This Day in History
February 1

What happened in history on this day: February 1? On February 1 in ... 656 - Sigebert III, king of Austrasia, dies at about age 25. 772 - Adrian I begins his reign as Catholic Pope. 1204 - Alexius IV Angelus regent of Byzantium (1203-04), murdered. 1248 - Hendrik II duke of Brabant (1235-48), dies. 1294 - Louis II the Stern, ruler of Upper-Bayern, dies. 1328 - Charles IV the Handsome, King of France (1322-28), dies. 1459 - Birth of Conradus Celtis in Wipfeld, Germany; poet. 1502 - Olivier de la Marche Flemish writer/poet/governor, dies. 1539 - Emperor Karel and King François I sign anti-English treaty. 1542 - Hieronymus Aleander [Girólamo Aleandro], Italian diplomat, dies at age 61. 1552 - Birth of Sir Edward Coke England, jurist/politician (defended common law). 1587 - English queen Elizabeth I signs Mary Stuart's death sentence. 1603 - Birth of Michael Trumper composer. 1605 - Birth of Isaac Aboab de Fonseca Portuguese/Netherlands rabbi/mystic. 1633 - Birth of Gabriel Schutz composer. 1650 - Rene Descartes philosopher "I think therefore I am", stops thinking. 1659 - Birth of Jacob Roggeveen Dutch Swiss lawyer/navigator (Easter Island). 1662 - Dutch garrison on Formosa surrenders for Chinese pirates. 1666 - Sjihab al-Din Sultan C Shah Djahan mogol of India (Taj-Mahal), dies. 1669 - Abandoned child Huygens friend poet Catharina Questiers, buried at age 31. 1669 - Birth of Miguel Lopez composer. 1669 - French King Louis XIV limits freedom of religion. 1690 - Birth of Francesco Maria Veracini Italian opera composer. 1691 - Alexander VIII [Pietro Ottoboni], Italian Pope (1689-91), dies at age 80. 1691 - George Etherege English stage writer (Love in a Tub), dies at age 56. 1694 - John L baron van Elderen 63rd bishop of Liege (1688-94), dies at age 73. 1709 - British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a desert island (Fernandez Island) for five years, his story is the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe". 1710 - Birth of Konrad E Ackermann German actor (Die Oberpfalz). 1717 - Henri d'Aguesseau's first appointment as chancellor of France. 1720 - Sweden and Prussia sign peace treaty. 1732 - Parliament of Ratisborn accept Pragmatic Sanctions. 1733 - August II the Strong, King of Poland (355 children), dies at age 62. 1742 - Sardinia and Austria sign alliance. 1743 - Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni Italian composer, dies at age 85. 1747 - Jacobus E J Capitein Dutch slave/vicar/merchant, dies. 1757 - Birth of John P Kemble England; actor/director (Drury Lane, Covent Garden). 1763 - Birth of Thomas Campbell founder (Church of Disciples in America). 1783 - William Herschel announces star Lambda Herculis as apex. 1788 - First US steamboat patent issued, by Georgia to Briggs and Longstreet. 1789 - Birth of Hippolyte-André-Baptiste Chelard composer. 1789 - Chinese troops driven out of Vietnam capital Thang Long. 1790 - US Supreme Court convenes for the first time (New York City, New York). 1791 - Birth of Charles J Sax Belgian music instrument builder. 1793 - France declares war on England and Netherlands. 1793 - Patent granted Ralph Hodgson, New York, for oiled silk and linen. 1795 - Giacomo Insanguine composer, dies at age 66. 1801 - Birth of Adolf Fredrik Lindblad composer. 1801 - Birth of Thomas Cole US, romantic landscape painter (Hudson River School). 1805 - Birth of Auguste Blanqui France, revolutionary (workers' leader). 1807 - Birth of Henri Klimrath French lawyer (Mémoire sur lesson Olim). 1807 - Birth of William Bowen Campbell Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1867. 1809 - Dutch King Louis Napoleon accepts metric system. 1810 - First insurance company managed by blacks (American Insurance Company of Philadelphia). 1810 - Birth of Charles Lenox Remond Salem Massachusetts, famous black. 1810 - Seville, Spain surrenders to the French. 1810 - US Population - 7,239,881; Black population - 1,377,808 (19%). 1814 - Lord Byron's "The Corsair" sells 10,000 copies on the day of publication. 1814 - Volcano Mayon on Luzon Philippines erupts killing 1,200. 1818 - Giuseppi Gazzaniga composer, dies at age 74. 1819 - Birth of Henry Lawrence Eustis Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1885. 1821 - Birth of Charles Samvei Bovy-Lysberg composer. 1824 - Maria Theresia von Paradis composer, dies at age 64. 1827 - Birth of Alphonse de Rothschild French banker. 1829 - Birth of John Potts Slough Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1867. 1832 - Ecco Epkema Dutch classic linguist (Frisian/Old Frisian), dies at age 71. 1833 - Birth of Henry McNeal Turner black methodist bishop. 1838 - Abraham de Veer Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1822-28), dies at age 71. 1839 - Birth of James A Herne [J Aherne], US playwright (Hearts of Oak). 1839 - Giuseppe Valadier Italian architect/archaeologist, dies at age 76. 1840 - Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, first in US, incorporated. 1841 - Birth of William H H Davenport Buffalo, stage medium. 