Ken P's Today in History
January 29

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/today/
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What happened in history on this day: January 29?

Since 1995, I have been collecting information on a variety of topics, creating several timelines of history. Here you will find specific events from those databases for this day, on the topics of personal computers, video games, the Walt Disney Company, Chevrolet Corvettes, A&W Root Beer, Sweden, and Canadian coins.

On January 29 in ...

Personal computer history:

  • 1987 - Microsoft begins shipping Microsoft Word 3.0 for the Macintosh.
  • 1988 - Spectrum Holobyte introduces the Tetris computer game in the US. Price is US$34.95 for the IBM PC, and US$24.95 for the Commodore 64. This is the first entertainment software imported to the US from the Soviet Union. The game was written by Vagim Gerasimov and Alexi Paszitnov at the Computer Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
  • 1998 - An auction is held for Power Computing assets.
  • 2001 - Compaq introduces the iPaq Pocket PC H3150 handheld computer. It features 206 MHz Intel StrongArm processor, 16 MB RAM, grayscale screen. Price is US$349.
  • 2002 - Handspring begins selling its Treo 180 and 180g handheld computers in Hong Kong.
  • 2006 - The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer is on the desk of a school secretary. A woman says "...not to mention this PowerPoint demonstration he did just last week".

Walt Disney Company history:

  • 1941 - The film Fantasia has its Hollywood premiere.
  • 1943 - The Donald Duck film Donald's Tire Trouble is released to theaters.
  • 1958 - The ABC TV network airs the Disneyland TV show, featuring the film The Littlest Outlaw, part two.
  • 1959 - Disney generally releases the live-action short film Grand Canyon to theaters.
  • 1959 - Buena Vista premieres Disney's animated feature film Sleeping Beauty at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles, California. It was filmed and released in wide-screen Technirama-70. The film cost US$6 million to make. The film is based on Charles Perrault's version of the story of Sleeping Beauty.
  • 1960 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, entitled Wild Burro of the West.
  • 1961 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, featuring the 14th "Texas John Slaughter" episode, The End of the Trail.
  • 1967 - The NBC TV network airs the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color show, entitled Gallegher Goes West: Tragedy on the Trail.
  • 1977 - The NBC TV network airs NBC All-Disney Saturday Night at the Movies featuring A Horse Named Comanche and Wonders of the Water World.
  • 1982 - Dominica issues ten postage stamps depicting various Disney characters playing soccer.
  • 1987 - Disney announces that it is selling the Arvida real estate company, for US$400 million, to JMB Realty company.
  • 1987 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs parade onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in celebration of Disney's highest-ever first quarter (ending December 31) revenues.
  • 1996 - Sierra Leone issues eight postage stamps depicting Disney characters as circus performers.
  • 1998 - Ghana issues 16 postage stamps depicting Mickey Mouse and friends, including Donald Duck and Goofy.
  • 2001 - Disney announces it will close its Go.com Web site, and exit the Web portal market. The stock ceases trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Disney exchanges stock of Go.com for Disney shares.
  • 2004 - Pixar CEO Steve Jobs announces that Pixar Animation Studios will end its relationship with The Walt Disney Company and seek a distribution deal with another film studio, following the release of the next two films (The Incredibles, Cars).
  • 2004 - Disney announces it will release its first in-house-developed computer-animation film, Chicken Little, in 2005.
  • 2010 - At Walt Disney World in Florida, IBM's redesigned "Smarter Planet" exhibit opens in Innoventions of Epcot.

Chevrolet Corvette history:

  • 1955 - General Motors first begins officially using a circular emblem with "CHEVROLET" at top, "Corvette" at bottom, and flags in center.
  • 2004 - At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Rolex 24 At Daytona race is held, over two days, round one of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.
    • Finishing 14th in GT and 34th overall is the Specter Werks #24 Corvette, driven by John Heinricy, Jeff Nowicki, Tom Bombard, and Pete Halmser.
    • Finishing 13th in SGS and 38th overall is the Michael Baughman Racing #46 Corvette, driven by Peter Argetsinger, John Pew, Mark Patterson, Dario Cioti, and Jim Victor.
    • Finishing 19th in GT and 47th overall is the Xtreme Racing Group #60 Corvette, driven by Anthony Puleo, Robert Dubler, Squeak Kennedy, and Joe Evans.

  • 2022 - (to January 30) At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, USA, the Rolex 24 at Daytona race is held, round 1 of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series. Finishing 6th in GTD Pro class and 30th overall is the Corvette Racing #3 Corvette C8.R driven by Nicky Catsburg, Jordan Taylor, and Antonio Garcia.

