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January 20th
1265 - The first parliament in England, attended by elected knights of the shires and burgesses, met under Simon de Montfort at Westminster Hall. 1320 - Wladislaw I, also known as Wladislaw the Short, was crowned king of Poland. In defeating the Knights of the Teutonic Order, he created strong foundations for one Polish nation. 1327 - King Edward II of England was forced to abdicate by powerful barons in favour of his son Edward III. 1612 - Died this day, Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor from 1576. He was unable to reconcile Roman Catholic and Protestant factions which eventually led to the Thirty Years War. 1649 - British king Charles I was brought before a high court of justice at Westminster Hall on charges of treason following the civil war against parliamentarian forces. 1778 - Captain James Cook discovered Hawaii when he landed first at Waimea on Kauai Island. 1839 - The confederation of Peru and Bolivia invaded Chile and was heavily beaten by the Chileans at the battle of Yungan. This defeat led to the break-up of the confederation. 1841 - After lengthy talks between Britain and China concerning the Opium Wars, the convention of Chuanbi was signed by which Hong Kong island was ceded to the British. 1878 - On this day Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500 year-old Egyptian obelisk, arrived in London. 1885 - The roller coaster was patented by L. A. Thompson of Coney Island, New York. His coaster was 450 feet long with the highest drop being 30 feet. (Another source says - The first roller coaster in the United States was built in 1929.) 1889 - Born this day, Leadbelly (Huddie William Ledbetter), American guitarist, blues singer, songwriter, (The Rock Island Line, The Midnight Special, Goodnight Irene). Died 6 December 1949. 1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, Massachusetts, YMCA Training School. 1896 - Born this day, George Burns (Nathan Birnbaum), entertainer, vaudeville, radio, TV, (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show [“Say goodnight, Gracie.”], films [w/Gracie]: International House, We’re Not Dressing, A Damsel in Distress, College Swing, Honolulu; Oscar-winning actor: The Sunshine Boys [1975]; Oh, God!, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Going in Style, Oh, God! Book 2, Two of a Kind, Oh, God! You Devil, Radioland Murders). Died 9 March 1996. 1906 - Born this day, Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate, 2nd husband of Jaqueline Kennedy. Died 15 March 1975. 1910 - Born this day, Joy Adamson (Gessner), naturalist, writer, (Born Free, Living Free, Forever Free). Died (murdered by an irate former employee) 3 January 1980. 1918 - The German light cruiser Breslau was sunk by mines outside the Dardanelles. Only 162 of 370 crew members survived. 1920 - Born this day, Federico Fellini, director, screenwriter, (Oscar-winning Best foreign-language [Italian] films: La Strada [1956], The Nights of Cabiria [1957], 8 1/2 [1963], Amarcord [1974]). Died 31 October 1993. 1920 - Born this day, DeForest Kelley, actor, (Star Trek series, Apache Uprising, The Law and Jake Wade, Gunfight at O.K. Corral, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Fear in the Night). Died 11 June 1999. 1922 - Born this day, Ray Anthony (Antonini), bandleader, (themes from Dragnet, Peter Gunn; Bunny Hop, Dancing in the Dark, Melody of Love; host of 1950s TV show; film: Daddy Long Legs, ex of Mamie Van Doren). 1924 - Born this day, [Otis Dewey] Slim Whitman, American country singer, 1955 UK No.1 single Rose Marie, 1955 UK No.7 single Indian Love Call, China Doll, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, 1974 UK No.14 Happy Anniversary. 1926 - Born this day, Patricia Neal, Academy Award-winning actress, (Hud [1963]; All Quiet on the Western Front, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Heidi, In Harm’s Way). 1928 - Born this day, Lionel Hebert, golf champion, PGA [1957]. 1929 - Born this day, Arte Johnson, Emmy Award-winning comedian, (Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In [1968-69]; actor: Love at First Bite, Evil Toons). 1929 - The movie, In Old Arizona, was released. The film was the first full-length talkie to be filmed outdoors, mainly in the states of Utah and California. 1930 - Born this day, Buzz (Edwin Eugene) Aldrin Jr., astronout, Gemini 12 [11 November 1966], made the then record 5-1/2 hour space walk, Apollo 11, one of first trio of American men to land on the moon on 16 July 1969. 1931 - Born this day, Fireball (Edward) Roberts, stock car driver, Daytona 500 winner [1962]. Died 2 July 1964 from injuries sustained on May 24 during the World 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 1933 - Born this day, Ron Townson, The 5th Dimension, 1969 US No.1 and UK No.11 single Aquarius. Died 3 August 2001. 1934 - Born this day, Arte Johnson, Emmy Award-winning US comedian. 1935 - Born this day, Buddy Blake (Buddy Cunningham), recording artist, recorded for Sun Records as B.B. Cunningham and Buddy Blake; record executive: Cover Record Co., Sam Phillips’ Holiday Inn label. 