1844 - Birth of Eduard Adolf Strasburger German botanist (Angiospermen). 1844 - Birth of Granville Stanley Hall US, psychologist. 1848 - Birth of Adhémar Esmein French lawyer. 1851 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley novelist (Frankenstein), dies at age 53. 1859 - Birth of Victor August Herbert Dublin Ireland, composer (Babes in Toyland). 1860 - First rabbi to open House of Representatives, Morris Raphall of New York City, New York. 1861 - Dike breaks in Gelderland Netherlands. 1861 - Texas becomes seventh state to secede. 1862 - Julia Howe publishes "Battle Hymn of the Republic". 1864 - Second German-Danish war begins. 1864 - Austrian/Prussian troops occupy Sleeswijk/Holstein. 1864 - Battle of Yazoo River, Mississippi. 1865 - JS Rock, first black lawyer to practice in Supreme Court, admitted to bar. 1865 - 13th amendment approved (National Freedom Day). 1865 - General Sherman's march through South Carolina begins. 1867 - Bricklayers start working 8-hour days. 1869 - Birth of Johannes F "Frits" Bakker Sr; actor (Holland Tooneelgezelschap). 1869 - Frederik W Conrad hydraulic engineer/railway pioneer, dies at age 68. 1871 - Alexander Nikoleyevich Serov composer, dies at age 51. 1871 - Jefferson Long of Georgia is first black to make an official speech in House of Representatives (opposing leniency to former Confederates). 1872 - Birth of Paul Fort French poet/founder of Vers et Prose. 1873 - Birth of Clara Butt Southwick Sussex, contralto (Country of Hope and Glory). 1873 - Matthew Maury hydrographer, dies. 1874 - Birth of Hugo von Hofmannsthal Austria, poet/dramatist/essayist. 1875 - Birth of Eddie Pola composer (Lullabye of Broadway). 1875 - William Sterndale Bennett composer, dies at age 58. 1877 - Birth of Thomas Frederick Dunhill composer. 1877 - Joseph-Leon Gatayes composer, dies at age 71. 1878 - Birth of Hattie Wyatt Caraway politician/teacher/first woman elected to senate. 1878 - George Cruikshank English illustrator (Grimm), dies at age 85. 1879 - Birth of Sydney Baynes composer. 1880 - Birth of Antonio Guarnieri composer. 1880 - Birth of Francesco Balilla Pratella composer. 1881 - Birth of Jose Ignacio Quinton composer. 1881 - US Assay Office in Saint Louis Missouri authorized. 1882 - Birth of Louis Saint Laurent Compton Québec Canada, (Liberal) 12th Canadian Prime Minister (1948-57). 1883 - Birth of Jevgeni B Vachtangov Armenian/Russian actor/director (Eric XIV). 1883 - French Lieutenant-Colonel Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes reaches Bamako on the Niger. 1883 - Pavel Melnikov Russian historian/author, dies. 1884 - First volume of the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary : A-Ant, published. 1884 - Birth of Yevgeny Zamyatin Russia, novelist/playwright (We). 1885 - Birth of Camille Chautemps premier France. 1887 - Birth of Dirk Roosenburg Dutch architect. 1887 - Harvey Wilcox of Kansas subdivides 120 acres he owned in Southern California and starts selling it off as a real estate development (Hollywood). 1889 - Birth of Gertrude Caton-Thompson British archaeologist (Zimbabwe, Southern Arabia). 1889 - Joseph Gungl composer, dies at age 78. 1891 - Birth of James Price Johnson composer. 1892 - Birth of K Rudolf Mengelberg composer/musicologist (Amsterdam Concert Hall). 1892 - Mrs William Astor invites 400 guests to a grand ball at her mansion thus beginning the use of the "400" to describe the socially elite. 1893 - Giacomo Puccini's Opera "Manon Lescaut" premieres in Turin. 1893 - Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey. 1895 - Birth of John Ford Maine, director (Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man). 1896 - Birth of Anastasio "Tacho" Somoza General/President of Nicaragua (1937-56). 1896 - Giacomo Puccini's Opera "La Boheme" premieres in Turin. 1897 - Birth of Denise Robins London, romantic novelist (first Long Kiss). 1898 - First auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Company. 1900 - Birth of Stephen Potter humorist/writer (School for Scoundrels, Shipbuilders). 1901 - Birth of Clark Gable in Cadiz, Ohio; actor (Gone With the Wind). 1902 - Birth of Carlo Borbolla composer. 1902 - Birth of Langston Hughes; poet/translator (The Weary Blues). 1902 - China's empress Tzu-hsi forbids binding woman's feet. 1902 - Hermann Sudermanns "Es lebe das Leben" premieres in Berlin. 1902 - Salomon Jaoassohn composer, dies at age 70. 1903 - Birth of Georg Rendl Austria miner/bee-keeper/writer (The Bees Novel). 1903 - George G Stokes British physicist/presidential Royal Society, dies at age 83. 1904 - Birth of S J Perelman in Brooklyn, New York; author/humorist (Around the World in 80 Days). 1904 - Peter PM Alberdingk Thijm Dutch historian/writer, dies at age 76. 1905 - Birth of Emilio Segre. 1905 - Birth of Ernst Carl Gerlach Stueckelberg. 1905 - Hague soccer team ADO forms. 1905 - Hungarian premier Tisza resigns. 1905 - Oswald Aschenbach German painter, dies at age 77. 1906 - First federal penitentiary building completed, Leavenworth KS. 1906 - Birth of Hildegarde Adell Wisconsin, night club singer (I'll Be Seeing You). 