World War II history:

  • 1941 - Greek Prime Minister General Ioannis Metaxas dies unexpectedly of throat cancer. The new Greek prime minister invites British forces in for protection against Germany and Italy.
  • 1942 - Iran, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union sign a treaty in which Iran promises full access to its facilities to defend the country from aggression. Britain and the Soviet Union promise to respect Persian independence and integrity.
  • 1942 - Japanese forces on Borneo capture Pontianak and Singkawang II airfields.
  • 1944 - Operation Bonaparte is launched in France, as Canadian spies Lucien Dumais and Raymond LaBrosse begin the transfer of downed airmen back to Great Britain.
  • 1944 - German guided bombs hits British cruiser Spartan, sinking it. Other bombs set American transport ship Samuel Huntington ablaze.
  • 1945 - More American forces land on central Luzon.
  • 1946 - In Kiev, a military tribunal senetences twelve German officers and soldiers to hanging for the murder of Soviets. Four others receive prison sentences of 15-20 years.
  • 1946 - Spain deports the first group of 23 of 255 Nazi prisoners, destined for the Nuremberg prison.
  • 1946 - The government of Canada announces that all German war prisoners in the country will be moved to Great Britain.
  • 1996 - Gabon issues eight postage stamps marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

Video game history:

  • 1998 - Square releases the Final Fantasy Tactics video game for the PlayStation in the US.
  • 2000 - At the Pacifico Yokohama building in Yokohama, Japan, Square holds its Square Millenium party for 10,000 guests. Square announces three new Final Fantasy video games for initial release in Japan: Final Fantasy IX for the PlayStation scheduled for summer release, Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 2 scheduled for spring 2001 release, and Final Fantasy XI for the PlayStation 2 with PlayOnline scheduled for summer 2001 release. Square shows a brief trailer for the film Final Fantasy: The Movie.
  • 2001 - British television set-top box maker Pace Micro Technology announces it is integrating video game technology from Sega into its digital video recorder.

Swedish history:

  • 1717 - The British government arrests Karl Gyllenborg, Swedish envoy in London, for plotting with Jacobites.
  • 1964 - (to February 9) The 9th Olympic Winter Games are held in Innsbruck, Austria. Sweden wins 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medals.

USA coin history:

  • 1802 - Representative William Giles of Virgina introduces a bill calling for the abolishment of the Mint.
  • 1874 - An Act of Congress authorizes the Mint to contract with foreign governments to strike their domestic coinages.
  • 2023 - GreatCollections auctions the Stewart Blay coin collection of Lincoln cents. 1955 doubled die US$255,250. 1958 doubled die, finest of three known, US$1.13 million.

Sports history:

  • 1900 - The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, also known as the American League, is organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with eight founding teams in Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.
  • 1906 - Coen de King skates world record time: 32,370 km.
  • 1932 - Cricket test debut of Bill O'Reilly, versus South Africa at Adelaide.
  • 1936 - The U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson, and Walter Johnson.
  • 1948 - Commissioner Happy Chandler fines the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies US$500 each for signing high school players.
  • 1951 - US Major League Baseball signs six year All-Star pact for TV-radio rights for US$6 million.
  • 1955 - John William Cox buys Yankee Stadium, sells grounds to Knights of Columbus, later leaves structure to Rice University (1962).
  • 1961 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Laurence Owen.
  • 1961 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Bradley Lord.
  • 1963 - The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced. They are Jim Thorpe, Red Grange and George Halas.
  • 1964 - (to February 9) The IX Olympic Winter Games are held in Innsbruck, Austria.
  • 1964 - Most lopsided high-school basketball score: 211-29 (Louisiana).
  • 1964 - NBC-TV agrees to pay $36 million for the broadcast rights to the American Football League games during the 1965-1969 seasons.
  • 1966 - Lawry and Simpson complete 244 opening stand versus England, Adelaide.
  • 1966 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming.
  • 1966 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Allen.
  • 1967 - Branch Rickey and Lloyd Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 1967 - Kees Verkerk becomes European skating champ.
  • 1969 - Sheahan and Connolly hang on for exciting draw Australia versus West Indies.
  • 1971 - Test debut of Dennis Keith Lillee, versus England at Adelaide.
  • 1972 - 5th ABA All-Star Game: East 142 beats West 115 at Louisville.
  • 1974 - 27th NHL All-Star Game: West beat East 6-4 at Chicago.
  • 1975 - West Indies wins Fifth Test against India to take exciting series 3-2.
  • 1978 - Joanne Carner wins Colgate Triple Crown Match-Play Golf Championship.
  • 1979 - 9th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 13-7.
  • 1980 - Cleveland Cavaliers beat Los Angeles Lakers 154-153 in quadruple overtime.
  • 1981 - American League approves sale of Chicago White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn for US$20 million, and 80 percent of Seattle Mariners to George Argyros for US$104 million.
  • 1982 - Old Dominion ends Los Angeles Tech's women's basketball record 54-game win streak.
  • 1982 - Wayne Garland, baseball first millionaire free agent, waived by Cleveland Indians.
  • 1984 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 45-3.
  • 1984 - Silvia Bertolaccini wins LPGA Mazda Golf Classic of Deer Creek.
  • 1984 - 34th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 154-145 (overtime) at Denver, Colorado.
  • 1985 - Jari Kurri of Edmonton Oilers scores 100th point of season in game 39.
  • 1988 - Canadian Ben Johnson breaks own 50-yard dash world record at 5.15s.
  • 1988 - Detroit Tigers' Kirk Gibson signs a 3-year contract with Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • 1988 - Largest NBA crowd-Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons (61,938).
  • 1988 - The Midwest Classic Conference, a U.S. college athletic conference, is formed.
  • 1989 - 77th Australian Open Men Tennis: Ivan Lendl beats Miloslav Mecir (6-2, 6-2, 6-2).
  • 1989 - Cleveland Cavaliers' Chris Dudley misses five free throws during one foul attempt.
  • 1989 - Dottie Mochrie wins Oldsmobile LPGA Golf Classic.
  • 1989 - Game-winning RBI, official statistic dropped after nine years of use, New York Mets' Keith Hernandez is the all-time leader with 129.
  • 1989 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 34-3.
  • 1993 - Test debut of Vinod Kambli, prolific Indian batsman.
  • 1994 - Ulrike Maier, Olympic skier, breaks neck during world cup skiing at age 26.
  • 1995 - Greg Blewett scores century on Test debut versus England, Adelaide.
  • 1995 - The San Francisco 49ers become the first NFL franchise to win five Super Bowl games, as they defeat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida.
  • 1996 - Last day of Test cricket for David Boon.
  • 2022 - (to January 30) At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, USA, the Rolex 24 at Daytona race is held, round 1 of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series.
    • Finishing 1st in DPi class and 1st overall is the Meyer Shank Racing #60 Acura DPi driven by Tom Blomqvist, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud, and Oliver Jarvis.
    • Finishing 1st in LMP2 class and 5th overall is the DragonSpeed USA LLC #81 ORECA LMP2 07 driven by Devlin Defrancesco, Patricia O'Ward, Colton Herta, and Eric Lux.
    • Finishing 1st in LMP3 class and 13th overall is the Riley Motorsports #74 Ligier JS P320 driven by Felipe Fraga, Kayvan Berlo, Michael Cooper, and Gar Robinson.
    • Finishing 1st in GTD Pro class and 19th overall is the #9 Porsche 911 GT3R driven by Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr, and Matt Campbell.
    • Finishing 1st in GT Daytona class and 24th overall is the Wright Motorsports #15 Porsche 911 GT3R driven by Jan Heylen, Richard Lietz, Ryan Hardwick, and Zacharie Robichon.

  • 2022 - At Scotiabank Saddledrome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Calgary Flames beats Vancouver Canucks by score 1-0.
  • 2022 - At Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, USA, NHL regular season game: Buffalo Sabres beats Arizona Coyotes by score 3-1.
  • 2022 - At PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, NHL regular season game: Carolina Hurricanes beats New Jersey Devils by score 2-1.
  • 2022 - At Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, USA, NHL regular season game: Vegas Golden Knights beats Tampa Bay Lightning by score 3-2.
  • 2022 - At Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, USA, NHL regular season game: Toronto Maple Leafs beats Detroit Red Wings by score 7-4.
  • 2022 - At Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, NHL regular season game: Edmonton Oilers beats Montreal Canadiens by score 7-2.
  • 2022 - At FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, USA, NHL regular season game: Florida Panthers beats San Jose Sharks by score 5-4.
  • 2022 - At Enterprise Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, NHL regular season game: Winnipeg Jets beats Saint Louis Blues by score 4-1.
  • 2022 - At Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: Philadelphia Flyers beats Los Angeles Kings by score 4-3.
  • 2022 - At Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: Anaheim Ducks beats Ottawa Senators by score 2-1.
  • 2023 - Tennis player Novak Djokovic defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to win his 10th Australian Open and 22nd Grand Slam.