1936 - Died this day, George V of Britain died. Edward VIII acceded to the throne - but only for 325 days as he caused a crisis later the same year by abdicating. 1936 - Born this day, Tom Baker, actor, (Dr Who). 1936 - Born this day, Frances Shand Kydd, grandmother of Princes Harry and William. 1937 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president, became the first US President to be inaugurated on January 20th. This was his second term on office. The 20th Amendment of the US Constitution set the date, officially, for the swearing in of the President and Vice President. The amendment was ratified by Congress in 1933. It was the first time the vice president-elect was inaugurated out-of-doors on the same platform with the president-elect. No vice presidential address was given. 1937 - Born this day, Dorothy Provine, actress, (It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). 1939 - Born this day, Paul D. Coverdell, US Senator. 1939 - Born this day, Murle Lindstrom Breer, golf, US Women’s Open Champion: 1962. 1940 - Born this day, Carol Heiss, skater, five women’s world titles for figure skating [1956-1960], Olympic silver medal [1956], Olympic gold medal [1960]; married 1956 men’s gold medalist Hayes Jenkins. 1941 - Born this day, Ron Townson, singer, (group: The 5th Dimension: Up Up and Away, Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In, One Less Bell to Answer, [Last Night] I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All). 1941 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president, was inaugurated to his record third term in office as president of the United States. 1942 - Harry Babbitt sang as Kay Kyser and his orchestra recorded, Who Wouldn’t Love You on Columbia Records. The record went on to be a big hit for Kyser. 1942 - Nazi leaders of the security police and various ministries met at the Wannsee conference to set up the bureaucratic apparatus for the Final Solution and complete the systematic destruction of the Jews. 1942 - Born this day, Billy Powell, The O'Jays, 1973 US No.1 and UK No.9 single Love Train. Died 25 May 1982. 1943 - Born this day, Rick Evans, Zager & Evans, 1969 US and UK No.1 single In The Year 2525. 1944 - The RAF bombed Berlin, Germany and dropped 2,300 tons of bombs. 1945 - Born this day, Eric Stewart, guitarist, (Wayne Fontana and the) Mindbenders, 1965 UK No.2 single Game of Love. 1966 UK No.2 single Groovy Kind Of Love. With Hotlegs, 1970 UK No.2 single Neanderthal Man. Then 10cc, Donna, 1975 UK No.1 and US No.2 single I’m Not in Love, The Things We Do for Love. Plus other top 30 hits. In November 1968, with Graham Gouldman, set up Strawberry Studios in Rochdale. The studio was originally called Inter-City recording studio, but they renamed it after The Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever. 1945 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president, was inaugurated to his record fourth term in office as president of the United States. (The 22d Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1951, restricts the presidency to two terms). (Another source says 10 January for this one). 1946 - Born this day, David Lynch, director, (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Dune, The Elephant Man). 1946 - Born this day, Jimmy Chambers, singer, Londonbeat, 1990 UK No.2 and 1991 US No.1 single I've Been Thinking About You. 1947 - Born this day, George Grantham, drummer, (group: Poco: Crazy Eyes, A Good Feelin’ to Know). 1948 - Born this day, Natan [Anatoly] Scharansky, expatriate Soviet dissident. 1948 - Born this day, Mel Pritchard, Barclay James Harvest, eight UK top 40 albums from 1974-87. 1949 - Harry S. Truman was inaugurated as the 33rd president of the United States. It was the first inauguration to be televised. 1950 - Born this day, Liza Goddard, actress. 1950 - Born this day, Paul Stanley [Eisen], guitar, vocals, Kiss, 1987 UK No.4 single Crazy Crazy Nights, Rock and Roll All Nite. 1952 - Born this day, Ian Hill, Judas Priest, 1980 UK No.12 single Living After Midnight. 1952 - Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter! She got herself two bulls in the contest held in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. 1953 - A television show was transmitted from the United States to Canada for the first time. The CBS Television production of Studio One was transmitted to CBLT-TV in Canada. 1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th president of the United States. He broke with custom by reciting his own improvised prayer instead of kissing the Bible. A presidential preference made homburgs an inaugural must, displacing traditional black toppers. 1954 - The National Negro Network was formed on this date. Some 40 radio stations were charter members of the network. 1955 - The world's growing pile of nuclear waste could prove a serious health risk to present and future generations, the World Health Organisation confirmed today in Switzerland. 