1906 - Birth of Pierre Cardevielle French composer/conductor (Amants Captifs). 1906 - English Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Grey's wife Dorothy fatally injured. 1907 - Birth of Alan Strode Campbell Ross professor (coined the terms U and non-U). 1907 - Birth of Camargo Guarnieri Brazil, composer/conductor. 1907 - Birth of Günter Eich German literary (Underground Highway, Girls of Viterbo). 1907 - Birth of John Canaday art critic (Metropolitan Museum of Art Portfolios). 1907 - Birth of Mozart Camargo Guarnieri composer. 1907 - Birth of Sándor Veress Hungarian pianist/composer. 1908 - Birth of Albie Booth collegiate Hall of Fame football star (Yale). 1908 - Birth of Edward Staempfli composer. 1908 - Birth of George Pal Hungarian/US director (When Worlds Collide, Puppetoons). 1908 - Carlos I King of Portugal (1889-1908), assassinated by mob at age 44. 1909 - Birth of Douglas Hall Governor (Somaliland Protectorate). 1909 - Birth of Helen Chandler Charleston South Carolina, actress (Christopher Strong, Dracula). 1909 - US Assay Office in Salt Lake City, Utah opens. 1910 - First British labour exchange opens. 1910 - Birth of H Stanley Cayzer. 1910 - Birth of Jahangir Khan cricketer (father of Majid, Indian player 1932-36). 1910 - Birth of Michael Kanin Rochester New York, director/writer/actor (Woman of the Year). 1910 - Dragoumis government forms in Greece. 1910 - Otto Julius Bierbaum German writer (Irrgarten Der Liebe), dies at age 44. 1913 - Birth of Jeffrey Kindersley Quill Test pilot. 1913 - New York City's Grand Central Terminal opens as the world's largest train station. 1914 - Birth of Hans Zülig Swiss dancer. 1914 - New York Giants and Chicago White Sox play an exhibition baseball game in Egypt. 1914 - Pennsylvania State Board of [motion picture] Censors appointed. 1914 - Tanganyika Railway opens. 1915 - Birth of Sir Stanley Matthews first British soccer player to be knighted. 1916 - Anton Simon composer, dies at age 65. 1916 - Birth of Gordon Hobday Lord Lieutenant (Nottinghamshire). 1917 - Admiral Tirpitz announces unlimited submarine war. 1918 - Birth of Maurice Laing life president (John Laing). 1918 - Birth of Muriel Spark Edinburgh Scotland, novelist (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie). 1918 - Franz Lehárs opera "Wo die Lerche singt" premieres in Budapest. 1918 - Kern, Bolton and Wodehouse's musical premieres in New York City, New York. 1919 - Brooklyn Dodgers trade Jake Daubert to Cincinnati Reds for Tommy Griffith Daubert. 1920 - First commercial armored car introduced (Saint Paul Minnesota). 1920 - Birth of Kenneth Bond former vice-chairman. 1920 - Birth of Pierre Jonquéres d'Oriola France, equestrian jumper (Olympics-gold-1952, 64). 1920 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police forms as Royal Northwest Mounted Police merge with Dominion Police. 1920 - Soccer team Quick Boys forms. 1921 - Birth of Peter Sallis actor (Taste the Blood of Dracula). 1922 - Birth of Bogumil Witalis Andrzejewski professor of Cushtic Languages. 1922 - Birth of Clifford McWatt cricketer (West Indies wicket-keeper in six Tests 1954-55). 1922 - Birth of Renata Tebaldi opera singer (La Bohéme). 1922 - William Desmond Taylor director/actor (Broken Coin), dies at age 49. 1923 - Allied ultimatum on Lithuanian occupation of Memel. 1923 - Fascists Voluntary Militia forms in Italy under Mussolini. 1923 - Noël Coward's "Young Idea" premieres in London. 1924 - Amsterdam's Netherlands Press Museum opens. 1924 - New British MacDonald government recognizes USSR. 1924 - Soccer team VSV Tonido forms in Voorburg. 1925 - First national conference of KPD's Rotfrontkämpferbund in Berlin. 1926 - Birth of Douglas Johnson historian. 1926 - Birth of Peter Crill Bailiff of Jersey. 1926 - Birth of Stuart Whitman San Francisco California; actor (Captain Apache, Ransom, Cimarron Strip, Revenge). 1926 - Kirghiz Autonomous Region in RSFSR becomes Kirghiz ASSR. 1926 - Land at Broadway and Wall Street sold at a record $7 per square inch. 1927 - Birth of Galway Kinnell Providence Rhode Island, author (Body Rags, Book of Nightmares). 1928 - Birth of Peter Gordon Dorrell archaeologist/photographer. 1928 - Birth of Sam Edwards physicist. 1928 - Birth of Thomas Eric Evans dean (Saint Paul's). 1928 - Birth of Tom Lantos (Representative-Democrat-California, 1981-). 1928 - Birth of Ursula Mamlok composer. 1929 - First clean and jerk of 400 pounds (182 kg), Charles Rigoulet, 402.5 pounds. 1929 - August Otto Halm composer, dies at age 59. 1930 - Arnold Schönbergs opera premieres in Frankfurt. 1930 - Birth of Peter Tapsell British Member of Parliament. 1931 - Birth of Barrel [ABM] Frinking, teacher/Dutch Member of Parliament (CVP). 1931 - Birth of Boris Yeltsin in Ural Mountains, USSR; president of Russian Soviet Socialist Republic (dies 2007). 1931 - Birth of Madeline Berthod Switzerland, downhill skier (Olympics-gold-1956). 1931 - Birth of Mark Richmond CEO (Science and Engineering Research Council). 