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January 21st
1769 - The mysterious Letters of Junius began appearing in the London Public Advertiser. Commenting on and warning about public affairs and personalities, their author was never definitely established. 1781 - In America, the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Continental Government appointed the first consular officer. Thomas Barclay took up his post as vice-consul in Paris at a salary of $1,000. 1789 - The Power of Sympathy by William Hill Brown, was published (anonymously) in Boston, Massachussetts. The book has been called the first American novel. 1793 - Died this day, Louis XVI, King of France since 1774, was guillotined in the Place de la Revolution, Paris, after being found guilty of treason. 1812 - The famous Y-bridge in Zanesville, Ohio, was approved for construction. 1824 - Born this day, Stonewall (Thomas) Jackson, Confederate General, one of the Civil War’s most famous military officers. Died 10 May 1863. 1829 - Oscar II, king of Norway and Sweden, was born. Unable to maintain the union of Norway and Sweden, he surrendered the former crown to Prince Carl of Denmark. 1846 - The first issue of the London Daily News was published, with Charles Dickens listed as editor. 1853 - The envelope folding machine was patented by Dr. Russell L. Hawes of Worcester, Massachusettes. 1865 - For the first time, an oil well was drilled by torpedoes. The well was near Titusville, PA. 1897 - Born this day, J. (Joseph) Carrol Naish, actor, (Guestward Ho!, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, radio/TV series: Life with Luigi). Died 19 January 1973). 1899 - Lord Kitchener of Britain was appointed governor-general of Sudan. 1905 - Born this day, Christian Dior, fashion designer. Died 24 October 1957. 1908 - Smoking by women became illegal. The Sullivan Ordinance was enacted in New York City. Some women continued to smoke even though it was against the law. 1911 - The first Monte Carlo motor rally began. It was won seven days later by French racer, Henri Rougier. 1915 - The first Kiwanis club was formed in Detroit, Michigan. The name was taken from an old Indian term which, when translated, means “we make ourselves known.” Kiwanis International now has over 300,000 members in over 8,000 clubs covering 77 countries worldwide. 1917 - Born this day, Billy Maxted, pianist, songwriter, arranger, (many arrangements for Ray Eberle, Red Nichols, Will Bradley, Benny Goodman; bandleader: LP: Bourbon Street Billy Blues [w/Manhattan Jazz Band]). 1919 - Born this day, Jinx (Eugenia) Falkenburg, actress, TV host [w/husband Tex McCrary], (Tex and Jinx, Preview with Tex and Jinx, The Tex and Jinx Film, At Home with Tex and Jinx; TV panelist: Masquerade Party). 1922 - Born this day, [David] Paul Scofield, Academy award-winning actor, (A Man for All Seasons [1966]; Scorpio, Anna Karenina, King Lear, Henry V, Hamlet). 1922 - The first slalom event in skiing was held in Murren, Switzerland. 1924 - Died this day, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who styled himself as Lenin, died aged 54 of a brain hemorrhage. He had led the Bolsheviks to victory in the 1917 October Revolution and in its aftermath, had grappled with anarchy and war. 1926 - Born this day, Steve Reeves, Mr. Universe, actor, (Hercules, Hercules Unchained, Goliath and the Barbarians, The Last Days of Pompeii). Died 1 May 2000. 1927 - Born this day, (Aristotle) Telly Savalas, Emmy Award-winning actor, singer, (Kojak [1973-1974]; The Dirty Dozen, Birdman of Alcatraz, Battle of the Bulge, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Kelly’s Heroes). 1975 UK No.1 single If. Died 22 January 1994. 1927 - The first opera to be broadcast over a national radio network was presented in Chicago, Illinois. Radio listeners heard selections from Faust. 1932 - Annunzio Paolo Mantovani gave a memorable concert at Queen’s Hall in England to ‘glowing notices’. This was the beginning of the musician’s successful recording career that provided beautiful music to radio stations for nearly five decades. Better known as just, Mantovani, his music still entertains us with hits like, Red Sails in the Sunset, Serenade in the Night, Song from Moulin Rouge and Charmaine. 1934 - Born this day, Audrey Dalton, actress, (Casanova’s Big Night, The Prodigal, Titanic). 1935 - Snowdonia became a National Park. 1936 - In Britain, King Edward VIII was proclaimed king following the death of his father, King George V. He remained king until December 1936 when he abdicated and was succeeded by George VI. 1938 - Born this day, Ken Maginnis, Irish politician. 