1956 - Born this day, Bill [William] Maher, US comedian, talk show host. 1957 - Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th president of the United States for his second term of office. It ws the first time that a president was inaugurated for a term limited by the Constitution (22d Amendment) and the first presidential luncheon, held in the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol. 1958 - Born this day, Lorenzo Lamas, actor, (Falcon Crest, Renegade, SnakeEater, Bad Blood). 1958 - The rock ’n’ roll classic, Get A Job, by The Silhouettes, was released. 1958 - Dr. Vivian Fuchs who led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition arrived at the South Pole, the half-way point of their journey, with his 11-member team. 1958 - Elvis Presley got a little US mail this day with greetings from Uncle Sam. The draft board in Memphis, TN ordered the King to report for duty; but allowed a 60-day deferment for him to finish the film, King Creole. 1960 - Stationed in Germany, Elvis got promoted to sergeant in the US Army. 1960 - The government announced curbs on the sale of 'pep-pills'. 1961 - After four-and-a-half years of marriage, Marilyn Monroe was granted a divorce from writer Arthur Miller in a Mexican courtroom. 1961 - John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States. He was elected by the closest vote ever and was the youngest presidential nominee elected. It was the first time that both parents of the president-elect had attended their son's inauguration. As the first Catholic elected president, Kennedy was the first to use a Catholic (Douay) version of the Bible for his oath. The Air Force Academy Band appeared for the first time in the parade and it was the first time that the parade was televised in colour (NBC). He was the last president to wear a traditional stovepipe hat to the inauguration. During his inaugural speech he delivered the line "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." 1964 - This was a big day in US record stores as The Beatles album Meet the Beatles was released in the United States. It was The Beatles second album, but was the British group's US debut LP. The LP became a huge success and was number one on the US charts by 15 February 1964 and remained in the top spot for 11 weeks. The British Invasion had begun. 1964 - The trial of the Great Train robbers started. 1965 - Died this day, Alan Freed (Aldon James Freed), disc jockey, the ‘Father of Rock ’n’ Roll’, in Palm Springs, California, from uraemia at the age of 43. Born 15 December 1922 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Freed was one of the first radio disc jockeys to program black music, or race music, as it was termed, for white audiences. In the 1950s, Freed, called ‘Moon Doggy’ at WJW Radio in Cleveland, coined the phrase, 'rock ’n’ roll', before moving to WABC in New York. He was fired by WABC for allegedly accepting payola (being paid to play records by certain artists and record companies). The 1959-1960 congressional investigation into payola made Freed the scapegoat for what was a wide spread practice. Freed, not so incidentally, died nearly penniless after the scandal was exposed. 1965 - Born this day, John Michael Montgomery, country singer, (CMA Single of the Year [I Swear: 1994], ACM Song of the Year [I Love The Way You Love Me: 1994]). 1965 - Lyndon B. Johnson was inaugurated as the 36th president of the United States for his second term of office. A bullet-proofed, closed limousine was used for the first time. 1965 - Born this day, Sophie Rhys-Jones [Wessex], British royal family. Married to Prince Edward. 1965 - Born this day, Heather Small, singer, M People, 1993 UK No.2 single Moving On Up plus over 15 other UK top 40 singles. Now a solo artist. 1966 - The Spencer Davis Group had their first UK No.1 single with Keep On Running. 1967 - The Monkees TV show was shown for the first time in the UK. 1967 - Arthur Conley recorded Sweet Soul Music. 1968 - One hit wonders John Fred and the Playboy Band started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Judy In Disguise, (With Glasses), it made No.3 in the UK. The song was inspired by The Beatles Lucy In The Sky. 1968 - Wearing an off-white taffeta miniskirt, Sharon Tate married European director Roman Polanski in London. One of the post-wedding parties was held at the London Playboy Club. 1969 - Born this day, Skeet Ulrich, actor. 1969 - Born this day, Nicholas Allen Jones, Manic Steet Preachers, 1996 UK No.2 single A Design For Life, 1998 UK No.1 single If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, 2000 UK No.1 single The Masses Against The Classes. 1969 - Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th president of the United States. Only persons with special invitations to the ceremony were admitted to the Capitol Grounds. Two Bibles were used in the inauguration; they were family heirlooms, dated 1928 and 1873. 1969 - Born this day, Tina O'Neill, drummer, We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It, 1989 UK No.11 single International Rescue. 1970 - Led Zeppelin appeared at Leeds Town Hall, England. 1971 - Born this day, Gary Barlow, vocals, piano, songwriter, Take That, 1995 UK No.1 single Back For Good and 7 other UK No.1 singles and solo, 1996 UK No.1 single Forever Love. 1971 - Diana Ross married Bob Silberstein, she filed for divorce five months later, though they reconciled. 