds majority of state ratification, and thus became the law of the land. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, also known as the Prohibition Amendment, was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Prohibition took effect in January 1919. Nine months later, Congress passed the Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of prohibition, including the creation of a special unit of the Treasury Department. Despite a vigorous effort by law-enforcement agencies, the Volstead Act failed to prevent the large-scale distribution of alcoholic beverages, and organized crime flourished in America. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, repealing prohibition. 1920 - The first meeting of the Council of the League of Nations took place in Paris but without the participation of the United States. 1920 - The motion picture, The Kid, opened in movie houses. The classic starred Charlie Chaplin and featured a little tyke, soon to be a Hollywood favourite. Jackie Coogan continued to make movies until his death in 1984. 1920 - Born this day, Elliott (Edgeworth) Reid, actor, (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, A Woman’s World, Follow Me Boys). 1920 - The 18th amendment to the American Constitution was ratified, prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages. 1924 - Born this day, Katy Jurado (Maria Christina Jurado Garcia), actress, (High Noon, One-Eyed Jacks, Trapeze). (other source says 1927). 1925 - Leon Trotsky was dismissed as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of the USSR. 1929 - Born this day, G.T. (Granville) Hogan, jazz drummer, played with Elmo Hope, Earl Bostic. 1929 - Born this day, Marilyn Horne, opera singer, (Carmen Jones [v/o for Dorothy Dandridge]). 1929 - Born this day, Francesco Scavullo, fashion photographer. 1930 - Born this day, Norman Podhoretz, author, (Making It, Breaking Ranks). 1934 - Born this day, Marilyn Horne, opera singer. 1935 - Born this day, A. J. (Anthony Joseph) Foyt, racing car drive, (Indianapolis 500 Winner [1961, 1964, 1967, 1977]; Daytona 500 Winner: [1972]). 1937 - Born this day, Bob Bogle (Robert Lenard Bogle), musician, guitar, bass, The Ventures, 1960 UK No.4 single Perfidia, 1960 US No.2 Walk Don't Run, theme from Hawaii Five-O. 1938 - Benny Goodman and his band, plus a quartet, brought the sound of jazz to Carnegie Hall in New York City. When asked how long an intermission he wanted, he quipped, “I don’t know. How much does Toscanini get?" 1939 - The Superman comic strip appeared for the first time. 1939 - The shrill siren call of radio’s I Love A Mystery was heard for the first time as the show debuted on NBC’s West-Coast outlets. 1942 - Kay Kyser and the band recorded A Zoot Suit for Columbia Records. The tune is about the problems associated with wearing the garish, exaggerated ‘hep’ fashion. 1942 - A TWA transport carrying film actress Carole Lombard, her mother, and 20 other passengers, crashed near Las Vegas. All aboard were killed. 1942 - Born this day, [William] Bill Francis, musician, keyboard, singer, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman, Sharing the Night Together, Sexy Eyes, Better Love Next Time, The Cover of Rolling Stone, 1972 UK No.2 and US No.5 single Sylvia's Mother. 1942 - Born this day, Raymond Philips, the Nashville Teens, 1964 UK No.6 and US No.16 single Tobacco Road. 1942 - Born this day, Barbara Lynn, US singer, 1962 US No.8 single You’ll Lose A Good Thing. 1944 - General Dwight Eisenhower was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force and asked to plan the launch of a second front in Western Europe. 1944 - Born this day, Jim Stafford, singer, (My Girl Bill, Spiders and Snakes, Wildwood Weed, [w/John Hadley]: You Can’t Get the Hell out of Texas). 1946 - Born this day, Ronnie Milsap (Grammy Award-winning singer: Stand By My Woman Man [1976]; CMA Male Vocalist of the Year [1974, 1976, 1977]; CMA Entertainer of the Year [1977]; My Heart, Only One Love in My Life, It Was Almost like a song, Lost in the Fifties Tonight, A Woman in Love, 1981 US No.5 single There's No Gettin' Over Me; blind since birth, learned to play several instruments by the age of 12). 1947 - Vincent Auriol was elected president of France, the first president of the Fourth Republic. 1947 - Born this day, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, radio talk show host. 1948 - Born this day, Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player. 1948 - Born this day, John Carpenter, writer, director, (Escape from L.A., Village of the Damned, Body Bags, Prince of Darkness, Starman, The Thing, Escape from New York, Elvis: The Movie, Halloween). 1950 - Born this day, Debbie Allen, dancer, actress, (Fame, Roots: The Next Generation, Ragtime, The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh; choreographer; sister of actress Phylicia Rashad). 1950 - Listen with Mother was broadcast for the first time by the BBC. 1956 - Actress Anita Ekberg made the cover of Life magazine. 1957 - The Cavern Club opened for business in Liverpool, England. The rock club was just a hangout for commoners. Then, things changed. It all started in the early ’60s when four kids from the neighbourhood popped in to jam. They, of course, turned out to be The Beatles. 1957 - Died this day, Arturo Toscanini, conductor of La Scala and Metropolitan opera houses and the NBC symphony orchestra. 1957 - Little Richard recorded Lucille. 