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January 29th
1635 - The Academie Francaise, which became one of the most famous literary societies in Europe, was founded. 1730 - Peter II, tsar of Russia (1727-30), died of smallpox on the day set for his wedding. 1737 - Born this day, Thomas Paine, English-born American revolutionary, philosopher and writer. Died 8 June 1809. 1802 - John Beckley became the first Librarian of the US Congress. He was paid $2 a day. Not a bad wage for 1802. 1819 - Sir Stamford Raffles first landed on Singapore and concluded a preliminary agreement to set up a trading post. 1843 - Born this day, William McKinley, 25th US President [1897-1901], in Niles, Ohio. Was assassinated six months after the start of his second term, on 14 September, in Buffalo, New York. Was buried in Canton, Ohio. He married Ida Saxton on 25 January 1871 in First Presbyterian Church, Canton, Ohio. (Ida Saxton was born on 8 June 1847 in Canton, Ohio, and died on 26 May 1907 in Canton, Ohio and was buried in Canton, Ohio.) 1845 - The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, was published for the first time in the "New York Evening Mirror". Poe took the pen name, Quarles, in signing the poem. 1853 - Napoleon III married Eugenie de Montijo at the Tuileries Palace, Paris. 1856 - Queen Victoria instituted Britain's highest military decoration, the Victoria Cross. 1860 - Born this day, Anton Chekhov, short story writer, (The Party, The Darling; playwright: The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya [1900]). Died 15 July 1904. 1861 - Kansas, the Sunflower State, entered the United States of America this day. The capital of the 34th state is Topeka. It’s easy to figure out why Kansas is the Sunflower State; it’s a toss-up as to whether Kansas has more of those huge yellow blossoms that are also the state flower, or amber waves of wheat. The state’s other nickname is, however, slightly more obscure. Kansas, the Jayhawk State, is named so because before and during the War Between the States, guerillas in the antislavery camp, known as jayhawkers, were extremely active in the Kansas territory. The pro- and anti-slavery groups fought such vicious battles that the state was referred to as ‘Bleeding Kansas’. Through peace and battles, the western meadowlark, the state bird, continues to sing its song ... or maybe it sings the state song: "Home on the Range". The roaming buffalo is the state animal, and the state tree is the cottonwood. Kansas, derived from the Sioux Indian word meaning ‘people of the southwind’, uses the Latin phrase ‘Ad astra per aspera’ or ‘To the stars through difficulties’ as its motto. 1874 - Born this day, John Davison Rockefeller Jr., industrialist, founder of Standard Oil Co., Rockefeller Foundation. Died 11 May 1960. 1880 - Born this day, (William Claude) W.C. Fields (Dukenfield), entertainer, (films: Pool Sharks, My Little Chickadee [w/Mae West], The Bank Dick, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break; famous lines: “Doctors say don’t worry about your heart -- it will last as long as you live.”, “It was a woman who drove me to drink and I never even thanked her.”). Died 25 December 1946. 1886 - Karl Benz patented the first practical car with a petrol-driven internal combustion engine. It had three rubber-tyred wheels and travelled at 9.3mph. 1889 - Born this day, Leadbelly [Hurrdi William Ledbetter], blues musician. Died 6 December 1949. Wrote Goodnight Irene, The Rock Island Line, The Midnight Special, was once jailed for shooting a man dead during an argument over a woman. 1891 - Hawaii proclaimed as its queen Liliuokalani, renowned for her song Aloha Oe. 1896 - US physician Emile Grubbe became the first to use radiation treatment for breast cancer on his patient, Rose Lee of Chicago. 1900 - The American Baseball League was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Athletics, under the leadership of Connie Mack, were original members of the league. Mack managed the team for fifty years. 1915 - Born this day, (John) Victor Mature, actor, (The Robe, Samson and Delilah, The Las Vegas Story, Song of the Islands, After the Fox). Died 4 August 1999. 1916 - The first bombings of Paris by German Zeppelins took place. 1916 - British military tanks were tested for the first time at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. 1917 - Born this day, John Raitt, actor, singer. 1918 - Born this day, John Forsythe (Freund), actor, (Bachelor Father, Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, To Rome with Love, The Powers That Be, See How They Run, The Miss and Missiles, The John Forsythe Show, And Justice for All, Scrooged; TV host: I Witness Video). 