1973 - Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president for a second term; during the Watergate scandal, he became the first president to resign from office. 1973 - Dr. Amilcar Cabral, Guinea-Bissau Nationalist leader, was assassinated in Conakry. He founded the PAIGC (African Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde), the organisation that fought Portuguese colonial rule. 1973 - Jerry Lee Lewis made his first ever appearance at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. 1974 - After a car accident that had almost taken his life five months earlier, Stevie Wonder was back at work, playing a gig at the Rainbow Theatre in London. 1974 - Golfing great Johnny Miller won the Tucson Open Golf Tournament and became the first pro golfer to win four consecutive major tournaments. 1975 - The US Top 5 singles were, at No.5 Stevie Wonder and Boogie On Reggae Woman, at No.4, the Ohio Players with Fire, No.3 was Barry Manilow and Mandy, the No.2 slot was occupied by Neil Sedaka singing Laughter In The Rain, with The Carpenters at No.1 with Please Mr. Postman. 1977 - [James Earl] Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as the 39th president of the United States. Folding chairs instead of wooden benches were used on the East Plaza. An old family Bible was used for the oath. A second Bible on the lectern had been previously used at inauguration of George Washington. At Carter's request, the traditional inaugural luncheon was not held. He was the first president to walk all the way from the Capitol to the White House with his family after the ceremony. It was the first time that an outgoing President had left from the Capitol Grounds aboard a helicopter. Provisions were made for the handicapped to watch the parade. 1978 - The highest price to date paid for film rights was $9.5 million by Columbia, announced on this date, for the Broadway musical Annie, by Charles Strouse. 1978 - Fred Silverman quit as head honcho of programming for ABC-TV. He accepted an offer to be president of NBC. Silverman had developed shows like Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Charlie's Angels and Three's Company to earn ABC its highest ratings ever. His magic, however, didn't work as well at NBC. Silverman's Waterloo, so to speak, was a most expensive TV bomb: Super Train, starring Steve Lawrence. Grant Tinker replaced Silverman and took the Peacock Network to number one in a few years. Silverman went on to become one of Hollywood's top, independent producers. 1979 - Born this day, Rob Bourdon, drums, Linkin Park, 2002 US No.2 and UK No.4 single In The End, 2002 US No.2 and 2001 UK No.4 album Hybrid Theory. 1979 - Born this day, Will Young, singer, TV's Pop Idol winner, 2002 UK No.1 single Anything Is Possible / Evergreen. 1979 - Appearing at London's Hammersmith Odeon, were Chic. The group’s latest single Le Freak, had reached No.7 on the UK chart. 1981 - Ronald Wilson Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States and became the oldest president to take office, at the age of 69 and 349 days. It was the first inaugural held on the West Terrace of the Capitol and the first time closed-captioning of a television broadcast was used for the hearing impaired. 1981 - 52 American hostages seized in their embassy in Tehran were released after 444 days in captivity. 1982 - During a show in Des Moines, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head of a bat, which then bit Ozzy. He was taken to hospital to be given a rabies injection. 1982 - Stiff Little Fingers played the first night of an 11-date tour at The Tower in Hull, promoting their new 4 track EP. The press ads said, 'Pay no more than £1.10, 'more cuts than Maggie Thatcher'. 1984 - Died this day, Johnny Weissmuller, Olympic gold medal winner and movie actor, best-remembered for his film portrayal of the invincible jungle man Tarzan, died from lung blockage at the age of 79. 1985 - The most watched Super Bowl game in history was seen this day by an estimated 115.9 million people as Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49'ers downed Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins 38-16. The broadcast captured the second largest TV audience ever. The program with the largest audience ever (aside from man landing on the moon) was the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983. Super Bowl XIX also marked the first time that TV commericals sold for a million dollars a minute. 1985 - Ronald Wilson Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States for his second term of office. It was the first time that the oath was taken in the Rotunda and the first inaugural to fall on a Super Bowl Sunday. The Bible for the oath was placed on a marble-topped table that was built for the second inaugural of Abraham Lincoln. The table was constructed with an iron baluster cast for the Capitol dome in the 1860's. A television camera was placed inside the president's limousine from the Capitol to the White House for the first time. 1985 - Foreigner had their only UK No.1 single with I Want To Know What Love Is. 1986 - Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan appeared at a concert to celebrate the first Martin Luther King day in the US. 1986 - New footage of the 1931 horror classic, Frankenstein, was found. It depicted the monster, played by Boris Karloff, throwing a girl into a lake and showed a hypodermic needle in the monster’s arm! The scenes had been cut because they were considered too shocking for the 1930’s theatre crowd. They have since been put back in and the film has been re-released. 