1931 - Birth of Ton [ABM] Frinking Dutch Member of Parliament (CDA). 1932 - Birth of John Hart Denver Colorado, newsman (CBS News Retrospective, NBC News). 1932 - Birth of John Nott British Member of Parliament. 1932 - Bradman makes 299 vs South Africa, runs out partner going for 300th. 1933 - Birth of Reynolds Price US writer (Strengthened by a Pale Green Light). 1933 - Colonial government arrests Anton de Kom in Paramaribo Suriname. 1933 - Dutch bishops forbid membership in non-catholic unions. 1933 - German Parliament dissolves, General Ludendorf predicts catastrophe. 1934 - Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss dissolves all political parties but his own. 1934 - Birth of Bob Shane vocalist (Kingston Trio-Scarlet Ribbons). 1935 - First "March of Time" newsreel premieres at the Capitol. 1935 - Birth of Ruth Clarke Moderator (General Assembly of the United Reform Church). 1935 - Birth of Vladimir Viktorovich Aksyonov USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 22, T-2). 1935 - James T Farrell finishes his "Studs Lonigan" trilogy. 1936 - Birth of G H Blake Principal (Collingwood College, Durham University). 1937 - Birth of Don Everly Brownie Kentucky, singer (Everly Brothers-Wake Up Little Susie). 1937 - Birth of Garrett Morris in New Orleans, Louisiana; actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, Martin, Carwash). 1937 - Birth of Ray Sawyer [Dr Hook] Alabama, vocalist (Dr Hook-When You're in Love). 1937 - Marguerite Audoux writer, dies. 1937 - Stapleton, Staten Island becomes a customs-free port. 1938 - Birth of Jacky Cupit golfer (Rookie of the Year 1961). 1938 - Birth of Jimmy Carl Black rocker (Mothers Of Invention). 1938 - Birth of Sherman Hemsley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; actor (All in the Family, Jeffersons, Amen). 1939 - Birth of Del McCoury bluegrass singer/musician. 1939 - Birth of Paul E Gillmor (Representative-Republican-Ohio). 1939 - Birth of Ray Sawyer rocker. 1940 - Birth of Herve Filion sulky driver (1969 Canadian Sports Hall of Fame). 1940 - Russia begins new offensive against Finland. 1941 - Birth of Anatoliy Firssov USSR, ice hockey play (Olympics-gold-1964, 68, 72). 1941 - Birth of Franco Nones Italy, 30K cross country skier (Olympics-gold-1968). 1941 - Birth of Robert Walmsley British Vice-Admiral. 1941 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Jane Vaughn. 1941 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Eugene Turner. 1942 - Second Norwegian government of Quisling forms. 1942 - Birth of Bibi Besch Vienna Austria, actress (Star Trek 2, The Beast Within). 1942 - Birth of Dave Sincock cricketer (chinaman bowler played for Australia 1964-66). 1942 - Birth of Terry Jones in Colwyn Bay, North Wales; actor/comedian (Monty Python). 1943 - Birth of Josceline Dimbleby cookery writer. 1943 - Birth of Lord Mountevans. 1943 - Birth of Tina Sloan New York, actress (Lillian-Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow). 1943 - German occupiers make Vidkun Quisling Norwegian premier. 1943 - Mussert forms pro Nazi shadow cabinet (Netherlands). 1944 - Birth of Leo Burmester Louisville Kentucky; actor (Flo, Chiefs, The Abyss, Odd Jobs). 1944 - Birth of Tommy Duffy rocker (Echos). 1944 - Martin Lunssens composer, dies at age 72. 1944 - Piet Mondrian abstract painter (Composition in Blue), dies at age 71. 1944 - Supreme Soviet enlarges soviet republics' autonomy. 1944 - US 7th Infantry/25th Marine Division lands on Kwajalein/Roi/Namur. 1945 - Birth of Ole Buck composer. 1945 - Johan Huizinga Dutch culture historian (Homo Ludens), dies at age 72. 1945 - US Army arrives at Siegfriedlinie. 1946 - Birth of Bert Braverman Los Angeles California; actor (Bobby-Vega$, Roy-New Odd Couple). 1946 - Hans Betghe writer, dies at age 70. 1946 - Republic of Hungary proclaimed, Zolt n Tildy as communist president. 1946 - Trygve Lie, a Norwegian socialist, becomes first Secretary-General of United Nations. 1947 - Birth of Jessica Savitch in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; news anchor (NBC). 1947 - Aleide de Gasperi forms Italian government of Christian-democrats and communists. 1947 - Birth of Adam Ingram British Member of Parliament. 1947 - Birth of Terry Hibbitt soccer star. 1947 - Dmitri Shostakovich named professor at conservatory of Leningrad. 1947 - NV United Dutch Fokker's Aircraft established. 1948 - Rick James is born (dies 2004). 1948 - Birth of Debbie Austin LPGA golfer. 1948 - Birth of Jennifer Adams superintendent (Central Royal Parks). 1948 - Federation Malaysia forms from 9 sultanates. 1948 - Palestine Post building in Jerusalem bombed. 1949 - 200" (5.08-metre) Hale telescope first used. 1949 - Birth of Jimmy Lee Thorpe Roxboro North Carolina, PGA golfer (1985 Greater Milwaukee Open). 1949 - Herbert Stothart composer, dies at age 63. 1949 - RCA releases first single record ever (45 rpm). 1950 - Harry Blomberg Swedish author (Jacobs Dröm), dies at age 56. 1950 - USSR demands condemnation of Emperor Hirohito for war crimes. 