1939 - Born this day, Wolfman Jack (Robert Smith), disc jockey, icon of ’60s radio, broadcasting from XERF, then XERB in Mexico and heard throughout a major part of the US; TV announcer: The Midnight Special; actor: American Graffiti; author: Have Mercy! Confessions of the Original Rock ’n’ Roll Animal). Died 1 July 1995. 1940 - Born this day, Jack Nicklaus, golf champion, holds the record for winning the most majors, 18 professional titles: 4 US Opens, 3 British Opens, 5 PGA and 6 Masters Championships; one of only 2 players to win back-to-back Masters. 1941 - Born this day, Placido Domingo, singer, opera tenor, (Perhaps Love). 1994 UK No.21 single with Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, Libiamo / La Donna E Mobile. 1941 - Born this day, Richie Havens, black folk singer, covered George Harrison's Here Comes The Sun, appeared at Woodstock, Newport and Isle Of Wight festivals. 1942 - Born this day, (Scott) Mac Davis, singer, 1972 US No.1 single Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me, it , No.29 in the UK. Actor: North Dallas Forty; host: The Mac Davis Show; songwriter: In The Ghetto and Don't Cry Daddy for Elvis Presley. Memories; ACM Entertainer of the Year [1975]). 1942 - German forces under Erwin Rommel launched a counter-offensive in North Africa. Caught by surprise, the British were forced into a retreat across the desert. 1942 - Count Basie recorded One O’Clock Jump, the tune was recorded on Okeh Records this day. Just one of the many signature tunes by Bill Basie. 1942 - Born this day, Edwin Starr, singer, 1970 US No.1 and UK No.3 single War. Died 2 April 2003 aged 61. 1945 - Born this day, Martin Shaw, actor, (The Professionals). 1946 - The Fat Man debuted on ABC radio. J. Scott Smart, who played the portly detective, weighed in at 270 pounds in real life. 1947 - Born this day, Jill Eikenberry, actress, (L.A. Law, Arthur, The Manhattan Project). 1947 - Born this day, Jim Ibbotson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1971 US No.9 single Mr Bojangles. 1949 - On 21 January 1949, Chiang Kai-shek resigned as president of China’s Nationalist government after his armies were defeated by the Communists when America stopped its aid. Ten days later, Mao Zedong’s Communist forces entered Beijing. By late autumn, the Chinese Communist Party occupied all the major Chinese cities, including Nanjing, the Nationalist capital. The Communists had won the civil war. On 1 October 1949, Mao announced the birth of the People’s Republic of China from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the entrance to Beijing’s ancient imperial palace. He would be Chairman, Zhu De, military commander of all Communist forces, would be vice-chairman; Zhou Enlai, leading diplomat, would be premier and foreign minister. Mao Zedong, the son of peasants, imagined a China run by the common people. His government promised free thought, speech, and religion, and equal rights for women. China was to be modelled after the USSR, built on socialized agriculture and state-run heavy industry. The USSR and other Soviet-bloc states immediately recognised the People’s Republic of China; neighbouring Burma and India and many other European countries followed within a few months, including Great Britain (but Mao rejected British recognition). The United States withheld diplomatic recognition, remaining loyal instead to Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan to re-establish his Nationalist government. Domestic policies did not run smoothly. As many as a million people were killed in the violent clashes between landlords and tenants that came with widespread land reforms. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party was unpopular with the common people because it treated wealthy peasants better as it could not afford to alienate them. Quickly, Mao’s vision of a China run by the common people, became a China run by Mao. 1950 - Born this day, Billy Ocean [Leslie Charles], Grammy Award-winning R&B Male Vocal, (Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) [1984]; Love Really Hurts Without You, There’ll Be Sad Songs, Red light spells danger, 1988 US No.1 and UK No.3 single Get Out Of My Dreams Get Into My Car). 1950 - Born this day, Gary Locke, Governor of Washington. 1950 - Died this day, Eric Blair, aka George Orwell, British satire novelist who wrote Animal Farm and 1984, died in London at the age of 46 from tuberculosis. 1951 - Atomic bombs were tested for the first time ever in Nevada. 