1987 - Terry Waite, the Archbishop of Canterbury's special envoy in Lebanon, was kidnapped. He was not released until November 1991. 1990 - Michael Bolton started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, the singers first No.1 and the first No.1 single of the 90's in the US. 1990 - Died this day, Barbara Stanwyck, actress, at the age of 82. A favourite in Hollywood, she would be best-remembered for her roles in many films, including Stella Dallas, Ball of Fire, Meet John Doe, Christmas in Connecticut, Double Indemnity, and Sorry Wrong Number, and for her portrayal of matriarch Victoria Barkley in the 1960's television Western-dramatic series, The Big Valley. Stanwyck received Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Series for The Barbara Stanwyck Show and The Big Valley, as well as an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Special Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for The Thorn Birds. Stanwyck never won an Oscar, although she was nominated four times. She was honoured late in her career with a special Oscar for her contribution to the screen. In 1944, she made more money than any other woman in the United States, earning $400,000. 1993 - Died this day, legendary actress Audrey Hepburn, of colon cancer in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. Among the many Hepburn favourites are the 1960s classics Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and My Fair Lady (1964). 1996 - Palestinians voted for the first time in elections that consolidated PLO chief Yasser Arafat's rule of the West Bank and Gaza under a peace deal with Israel. He became the first democratically-elected leader of the Palestinian people with 88.1 percent of the vote. 1996 - Died this day, Mohammed Hamed Abu el-Nasr, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and most influential Islamist organization, died aged 83. 1996 - Bobby Brown was fined $1,000, sentenced to 2 years probation and ordered to attend anger management classes after assaulting a security guard. 1996 - George Michael scored his 6th solo UK No.1 single when Jesus To A Child went to the top of the charts for 1 week. 1997 - William J. Clintonwas inaugurated as the 42nd president of the United States. It ws the first time that the ceremony had been broadcast live on the Internet and the first inaugural that fell on the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. 1997 - Russell Senior guitarist and violinist with Pulp quit the group after 13 years to pursue new projects. 1998 - Less than a year after scientists in Scotland stunned the world by announcing the birth of Dolly from the frozen udder cell of an adult sheep, two University of Massachusetts scientists showed how quickly cloning technology was advancing. They essentially repeated prior work done with sheep, introducing Charlie and George, two long-lashed, week-old, genetically engineered Holsteins, to the world on this date. 1999 - Died this day, Bill Albaugh, drummer, Lemon Pipers. 1967 US No.1 single Green Tambourine. 2001 - The inauguration of George Walker Bush on 20 January 2001 was only the second time in history when both parents of the newly elected president were present at the ceremony; the first time was with John F. Kennedy in 1961. Bush, former governor of the state of Texas became the 43rd President of the United States. This marked the 63rd Presidential Inauguration in United States history. 2001 - A memorial service was held for Kirsty MacColl who was killed in a boating accident off the coast of Mexico in December 2000. Bono and Billy Bragg were among the friends and fans that packed St Martin-in-the-Fields church, London. 2002 - George Harrison had the posthumous UK No.1 single with the re-release of the 1971 former No.1 My Sweet Lord. It replaced Aaliyah's More Than A Woman, the only time in chart history that one deceased artist had taken over from another at No.1. 2002 - Stereophonics started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Just Enough Education. 2002 - Foreign Secretary Jack Straw urged the USA to treat al-Qaeda suspects held in Cuba 'humanely and in accordance with customary international law'. 2002 - Usher started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles charts with U Got It Bad. 2004 - The Government said a 'fast-track process' would review cases of parents jailed for the murders of their babies. 2004 - Prime Minister Tony Blair spent two hours with Labour MPs opposed to his plan to allow universities to charge top-up fees. 2004 - A 39-year-old Plymouth man denied a charge that he flew to the US to molest a six-year-old girl from Minneapolis. |
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.