1950 - Urko Kekkonen elected president of Finland. 1951 - -50 degrees F (-46 degrees C), Gavilan New Mexico (state record). 1951 - First X-ray moving picture process demonstrated. 1951 - First telecast of atomic explosion - US nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1951 - Alfred Krupp and 28 other German war criminals freed. 1951 - Birth of Andrew Smith British Member of Parliament. 1951 - Birth of Brandis Kemp Palo Alto California, actress/comedienne (Fridays). 1951 - United Nations condemns People's Republic of China as aggressor in Korea. 1952 - General strike against French colonial management in Tunisia. 1952 - S[amuel] N[athaniel] Behrman's "Jane" premieres in New York City, New York. 1953 - General Electric Theater premieres on CBS TV. 1953 - You Are There with Walter Cronkite premieres on CBS television. 1953 - Birth of Andy Mill skier/husband of Chris Evert. 1953 - Birth of C A Barnett headmaster (Whitgift School). 1953 - Dr A de Waal appointed as Netherlands first female assistant Secretary of state. 1953 - Flooding in Netherlands, kills 1,835. 1954 - First TV soap opera Secret Storm premieres. 1954 - Birth of Billy Mumy in California; actor (Will Robinson - Lost in Space, Dear Brigitte). 1954 - Birth of Mike Campbell guitarist (Tom Petty and Heartbreakers-Breakdown). 1954 - Julius P Hoste Belgian minister/newspaper publisher, dies at age 69. 1954 - Scapino Ballet Studio in Amsterdam destroyed by fire. 1954 - Soccer team The County forms in Doetinchem. 1955 - Birth of Kate Ashbrook General Secretary (Open Spaces Society). 1955 - H C Hansen appointed premier of Denmark. 1956 - Hague Daily Newspaper reveals war crimes of Hague mayor Schokking. 1957 - First black pilot (PH Young) on a US scheduled passenger airline. 1957 - Birth of Donna Adamek Duarte California, bowler (BWAA Woman of Year 1978-81). 1957 - Friedrich von Paulus German field marshal (Stalingrad), dies at age 66. 1957 - Gijsbert of Hall appointed mayor of Amsterdam. 1957 - Felix Wankel's first working prototype DKM 54 of the Wankel engine is running at the NSU research and development department Versuchsabteilung TX in Germany. 1958 - Birth of Maureen Madill in Coleraine, Northern Ireland; golfer (British Open Amateur 1979). 1958 - Egypt and Syria announce plans to merge into United Arab Republic. 1959 - Birth of Anthony LaPaglia in Adelaide, South Australia; actor (Murder One, Criminal Justice, Betsy's Wedding). 1959 - Birth of Carolyn Hill in Santa Monica, California, USA; LPGA golfer (1994 McCall's Classic). 1959 - Birth of Mike Horan; NFL punter (New York Giants). 1959 - Birth of Wade Wilson; NFL quarterback (Dallas Cowboys). 1959 - Madame Sul-To-Wan [Conley], actress (Birth of a Nation), dies at age 85. 1959 - Swiss males vote against voting rights for women. 1959 - Texas Instruments requests patent of integrated circuit. 1959 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Carol Heiss. 1959 - US male Figure Skating championship won by David Jenkins. 1959 - Wiffi Smith wins LPGA Havana Golf Tournament. 1959 - Zack Wheat unanimously elected to baseball Hall of Fame. 1960 - 34th Australian Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith beats J Lehane (7-5, 6-2). 1960 - Four students stage first civil rights sit-in, at Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworths store. 1960 - 48th Australian Men's Tennis: Rod Laver beats N Fraser (5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6). 1960 - Extreme right-wing rebels in Algiers surrender. 1961 - First full-scale test of US Minuteman ICBM is successful. 1961 - Birth of Daniel M Tani in Ridley Park, Maryland, USA; astronaut. 1961 - Birth of Gabrielle Carteris in Phoenix, Arizona, USA; actress (Beverly Hills 90210). 1961 - Birth of Gina Hull in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; LPGA golfer (1989 USX Golf Classic-8th). 1961 - British minister Enoch Powell makes medical insurance more expensive. 1961 - Mackay and Kline hang on for 100 minutes for cricket draw vs West Indies. 1962 - National League releases its first 162-game schedule. 1963 - Nyasaland (later Malawi) becomes self-governing under Hastings Banda. 1964 - Stop the World, I Want to... closes at Shubert Theater in New York City after 556 performances. 1964 - The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" first #1 hit and stays #1 for 7 weeks. 1964 - Birth of Dwayne Rudolph Goettel; musician. 1964 - Birth of Jani Lane; rocker (Warrant-Cherry Pie). 1964 - Birth of Kaitlin Hopkins in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Kelsey - Another World). 1964 - Birth of Sharon Bruneau in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actress (Sensuous Muscle). 1964 - Indiana Governor Mathew Walsh tries to ban "Louie Louie" for obscenity. 1964 - Suriname River dammed. 1965 - Birth of Brandon Lee in Emerson, Colorado, USA; actor (Showdown in Little Tokyo). 1965 - Birth of David Callaghan; cricketer (South African all-rounder in one-dayers 1992). 