1951 - A new women’s golf record was established by Mildred (Babe Didrikson) Zaharias as she won the Tampa Women’s Open. Her score was a record 288 for 72 holes. Medals and records were commonplace to Babe. She won two gold and one silver medal in the 1932 Olympics for the javelin throw, the 80-meter hurdles and the high jump, respectively. She was equally adept at basketball, baseball, billiards and golf; a member of the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, LPGA Hall of Fame (Babe was a founding member of the LPGA), National Track and Field Hall of Fame, Olympic Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame. We now refer to her as the Famous Babe Didrikson Zaharias. 1954 - The Nautilus, the first atomic-powered submarine, was launched in Groton, Connecticut. President Eisenhower's wife Mamie christened the vessel with a bottle of champagne. 1954 - Born this day, Nigel Glockler, Saxon, 1980 UK No.5 album Wheels Of Steel. 1954 - The gas turbine automobile was introduced in New York City. It packed a lot of punch, with a 370 horsepower, ‘whirlfire’ turbopower jet to power it. 1955 - British archaeologists today admitted what they'd actually known for almost two years; the 'Piltdown Man' skull, which generations of schoolkids had been told was the missing link between man and his ape ancestors, was a complete fake. The skull was discovered in 1912 during a dig in the village of Piltdown, near the Sussex town of Lewes. 1956 - Born this day, Robby Benson (Robin David Segal), actor, (Search for Tomorrow, Ode to Billy Joe, National Lampoon Goes to the Movies, The Chosen). 1956 - Born this day, Rob Brill, Berlin, 1986 UK and US No.1 single Take My Breath Away. 1957 - Chuck Berry recorded School Day. 1957 - Born this day, Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning supporting actress, (The Accidental Tourist [1988]; Beetlejuice, Fletch, The Fly, Tootsie, Thelma and Louise, Buffalo Bill, The Long Kiss Goodnight). 1957 - Singer Patsy Cline appeared on Arthur Godfrey’s night time TV show. She warbled the classic, Walking After Midnight, which quickly launched her career. 1957 - Filming began on Elvis Presley's second movie, Loving You. 1958 - Born this day, Anita Baker, US soul singer, 1986 UK No.13 single Sweet Love, 1998 US No.1 album Giving You The Best That I Got. 1959 - The Kingston Trio (Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard) received a gold record for Tom Dooley. The single could be considered an early folk-form of rap music, considering its less than wholesome message about a guy named Tom Dooley who was going to be hanged - “Poor boy, you’re bound to, die.” The Kingston Trio recorded many hits, including: Greenback Dollar, M.T.A., Reverend Mr. Black, Tijuana Jail, and the war protest song, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?. 1959 - Died this day, autocratic movie-maker Cecil B. De Mille who won fame for his biblical and Roman epics, at the age of 77. 1959 - Born this day, Vic Reeves, one half of UK comedy act Reeves and Mortimer (Bob), 1991 UK No.1 single with The Wonder Stuff Dizzy. 1964 - Carl Rowan succeeded Edward R. Murrow as head of the United States Information Agency (USIA), which managed the worldwide Voice of America. Murrow had held the office for three years. Rowan came from a news background from NBC, as Murrow did over at CBS. 1965 - Born this day, Jam Master Jay [Jason Mizell], Run D.M.C. Murdered by an assassin's single bullet on 30 October 2002, 1986 UK No.8 single with Aerosmith Walk This Way, 1998 UK No.1 single It’s Like That. 1965 - The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison arrived in Australia. They were met by 3,000 screaming fans at Sydney Airport. 1965 - Hassan Ali Mansur, the prime minister of Persia, was assassinated. 1965 - Born this day, Robert Del Naja, 3-D, Massive Attack, 1991 UK No.13 single Unfinished Sympathy. 1965 - The Byrds recorded Mr. Tambourine Man. 1966 - Born this day, Wendy James, vocals, Transvision Vamp, 1989 UK No.3 single Baby I Don't Care. 1966 - George Harrison of the Beatles married (Patricia) Patty Anne Boyd in Surrey, England. Both were wearing outfits designed by Mary Quant. The two met on the set of the film A Hard Day’s Night. She had played a schoolgirl and had spoken one line: Prisoners? George would later write I Need You, For You Blue, and Something for her. 1966 - The first Trips Festival in San Francisco united hippies in Golden Gate Park. 1970 - ABC-TV presented The Johnny Cash Show in prime time. Previously, the show had been a summer replacement. The regular season series was a big boost for country music. Johnny wore black in the all-colour show, however, like he still does today. 1970 - Elvis Presley's last film Change Of Habit was released. 1971 - UK comedy star Benny Hill was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Ernie. 1973 - The Rolling Stones kicked off a 11 date Pacific tour at Honolulu International Centre, Hawaii. 1974 - Appearing at Newcastle City Hall, were T Rex, tickets were £1.50. 