1958 - The Elvis film Jailhouse Rock premiered in London, England. 1959 - Born this day, Sade [Helen Folasade Adu], in Ibadan, Nigeria, singer, (group: Sade: LPs: Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger than Pride, Smooth Operator, Sweetest Taboo; Grammy 1986-Best new singer, 1984 UK No.6 single Your Love Is King, 1985 US No.5 single Smooth Operator). 1962 - Born this day, Paul Webb, bass, Talk Talk, 1986 UK No.16 single Life's What You Make It, 1984 US No.31 It's My Life. 1962 - Shooting began on the first James Bond film with Sean Connery, Dr. No. This was the film that would make a star of Ursula Andress, playing the bikini-clad Honey Ryder. Connery was not the first choice for the role; others considered included Rex Harrison, Patrick McGoohan, and Roger Moore. 1963 - On this day Britain's first woman airline pilot, Yvonne Pope, flew from Gatwick to Dusseldorf. 1964 - Hello Dolly! opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City. Carol Channing starred in the role of Mrs. Dolly Levi. The musical was an adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s play, The Matchmaker. The show, with an unforgettable title song, was hailed by critics as the “possible hit of the season.” Hello Dolly! played for 2,844 performances. And, it returned to Broadway in the 1990s, again starring Carol Channing. 1964 - The Dave Clark Five had their only UK No.1 single with Glad All Over. 1965 - Born this day, Maxine Jones, singer, En Vogue, 1992 UK No.4 single My Lovin'. 1965 - The first Guess Who record (under that group name) was released, Shakin' All Over. 1968 - Born this day, David Chokachi, US actor. 1969 - Student Jan Palach set fire to himself in Wenceslas Square in Prague in protest at the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia. 1969 - The Soviet Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 linked up to become the first manned spacecraft to dock in Earth's orbit. 1969 - Born this day, Norman Williamson, jockey. 1970 - John Lennon's London Art Gallery exhibit of erotic lithographs, 'Bag One' was closed by Scotland Yard. 1970 - Born this day, Brendan O'Hare, Teenage Fanclub, 1992 UK No. 31 single What You Do To Me. 1971 - Born this day, Sergei Bruguera, Italian tennis player. 1972 - Died this day, David Seville in Beverly Hills, California. Born Ross Bagdasarian, the musician was the force, and artist, behind the Alvin and the Chipmunks novelty songs of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Some may remember that Seville appeared in the films, Viva Zapata, Stalag 17 and Rear Window. Seville first claimed fame, not through the novelty impact of the hit, The Chipmunk Song (it sold 3.5 million copies in five weeks); but by writing Rosemary Clooney’s biggest hit, Come on-a My House, in the early 1950s and the number one hit, Witch Doctor, in 1958. 1973 - This is National Nothing Day, set aside each year for people to sit around for the entire day and just hang out. No celebrating, observing or honouring anything. It was created by Harold Pullman Coffin. 1973 - Bruce Springsteen appeared at Villanova University playing to an audience of 25 people. 1974 - Born this day, Kate Moss, model. 1976 - The album, Frampton Comes Alive, was released by Herb Alpert’s A&M Records. The double LP soon reached the top spot of the album charts and stayed perched there for 17 weeks. It sold 19 million copies in its first year in the record racks. 1976 - Born this day, Stuart Fletcher, The Seahorses, 1997 UK No.3 single Love Is The Law. 1976 - Donny and Marie Osmond's ABC-TV variety show debuted. 1978 - Sid Vicious fell through a glass door at a San Francisco hotel, took a drug overdose and was rushed to hospital. 1979 - Born this day, Aaliya, singer, actress, 2000 US No.1 single Try Again, 2002 UK No.1 single More Than A Woman. Killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas 25 August 2001. 1979 - Cher's divorce from Gregg Allman was finalised. 1979 - The Shah of Iran left the country after being forced into exile by Ayatollah Khomeini. He fled to Egypt. 1979 - An earthquake measuring seven on the Richter scale struck Khorasan province in the Qaen area of Iran, killing hundreds. 1980 - The British government announced re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Chile, broken in 1976. 1980 - Paul McCartney was jailed for nine days in Tokyo for marijuana possession, after being found with 219g on his arrival at Narita Airport. 1981 - The Harper Valley P.T.A. TV series debuted on NBC. 1981 - Born this day, Nick Valensi, guitar, The Strokes, 2001 UK No.14 single Last Nite. 1982 - Buck's Fizz had their second UK No.1 single with Land Of Make Believe. 1984 - Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested in Barbados for drug possession and were each fined $200. 1984 - At the 11th annual American Music Awards, Michael Jackson received eight awards, including favourite pop and soul male vocalist, pop and soul album winner for Thriller, pop and soul video winner for Beat It and best pop song for Billie Jean. 1985 - Hugh Hefner said, “Out with the staples!”! "Playboy" magazine announced its 30-year tradition of stapling centerfold models in the bellybutton and elsewhere would come to an immediate end. The centerfold became more difficult to remove. 1986 - Walter Cronkite, five years after his retirement from the CBS Evening News remained, polls showed, the most trusted man in America. 