1923 - Born this day, (Sidney) Paddy Chayefsky, Academy Award-winning playwright, (Marty [1955]; Paint Your Wagon, Altered States, Network). Died 1 August 1981. 1924 - R. Taylor of Cleveland, Ohio patented the ice cream cone rolling machine. 1927 - In London, Park Lane Hotel, was the first in Britain to offer a private bathroom for every bedroom. 1934 - Born this day, Noel Harrison, actor, singer (The Best of Enemies, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Murder in China Basin). 1937 - Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra waxed the famous Song of India on Victor Records. 1939 - Born this day, Germaine Greer, feminist author, (Daddy We Hardly Knew You, The Change). 1940 - The W. Atlee Burpee Seed Company displayed the first tetraploid flowers at the New York City Flower Show; and a marigold treated with colchicine produced a flower 1-1/2 times its original size. 1942 - The Protocol of Rio de Janeiro came into force, ending the war between Peru and Ecuador. 1942 - Born this day, Claudine Longet, in Paris, France, singer, (LPs: Claudine, The Look of Love, Love is Blue, Colours, actress, McHale’s Navy, Hogan’s Heroes, co-starred with Peter Sellers in The Party (1968), How to Steal An Airplane, Only One Day Left Before Tomorrow. Was formerly married to Andy Williams (they married in 1962), and then went to jail for shooting her lover, skiing sensation Spider Sabich, in 1976. 1942 - Desert Island Discs started on BBC Radio, presented by Roy Plomley. His first castaway was comedian Vic Oliver. 1943 - Born this day, Mark Wynter, UK singer, 1962 UK No.4 single Venus In Blue Jeans. 1943 - Born this day, Katharine Ross, in Hollywood, California, actress, (The Graduate (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Final Countdown, The Singing Nun, The Colbys). 1943 - Born this day, Tony Blackburn, disc jockey, radio presenter, (first DJ on Radio 1 in 1967). 1944 - Born this day, Andrew Loog Oldham, first Rolling Stones manager. 1945 - Lionel Barrymore became host of the Lux Theatre on radio this day. He replaced the previous host, some chap by the name of Cecil B. DeMille. 1945 - Born this day, Donna Maria Caponi [Young], golf champion, (US Open [1969, 1970], Nabisco Dinah Shore [1980], Du Maurier Classic [1976], LPGA [1979, 1981]; sportscaster: ABC Sports). 1945 - Born this day, Tom Selleck, Emmy Award-winning actor, (Magnum, P.I. [1983-1984], Three Men and a Baby, Mr. Baseball, Runaway, Lassiter, Quigley Down Under, 3 Men and a Little Lady, Running Mates). 1947 - Born this day, David Byron, singer, Uriah Heep, 1975 UK No.7 album Return To Fantasy, Gypsy, Salisbury, July Morning, Easy Livin’, Stalkers and Spice. Died 28 February 1985. 1949 - The ship, The Newport News, was commissioned as the first air-conditioned naval ship in Virginia. 1950 - Born this day, Ann Jillian (Jurate Nauseda), actress, (Ann Jillian, It’s a Living, Jennifer Slept Here, Hazel). 1951 - Nineteen-year-old Elizabeth Taylor was granted her first divorce after one year of marriage. This one was from Conrad 'Nicky' Hilton, Jr. 1952 - Born this day, Tim Healey, actor. 1952 - Born this day, Tommy Ramone [Thomas Erdelyi], musician, drums, The Ramones, Beat on the Brat, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, 1977 UK No.22 single Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. 1953 - Born this day, Louie Perez, Los Lobos, 1987 UK and US No.1 single La Bamba. 1954 - Born this day, Oprah Winfrey, Emmy Award-winning talk show host, Oprah Winfrey [1986, 1990-1994]; actress, (The Color Purple, Native Son, The Women of Brewster Place). 1955 - There were mixed signals as West Indians arrived in Britain. Arrivals on this day travelled on the liner Fairsea, which had been adapted for immigration traffic with 60-berth dormitories. 1956 - One of the last of radio’s popular series programs, Indictment, debuted. The program, on CBS radio, stayed on the air for three years. 1959 - Walt Disney's classic animated film, Sleeping Beauty, was released in US theatres on this date. Reviews and reactions were mixed, as Disney had deviated from the style of animation the public had grown accustomed to. 1960 - Born this day, [Gregory Efthimios] Greg Louganis, diver, Olympic gold medalist [1984, 1988]. 1960 - Five days after a major insurrection in Algeria, French President Charles de Gaulle broadcast a re-affirmation of his colonial policy. 1961 - Born this day, Eddie Jackson, musician, bass, singer, Queensryche, LPs - Queensryche, The Warning, Rage for Order, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, The Promised Land, Operation: Livecrime, 1992 UK No.18 single Silent Lucidity. 