1965 - Birth of Sherilyn Fenn in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actress (Two Moon Junction, Twin Peaks). 1965 - Birth of Stephanie Marie Elisabeth de Grimaldi in Monte Carlo, Monaco; Princess. 1965 - Dutch Queen Juliana opens Brienenoord Bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 1965 - Martin Luther King Jr and 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma, Alabama. 1965 - National League adopts emergency team replacement plan to restock any club struck by disaster. 1965 - Peter Jennings, age 26, becomes anchor of ABC's nightly news show. 1966 - Birth of Eddie Zambrano; Venezuelan/US baseball outfielder (Chicago Cubs). 1966 - Birth of Michelle Akers in Santa Clara, California, USA; soccer forward (Olympics-1996). 1966 - Buster Keaton [Joseph Francis], US comic (General), dies at age 69. 1966 - Hedda Hopper [Elda Furry], US gossip columnist, dies at age 75. 1966 - Nicholas Piantanida sets balloon flight record and dies in descent. 1966 - William Harrigan, actor (Invisible Man, Girl in 419), dies at age 71. 1967 - Birth of Tim Naehring in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; infielder (Boston Red Sox). 1967 - Ernie Bromley, cricketer (two Tests for Australia 1933-34), dies. 1967 - Langston Hughes, poet/translator (Weary Blues), dies on 65th birthday. 1967 - Severe brush fires in Tasmania destroy $11 million and 60 lives. 1968 - Birth of George Quigley Jr in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; skeet (Olympics-1996). 1968 - Birth of Javier Sanchez in Spain; tennis star. 1968 - Birth of Kent Mercker in Dublin, Ohio, USA; pitcher (Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles). 1968 - Birth of Lisa Marie Presley Keough Jackson in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, daughter of Elvis Presley. 1968 - Birth of Mark Recchi in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada; NHL right wing (Montreal Canadiens). 1968 - Birth of Pauly Shore in Hollywood, California, USA; comedian (Totally Pauly, Encino Man). 1968 - Birth of Sean Millington; Canadian Football League fullback (British Columbia Lions). 1968 - Famous photo: Saigon police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan executes a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head. 1968 - Former US Vice-President Richard Nixon announces candidacy for President. 1968 - Lawson Little, amateur golfer (US/British Opens 1934, 1935), dies at age 57. 1968 - Vince Lombardi resigns as coach of the Green Bay Packers. 1968 - World trade conference Unctad 2 opens in New Delhi. 1969 - Birth of Bryan Jacob in Palatka, Florida, USA; 59 kg (130 pounds) weightlifter (Olympics-1992, 1996). 1969 - Birth of John Moore; Australian baseball catcher (Olympics-1996). 1969 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn. 1969 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Tim Wood. 1970 - Birth of Eric Mobley; NBA center (Vancouver Grizzlies). 1970 - Birth of Malik Sealy; NBA guard/forward (Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers). 1970 - Blaz Arnic, composer, dies at age 69. 1970 - Ford Frick, Earle Combs and Jesse Haines elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1970 - Stalled commuter train rammed by express in Argentina, 139 die. 1970 - West Germany and USSR sign gas contract. 1971 - Birth of Ajay Jadeja; cricketer (Indian opening batsman). 1971 - Birth of Derek Byrd; NFL cornerback (New Orleans Saints). 1971 - Birth of Robert O'Neal; WLAF safety (Amsterdam Admirals). 1971 - Birth of Tommy Salo in Surahammar, Sweden; NHL goalie (Team Sweden, New York Islanders). 1971 - Jim A J Christy, cricketer (10 Tests for South Africa, 638 runs at 34 33), dies. 1972 - First scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) introduced (US$395). 1972 - Birth of Brian Krause; actor (December, Sleepwalkers, Return to Blue Lagoon). 1972 - Birth of Geoff Sanderson in Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada; NHL left wing (Hartford Whalers). 1972 - Birth of Richard Becker in Aurora, Illinois, USA; outfielder (Minnesota Twin). 1972 - Birth of [Thomas] Carlton Bruner; American 1500-metre freestyle swimmer (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Birth of Andrew DeClercq; NBA forward (Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics). 1973 - Birth of Elena Makarova in Moscow, Russia; tennis star (1993 Futures-Val). 1973 - Birth of Michael Joyce in Santa Monica, California, USA; tennis star (1989 USTA National Boys' 18). 1973 - Birth of Tlia Reima; ice hockey center (Finland, Olympics-1998). 1973 - Monte Irvin elected to baseball Hall of Fame. 1974 - TV show Good Times (spinoff from Maude) premieres on CBS TV. 1974 - Birth of Jennifer Lien; actress (Hannah Moore - Another World). 1974 - Birth of Randy Josselyn in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Fever Lake, Andy Colby's Incredible Adventure). 1974 - Birth of Walter McCarty; NBA forward (Boston Celtics). 1974 - Lynda Ann Healy, first Bundy murder victim, abducted in Seattle, Washington. 1974 - Marieluise Fleißer, writer, dies at age 71. 