1976 - Born this day, Emma Bunton, singer (Baby Spice), The Spice Girls, 1996 UK No.1 single Wannabe, 2001 UK No.1 solo single What Took You So Long. Emma once appeared in a Halifax Building Society advert, as a bridesmaid who was catapulted onto a wedding cake. 1976 - The British and French Concordes, with their droopy nose and sound-barrier smashing speed, made their maiden flights - from London to Bahrain and Paris to Rio De Janeiro respectively. These were the first scheduled passenger services by supersonic aircraft. 1976 - Western newspapers, including the Financial Times and The New York Times went on sale in the Soviet Union for the first time. 1977 - Born this day, Philip Neville, footballer. 1978 - The soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever reached No.1 on the US album charts, a position it held for the next six months (24 weeks). It went on to sell over 30 million copies world-wide, making it the best selling soundtrack album of all time. 1979 - Born this day, Nokio, Dru Hill, 1999 UK No.2 single with Will Smith, Wild Wild West. 1980 - An Iran Air Boeing 727 flying from Mashad to Tehran crashed on a mountainside in fog, killing all 128 on board. 1982 - B.B. King donated his entire record collection to Mississippi University's Centre for Southern Culture. The collection included over 20,000 records. 1984 - Van Halen's single, Jump, entered the Billboard pop charts on this date, and later was in the No.1 spot for 5 weeks, remaining on the charts for a total of 15 weeks. It eventually was certified gold. 1984 - Britain's first test-tube triplets - a girl and two boys - were born to a couple in London. The mother was Anne Maaye. 1984 - Died this day, Jackie Wilson, after being in a coma (following a heart attack) for eight and a half years. 1984 - Yes started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Owner Of A Lonely Heart. It was a No.28 hit in the UK. 1985 - Actor Patrick Duffy announced plans to leave the CBS show Dallas at the end of the TV season. He asked that the character of Bobby Ewing not be replaced by another actor. Good thing. Bobby showed up in the new season, miraculously rising from the dead; taking a shower; after being in a tremendous car crash the previous season. And Duffy returned to continue in the role of Bobby Ewing through to the final episode in 1991. 1987 - Thirty years after its release, Jackie Wilson’s single, Reet Petite (written by Motown founder Berry Gordy), ended a month at the top of England’s music charts. Three years earlier, on this same date, Jackie Wilson died after being in a coma (following a heart attack) for eight and a half years. 1987 - Bruce Springsteen inducted Roy Orbison into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. 1989 - Bobby Brown went to No.1 on the US album chart with Don't Be Cruel. 1989 - Phil Collins scored his 7th US No.1 single with Two Hearts. 1989 - Six weeks after his death Roy Orbison started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with The Legendary Roy Orbison collection. 1990 - The East German Communist party expelled former leader Egon Krenz and 13 other politburo members. 1991 - Iraq threatened to use shot-down allied airmen as human shields against bomb attacks. 1991 - The Manic Street Preachers made their UK TV debut on BBC 2's Rapido. 1992 - Billy Idol pleaded guilty to assault and battery charges after an incident outside a West Hollywood restaurant. He was fined $2,700 and ordered to appear in a series of anti-drug commercials. 1994 - Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Guy Coeme and two other leading Socialist politicians resigned over a bribery scandal. 1996 - Mufti Fatkhulla Sharipov, the pro-Moscow Muslim spiritual leader of Tajikistan, was shot dead at his home west of Dushanbe. 1996 - Died this day, Edem Ephraim and Dennis Fuller of The London Boys, killed in a car crash in The Alps, also killed was Edem's wife Bettina. 1997 - German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus signed a declaration cementing post-war reconciliation between Germany and the Czech Republic. 1997 - Died this day, 'Colonel' Tom Parker, the manager who helped guide Elvis Presley's rise from young hopeful to the king of rock 'n' roll. He was 87. 1998 - On this day, Pope John Paul the Second (Karol Wojtyla), became the first pope to visit Cuba on a visit lasting until the 25th. He was also the first Pole to become pope in 1978. 1999 - Gary Glitter appeared at Bristol crown court charged with eight sexual offences on girls dating back to 1976 and 50 charges relating to indecent photographs. 1999 - Died this day, Charles Brown (Merry Christmas Baby), of cogestive heart failure. 2001 - Limp Bizkit started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Rollin'. 2001 - Texas went to No.1 on the UK album chart with The Greatest Hits. 2002 - Downing Street said that three Britons being held as al-Qaeda suspects at Camp X-ray in Cuba had no complaints about their treatment. 2002 - Died this day, Peggy Lee, singer, actress. 1958 US No.8 and UK No.5 single Fever, worked with Benny Goodman, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones. 2004 - Children born using donated sperm and eggs can trace biological parents from April 2005, the Government announced. 2004 - Dr David Kelly believed Saddam could deploy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in 'days or weeks', footage from an unseen interview revealed. 2004 - British student Samantha Marson - who joked she had a bomb in airport luggage - was released on bail in Miami. |
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.