1961 - Born this day, Dave Baynton-Power, drums, James, 1991 UK No.2 single Sit Down. 1961 - Born this day, Pauline Henry, singer, 1993 UK solo No.12 single with Bad Company song Feel Like Making Love, The Chimes, 1990 UK No.6 single with the U2 song I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. 1962 - Born this day, Marcus Verne, Living In A Box, 1987 UK No.5 single Living In A Box. 1962 - Peter, Paul and Mary signed with Warner Brothers Records. 1962 - Born this day, Nick Turturro, actor. 1962 - Nuclear test ban talks between the US, Great Britain, and the USSR, broke down after three years of discussion when Britain and America walked out of the talks with the Soviet Union in Geneva. 1963 - Negotiations on Britain's entry into the European Economic Community collapsed. 1964 - Died this day, screen actor Alan Ladd, best known for his role of the mysterious gunfighter in the film Western Shane, committed suicide at age 50 with alcohol combined with sleeping pills and three medicines. Ladd had had a severe drinking problem for many years. 1964 - NBC-TV agreed to pay $36 million for the broadcast rights to the American Football League games during the 1965-1969 seasons. CBS had already locked in the National Football Conference. 1964 - Born this day, Roddy Frame, musician, guitar, singer, songwriter, Aztec Camera, 1988 UK No.3 single Somewhere In My Heart, Oblivious, Walk Out to Winter, All I Need is Everything, Birth of the True, Knife, Just like the USA, solo LP, Love. 1964 - The first date on a twice nightly UK package tour with Dusty Springfield, Bobby Vee and The Swinging Blue Jeans, at The Adelphi Theatre, Slough. 1964 - The Beatles record Sie Liebt Dich (the German version of She Loves You). 1964 - Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove was released. 1964 - The 9th Winter Olympics opened in Innsbruck. 1966 - Sweet Charity, with Gwen Verdon, opened at the Palace Theatre in New York City. The musical, by Neil Simon, was an adaptation of the Federico Fellini film, Notti di Cabiria. The play ran for 608 performances. In 1969, Hollywood produced a big-budget version of the Broadway musical starring Shirley MacLaine. 1968 - Gore Vidal's controversial sex novel, Myra Breckenridge, was published by Little, Brown & Company on this date. It was later made into a film starring Raquel Welch and Mae West. 1968 - Born this day, Ed Burns, director, actor, writer. 1968 - Born this day, Bobbie Phillips, actress. 1968 - Born this day, Heather Mills, model. 1968 - Born this day, Richard Battersby, drums, The Wildhearts, 1996 UK No.14 single Sick Of Drugs. 1969 - Fleetwood Mac had their only UK No.1 single with the instrumental Albatross. 1969 - The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour debuted on CBS-TV. 1970 - Born this day, Heather Graham, actor, model. 1972 - The triple album The Concert For Bangladesh went to No.1 on the UK album chart, organised by George Harrison to raise funds for the people caught up in the war and famine from the area. 1973 - Johnny Rivers received a gold record for the hit single, Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu. As is tradition, Rivers removed the fragile gold disk from the wooden frame and, as he was putting it on his stereo, had a ferocious sneezing fit and never did find out how his song sounded in solid gold. 1974 - Grand Funk recorded The Loco-Motion. 1975 - Born this day, Sara Gilbert (Rebecca Sara MacMahon), actress, (Roseanne; sister of actress, Melissa Gilbert and actor, Jonathan Gilbert). 1976 - On this day, a court in Rome ruled that the film Last Tango in Paris (1972) was obscene, and director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Alberto Grimaldi, and the film's actors, including Marlon Brando, were liable to arrest if they came to the city. 1977 - Former backing band for the Temptations, Rose Royce, went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Car Wash, it made No.9 in the UK. It came from the movie of the same name. The song stayed at the peak of the pop charts for one week, then faded away. 1977 - Gifted comedian and TV actor Freddie Prinze, age 22, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver in front of Martin 'Dusty' Snyder, his business manager. He died in a Los Angeles hospital 36 hours later. Prinze was catapulted to fame in the television sitcom, Chico and the Man, and experienced many emotional problems as a result, as well as a divorce. His suicide note read, "I must end it. There's no hope left. I'll be at peace. No one had anything to do with this. My decision totally." It was later determined that the suicide was actually intended as a practical joke by Prinze, who was under the influence of Quaaludes. He had faked suicide attempts in front of network secretaries earlier that day. Whether Prinze thought the gun was empty, thought that the safety was on, or just wasn't thinking due to the drugs, the joke he thought he was pulling on Snyder resulted in his untimely death. 