1975 - First successful Washington Capitals' penalty shot, Ken Lockett vs Vancouver Canucks. 1975 - Birth of Martijn Reuser; Dutch soccer player (Ajax). 1975 - Otis Francis Tabler is first open homosexual to get security clearance to work for the US Defense Department. 1975 - Richard Wattis, actor (Dick and the Duchess, Liberace), dies at age 62. 1976 - Rich Man, Poor Man mini-series premieres on ABC TV. 1976 - East Lansing police arrest Los Angeles Dodgers' reliever Mike Marshall for taking batting practice at Michigan State University after he is warned not to. 1976 - Edgar Pangborn, sci-fi author (Judgment of Eve, Davy), dies at age 66. 1976 - Judy Rankin win LPGA Burdine's Golf Invitational. 1976 - Sonny and Cher resume TV show, despite real-life divorce. 1976 - Werner C Heisenberg, physicist (Nobel Prize 1932, field theory), dies at age 74. 1977 - Edmond [Moore] Hamilton, American sci-fi author (Danger Planet), dies at age 72. 1977 - Heavy blizzard in New England claims 100 lives. 1977 - Hillsdale High School defeats Person High School 2-0 in basketball. 1979 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile. 1979 - Mort Marshall, actor (Cully-Dumplings), dies at age 60. 1979 - Patricia Hearst is released from a San Francisco prison for bank robbery. 1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. 1980 - TV soap opera Love of Life ends a 28-year run. 1980 - Birth of Courtney Hamilton; Miss Arizona Teen-USA (1996). 1980 - Jack Bailey, TV host (Queen for a Day), dies at age 72. 1980 - Romolo Valli, actor (Boom, La Viaccia), dies at age 54. 1981 - 31st NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 123-120 at Cleveland, Ohio. 1981 - Ernst Pepping, composer, dies at age 79. 1981 - French government accord sends 60 Mirage fighter jets to Iraq. 1981 - Nils Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer, dies at age 72 (born 1908). 1981 - Sandra Palmer win LPGA Whirlpool Golf Championship of Deer Creek. 1981 - Trevor Chappell bowls underarm to Brian McKechnie, WSC Final Melbourne Cricket Ground. 1981 - Wanda Hendrix, actress (Sierra, Ride the Pink Horse), dies. 1981 - 11th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 21-7. 1982 - Senegal and Gambia form loose confederation (Senegambia). 1983 - Tullio Campagnolo, Italian bicycle manufacturer, dies. 1983 - USSR performs underground nuclear test. 1984 - China and Netherlands regain diplomatic relations. 1984 - Daniel Stern becomes NBA commissioner. 1984 - Ravindara Mhatrem, Indian diplomat, kidnapped in England (killed February 3). 1984 - Birth of Lee Thompson Young, American actor. 1984 - Birth of Darren Fletcher, Scottish football player. 1984 - Medicare comes into effect in Australia. 1985 - -61 degrees F (-52 degrees C), Maybell, Colorado (state record). 1985 - -69 degrees F (-56 degrees C), Peter's Sink, Utah (state record). 1985 - Birth of Dean Shiels; Northern Irish footballer. 1985 - AM stereo broadcasting starts in Australia. 1985 - Azharuddin scores third Test century in third Test Cricket (122 vs England). 1985 - Saint Louis Cardinals trade D Green, Jose Uribe, Dave LaPoint to San Francisco Giants for Jack Clark. 1985 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Tiffany Chin. 1986 - Birth of Lauren Conrad; reality star from Laguna Beach and The Hills, fashion designer, Teen Vogue intern. 1986 - Alva Myrdal, Swedish politician, diplomat, and writer, Nobel peace prize winner (1982), dies at age 84 (born 1902). 1986 - Dick James, Beatles' music publisher (1962-70), dies in London at age 58. 1986 - Singer Diana Ross marries Norwegian businessman Arne Naess in Switzerland. 1987 - 163 day strike against Deere and Company ends, workers accept wage freeze. 1987 - 38,873 NBA crowd watch Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons. 1987 - Erin Westmore, makeup artist (Hollywood Backstage), dies at age 82. 1987 - Kathy Postlewait win LPGA Mazda Golf Classic. 1987 - NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 10-6. 1988 - Heather O'Rourke, American actress (Poltergeist), dies of intestinal ailment at age 12 (born 1975). 1988 - Reinder Zwolsman, Dutch businessman, dies at age 75. 1988 - Birth of Andie Valentino, American nude model. 1989 - Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at perihelion. 1989 - Princess Diana of England visits New York City, New York. 1989 - Joan Kirner becomes Victoria's first female Deputy Premier, after the resignation of Robert Fordham over the VEDC (Victorian Economic Development Co-operation) Crisis. 1989 - Death of Elaine de Kooning, American artist (born 1919). 1990 - Nintendo ships the Super Mario Bros. 3 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. 1991 - Carol Dempster, actress (Sally of Sawdust, America), dies at age 89. 1991 - Craig McDermott takes 8-97 vs England at the WACA. 1991 - Disney releases the Hollywood Pictures live-action feature film Run to theatres in the USA. 1991 - H J van Ommeren-Averink, Dutch Member of Parliament (CPN), dies. 1991 - James G MacDonald, cartoon voice (Mickey Mouse), dies at age 84. 