1987 - Hu Yaobang stepped down as the Chinese Communist Party's general secretary, replaced by Zhao Ziyang. 1987 - Jools Holland was suspended from Channel 4's show The Tube, for 6 weeks after using the phrase groovy fuckers during a live trailer broadcast in children's hour. 1988 - 24 years after The Beatles first topped the chart, George Harrison went to No.1 in the US with Got My Mind Set On You. 1988 - Belinda Carlisle scored her 1st UK No.1 single with Heaven Is A Place On Earth. 1988 - George Michael started a 12 week run at No.1 in the US album charts with his debut solo album Faith, which went on to sell over 8 million copies. 1988 - Tina Turner gave herself a place in the record books when she performed in front of 182,000 people, the largest audience ever for a single artist, in Rio De Janerio. 1988 - Wet Wet Wet went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut LP Popped In Souled Out. 1989 - The first of three nights at Wembley Arena with Bryan Ferry, tickets were £12.50. 1990 - Ike Turner was convicted of driving under the influence of cocaine and being under the influence of cocaine and sentenced to a four year prison sentence in California 1991 - A US-led international force launched Operation Desert Storm on Iraq and Iraq occupied Kuwait less than 17 hours after the expiration of the UN deadline for Iraq withdrawal. 1992 - Eric Clapton recorded his unplugged session for MTV. 1994 - South Africa's Pan Africanist Congress suspended its armed struggle against the government of President F. W. de Klerk. 1994 - Diana Ross' TV movie Out Of Darkness aired on CBS. 1996 - In India, federal police charged seven political leaders, including six former cabinet ministers, in connection with an $18 million scandal. 1996 - Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais, longest-surviving reformer in the government and architect of the world's biggest privatisation programme, resigned from his post. 1997 - Comedian/actor Bill Cosby's only son was shot to death, the victim of a possible robbery attempt while changing a flat tire on his Mercedes convertible along a freeway, police said. The body of Ennis William Cosby, age 27, was found about 1:45 a.m. in a pool of blood next to the car of a woman passer-by. The murder occurred in a well-to-do area near the Santa Monica Mountains not far from the exclusive Bel-Air section of Los Angeles. The Columbia University graduate student was the son of one of the world's richest entertainers, a man for whom fatherhood was the source of much of his humor. Police had no immediate suspects. The 59-year-old Cosby was told about his son's murder while on the New York set of his sit-com Cosby. Puffy-eyed, he told reporters, "He was my hero". 1998 - An Italian singer lost a copyright infringement case that claimed Michael Jackson's hit song Will You Be There was stolen. The case was submitted to a three-judge panel in Rome on November 20, and official notice of the decision in favour of Jackson and Sony Music was received by Jackson's attorney. Italian singer Al Bano, who sued in 1992, was ordered by the Rome panel to pay Jackson's and Sony's legal expenses. Jackson told a Rome courtroom on 4 February 1997 that he did not plagiarize the Italian song I Cigni di Balaka (The Swans of Balaka) by Bano when he composed Will You Be There, which was on his 1991 Dangerous album. 1998 - After reading two pages of Toni Morrison's acclaimed American novel Song of Solomon, St. Mary's County, Maryland commissioners unanimously agreed with the school superintendent's decision to remove it from the curriculum, calling the book filth and trash. The book was ordered to be removed from the schools' approved-text list, so teachers could not use it in their lessons. A spokeswoman said it would remain available in school libraries. None of the five county commissioners read the book beyond the two pages the superintendent gave them for review. The novel was considered to be Nobel winner Morrison's best work. 1999 - Brandy started a 2 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Diane Warren song Have You Ever, a No.13 hit in the UK. 2000 - It was reported that Mick Jagger had lost the chance of a knighthood because of his errant ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair had second thoughts about the message it would give about family values. 2000 - The Manic Street Preachers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with The Masses Against The Classes, the bands second UK No.1 single. 2000 - Died this day, Coasters singer Will Jones, aged 71. 1958 US No.1 single Yakety Yak, 1959 US No.2 and UK No.6 single Charlie Brown. 2000 - It was reported that Mick Jagger had lost the chance of a knighthood because of his errant ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair had second thoughts about the message it would give about family values. 2000 - The Manic Street Preachers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with The Masses Against The Classes, the bands second UK No.1 single. 2001 - Figures showed women were still being paid 20 percent less than men. 2002 - Transport Secretary Stephen Byers' department underspent its capital budget by £350m last year, he revealed. 2002 - A portion of highway I-10 in Southern California was renamed the 'Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway'. |
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.