1979 - Born this day, Andrew Keegan, actor. 1979 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer disbanded - for the first time. 1979 - Teenager Brenda Spencer made national US headlines when she suddenly started shooting at people with a gun at school killing two people. When asked why she did it, she answered 'I Don't like Mondays'. 1980 - The Clash appeared at St Georges Hall, Bradford. The Pretenders appeared at The Locarno, Portsmouth and Dexy’s Midnight Runners appeared at The City Hall, Perth, Scotland. 1980 - Died this day, [Schnozzle] Jimmy Durante, US comedian, aged 87. 1981 - Died this day, Cozy Cole, singer (Topsy II), of cancer. 1982 - Flying Back from Cannes, France, Gary Numan made a forced landing after running low on fuel at an RAF base outside Southampton, the press ran stories that he had in fact crash landed on the A3057. 1983 - Australian group Men At Work went to No.1 on the British and American singles and album charts simultaneously with Down Under, and Business As Usual. The last artist to achieve this was Rod Stewart in 1971. 1983 - Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks married Kim Anderson, a Warner Brothers records promotion man. 1985 - Oxford dons voted not to grant Mrs. Thatcher an honourary degree. 1985 - Appearing at Bath Moles Club, were The Blow Monkeys. 1985 - The Dow Jones industrial average peaked at a new high of 1,292.62, eclipsing the record set on 29 November 1983. 1987 - For artists everywhere, this note from the So Now We Know Department: The famous smile of Mona Lisa, according to Physician’s Weekly, was caused by a '...facial paralysis resulting from a swollen nerve behind the ear'. 1989 - Billy Joel sang the American national anthem at Super Bowl XXIII. 1989 - Marc Almond started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, with guest vocals from Gene Pitney. 1989 - The first of 20 episodes of the children's television program, Shining Time Station, the half-hour American version of Britain's Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, was aired in the US on PBS. Former Beatle drummer Ringo Starr was originally cast as the 18-inch-tall Mr. Conductor. A few years later, he was replaced by comedian George Carlin. 1991 - Nelson Mandela, now president of South Africa, and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi held the first talks for almost 30 years between predominantly Zulu Inkatha and the ethnically mixed African National Congress. 1994 - Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, who came to power pledging to clean up Japan's corrupt politics, saw his reform bills pass into law but in a watered-down form. 1994 - Ulrike Maier, olympic skier, broke his neck during a world cup skiing event at the age of 26. 1994 - Mary Wilson of the Supremes was hurt and her son was killed in a California car crash. 1995 - On the anniversary of the 1942 treaty between them, tensions between Ecuador and Peru flared again when Ecuador said it had downed a helicopter on the disputed border. 1996 - Eight people died in South Africa when gunmen opened fire on people lining up for jobs at a Johannesburg factory. 1996 - Venice's famous opera house, named La Fenice or The Phoenix, was destroyed by fire for the second time in its history. 1996 - George Michael had the UK No.1 single with Jesus To A Child. 1998 - The Paul Simon musical The Cape Man opened (3 weeks late) on Broadway. It lasted for only 68 performances. 2001 - A New York based data company issued a chart listing sales of posthumous albums. The idea came about after radio stations wanted to distinguish between proper recordings when the artists were alive and CD’s released after they died. Mike Shalett founder of SoundScan said there was only one problem. What to call the chart? The Top 5 chart had The Doors at No.5, Eva Cassidy at 4, Jimi Hendrix at 3, Bob Marley at 2 and 2Pac at No.1. 2002 - The food and farming industries in England were "unsustainable and dysfunctional", a Government-appointed commission concluded. 2003 - Solicitor Sally Clark, aged 38, jailed for life for murdering her two baby sons, was freed by the Court of Appeal. |
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.