1991 - Phil Watson, NHL coach (New York Rangers), dies. 1991 - President F W de Klerk, says he would repeal all apartheid laws. 1991 - A USAir Boeing 737-300, Flight 1493 collides with a Skywest Fairchild Metroliner, Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport killing 34. 1992 - "Crazy He Calls Me" closes at Walter Kerr Theater New York City after 7 performances. 1992 - Barry Bonds signs baseball's highest single year contract ($4.7 million). 1992 - Denis Potvin's #5 becomes the first number retired by the New York Islanders. 1992 - George Berkeley, actor (Life Stinks, Captains and the Kings), dies at age 70. 1992 - Irving R Kaufman, federal judge (Rosenberg Case), dies at age 81. 1992 - Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal Court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal Disaster case, and orders the Indian government to press for an extradition from the United States. 1993 - New York Judge Sol Wachtler indicted for harassing Joy Silverman. 1993 - Soyuz TM-16 lands. 1994 - Fouad Fram al-Boustani, Lebanese historian (Rawaeaa), dies at age 88. 1994 - Irina Privalova runs world record 50 metre indoor (6.03 seconds). 1994 - Large meteorite falls near Kusaie, Pacific Ocean. 1994 - In Portland, Oregon, Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly pleads guilty to his role in attacking figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. He accepts a plea bargain, admitting to racketeering charges in exchange for testimony against Harding. 1994 - Olan Soule, radio voice (Super Friends), dies of lung cancer at age 83 (born 1909). 1995 - Amtrak New York-Tampa run ends. 1995 - Amy van Dikes swims woman's world record 50 metre butterfly (26.73). 1995 - Andy and Grant Flower make 269 stand vs Pakistan, brotherly record. 1995 - Belgium's TV channel VT4 goes on the air. 1995 - John Smith, CEO (Liverpool FC), dies at age 74. 1995 - Michael Caesar, pope of pot, dies of liver cancer at age 52. 1996 - Clive Burton, neuropathologist, dies at age 54. 1997 - Death of Herb Caen, American newspaper columnist, at age 80 of lung cancer (born 1916). 1997 - Mitchell Goodman, writer, dies at age 71. 1997 - Peter Morris, historian of France, dies at age 50. 1997 - Thelma Moss, psychologist, dies at age 78. 1998 - "Street Corner Symphony" closes at Brooks Atkinson New York City after 79 performances. 1998 - 86th Australian Mens Tennis: Petr Korda beats Marcelo Rios (6-2 6-2 6-2). 1998 - Australian Mixed Doubles Tennis: J Gimelstob and V Williams beat Suk and Sukova (6-2 6-1). 1998 - NFL Pro Bowl Game, AFC beats NFC 29-24. 1998 - The United States Senate passes Resolution 71, urging U.S. President Bill Clinton to "take all necessary and appropriate actions to respond to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." 1999 - Death of Paul Mellon, American philanthropist (born 1907). 1999 - Death of Baris Manço, Turkish singer and television personality (born 1943). 2000 - In the United States presidential election Vice President Al Gore wins the New Hampshire Democratic primary. John McCain wins the Republican primary. 2002 - Kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is murdered in Karachi, Pakistan. 2002 - Death of Irish McCalla, American actress (born 1928). 2003 - American Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates over Texas upon re-entry, killing all seven astronauts onboard: Michael P. Anderson (born 1959), David M. Brown (born 1956), Kalpana Chawla (born 1961), Laurel Clark (born 1961), Rick Husband (born 1957), William McCool (born 1961), Ilan Ramon (Israeli, born 1954). 2003 - In Northern Ireland, Protestant Ulster Defence Association Belfast leader John Gregg is killed by a loyalist faction. 2003 - The new Congress of Brazil's parliament is sworn in. 2004 - A hajj stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills 251 pilgrims. 2004 - The New England Patriots win NFL Super Bowl XXXVIII, as Adam Vinatieri kicks the game-winning field goal with four seconds left. 2005 - Sir Ian Blair is appointed Metropolitan Police Commissioner of London. 2006 - Death of Dick Brooks, American auto racer (born 1942). 2006 - UAL Corporation, United Airlines' parent company, emerges from bankruptcy after being in that position since December 9, 2002, the longest such filing in history. 2006 - At a luncheon at Safeco Field, baseball player Craig Biggio becomes the 41st recipient of the Hutch Award. 2007 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is questioned for a second time in the 'cash for peerages' (Cash for Honours) probe as a witness. 2007 - Death of Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-born composer and librettist (born 1911). 2008 - In Dambulla, Sri Lanka, a bomb explodes on a civilian bus, killing 18 people and wounding 50. 2008 - In Baghdad, Iraq, two suicide bombers kill 72 people, wounding another 149. You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/thisday/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of World History