Space exploration history:

  • 1964 - Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit.
  • 1976 - Zeiss planetarium in Hague, Netherlands, destroyed by fire.
  • 1984 - Space Shuttle 41-B (STS-11) Challenger launched.
  • 1989 - USSR's Phobos II enters Mars orbit.
  • 1998 - Soyuz TM-27 launches to MIR space station.

Extreme weather history:

  • 1966 - Snow storm in north-east US kills 165.
  • 1998 - Thick fog causes highway carnage in Belgium and Netherlands, six die.

USA history:

  • 1802 - John Beckley of Virginia appointed first Librarian of Congress.
  • 1834 - President Andrew Jackson orders first use of US troops to suppress a labor dispute.
  • 1850 - Henry Clay introduces a compromise bill on slavery to US Senate.
  • 1860 - American College established in Rome by Pope Pius IX.
  • 1861 - Kansas becomes 34th state of the USA.
  • 1863 - Battle at Bear River Washington: US Army versus Indians.
  • 1864 - Battle of Moorefield, West Virginia (Rosser's Raid).
  • 1874 - US Congress passes an act allowing the Bureau of the Mint to produce coinage for foreign governments.
  • 1879 - The Custer Battlefield National Monument is established in Montana.
  • 1900 - The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, also known as the American League, is organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with eight founding teams in Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.
  • 1912 - Martial law declared in textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA.
  • 1913 - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, at Howard University, incorporates.
  • 1919 - US Secretary of State proclaims the 18th Amendment (prohibition).
  • 1922 - In Washington, D.C., USA, the ceiling of the 1700-seat Knickerbocker theater collapses from about 28 inches of heavy snow, killing 98, injuring 133.
  • 1924 - Ice cream cone rolling machine patented by Carl Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio.
  • 1953 - First movie in Cinemascope (The Robe) premieres.
  • 1955 - John William Cox buys Yankee Stadium, sells grounds to Knights of Columbus, later leaves structure to Rice University (1962).
  • 1958 - Murderer Charles Starkweather captured by police in Wyoming, USA.
  • 1959 - Buena Vista premieres Disney's animated feature film Sleeping Beauty at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles, California. The film is based on Charles Perrault's version of the story of Sleeping Beauty.
  • 1964 - Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit.
  • 1966 - Snow storm in north-east US kills 165.
  • 1968 - The seal of the Department of the Treasury is changed from the Latin abbreviation "Thesaur. Amer. Septent. Sigil." to English "The Department of the Treasury".
  • 1979 - Brenda Ann Spencer opens fire at a school in San Diego, California, killing two faculty members and wounding eight students. Her justification for the action is "I don't like Mondays."
  • 1979 - Chinese vice-premier Deng Xiaoping visits Washington DC.
  • 1979 - President Jimmy Carter commutes Patricia Hearst's seven-year sentence to two years.
  • 1984 - Space Shuttle 41-B (STS-11) Challenger launched.
  • 1987 - William J Casey ends term as 13th director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
  • 1988 - Spectrum Holobyte introduces the Tetris computer game in the US. This is the first entertainment software imported to the US from the Soviet Union. The game was written by Vagim Gerasimov and Alexi Paszitnov at the Computer Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
  • 1988 - United Airlines Boeing 747SP circles world in 36 hours 54 minutes 15 seconds.
  • 1989 - Dow Jones Industrial Average jumps 38.06 to hit 2256.43; recoups 508-point loss since October 1987.
  • 1990 - The trial of Joseph Hazelwood, former skipper of the Exxon Valdez, begins in Anchorage, Alaska. He is accused of negligence that resulted in America's worst oil spill to date.
  • 1997 - Eric Schneider, murderer of two teachers, executed in Missouri at age 35.
  • 1998 - In Birmingham, Alabama, a bomb explodes at an abortion clinic, killing one and severely wounding another. Serial bomber Eric Rudolph is the prime suspect.
  • 2004 - The Castaways hotel and casino in Las Vegas closes.
  • 2009 - Ford Motor Company reports a record US$14.6 billion full-year loss.
  • 2009 - Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's single "My Life Would Suck Without You" makes the largest ever leap to number one in Billboard chart history, rising 96 places in one week.
  • 2020 - U.S. president Donald Trump signs the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a North American trade agreement set to replace NAFTA.

Other history:

  • 1886 - Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven car.

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