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What happened in history on this day: January 31?
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 31 in ...
- 1983 - Atari announces that Marcian Hoff, inventor of the microprocessor, is joining the company as vice president of research and development.
- 1983 - Texas Instruments introduces the TI Professional Computer. It features an 8088 processor, 64 kB RAM, dual 320 kB floppy drives, 720x300 graphics with optional 8-color mode, and voice recognition, starting at US$2195.
- 1984 - Commodore International announces that it will likely delay shipping the 264 and 364 models, due to continued high demand for the Commodore 64.
- 1984 - Apple Computer is reorganized into three divisions: Apple II, Apple 32, and Accessory Products.
- 1996 - Corel purchases WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, and the PerfectOffice application suite from Novell for US$180 million in cash, stock, and future licensing royalties.
- 1997 - Hewlett-Packard announces the HP 200LX handheld computer, with 4 MB RAM, priced at US$599.
- 1997 - Be announces it is ceasing production of its own hardware systems, to focus on software development.
- 2002 - Handspring begins selling its Treo 180 and 180g handheld computers in Singapore. Price is S$968 (about US$525).
- 1925 - Disney completes the 13th Alice Comedy film, Alice Gets Stung.
- 1925 - Disney ships the Alice Comedy film Alice Gets Stung to M.J. Winkler Productions.
- 1927 - Disney ships the 47th Alice Comedy film, Alice's Circus Daze, to Winkler Pictures.
- 1927 - Live-action filming is completed for the Alice Comedy film Alice in the Klondike.
- 1965 - The NBC TV network airs the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color show, featuring Gallegher, part two.
- 1986 - Disney releases the Touchstone Pictures live-action feature film Down and Out in Beverly Hills to theaters. This is the first R-rated Disney Studios film. The film cost US$14 million to make.
- 1992 - The Professor Barnaby Owl's Photographic Art Studio shop opens at the exit of Splash Mountain in Disneyland.
- 1994 - The Energy Exchange display in Communicore East in Epcot closes.
- 1994 - The FutureCom display in Communicore West in Epcot closes.
- 1995 - Disney releases the film Gargoyles The Movie on laserdisc for US$30.
- 1997 - Buena Vista Pictures releases the Hollywood Pictures live-action feature film Shadow Conspiracy to theaters in the US.
- 1999 - The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US.
- When a character has to tell others some bad news, he starts with "My friends...", a reference to Scar trying to sweet-talk the hyenas in The Lion King.
- A character mentions "Dollywood, and EuroDollywood", a reference to EuroDisneyland.
- A character leads others saying "Follow Me, Boys!", possibly a reference to the 1966 Disney film Follow Me, Boys!.
- A winning football player says "I'm going to Disneyland!", to which a travel agent says "Really, coz I'm a travel agent and I've heard nothing but bad things."; another character nods.
- 2000 - Activision releases the Disney's Tarzan video game for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color in the US.
- 1970 - At the Daytona International Raceway in Daytona, Florida, the Daytona 24 Hours race is held.
- Finishing 1st in GT +2000 class and 6th overall is the Owens Corning Fiberglas #7 Corvette, driven by Jerry Thompson and John Mahler.
- Finishing 2nd in GT +2000 class and 11th overall is the Cliff Gottlob #89 1967 white Corvette L-88 convertible driven by Cliff Gottlob and Dave Dooley. They reach a top speed of 186 MPH.
- Finishing 3rd in GT +2000 class and 13th overall is the Owens-Corning Fibreglass #6 Corvette driven by Tony DeLorenzo and Dick Lang.
- Finishing 4th in GT +2000 class and 15th overall is the Or Costanzo #90 1969 Corvette L88 driven by Or Costanzo and Dave Heinz.
- Allan Barker, John Greenwood, and Richard Hoffmang race the John Greenwood #91 Corvette but do not finish due to an accident.
- Bob Johnson, Robert R. Johnson, and Jim Greendykeg race the Bob Johnson #8 Corvette but do not finish the race.
- 1976 - At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, the 24 Hours of Daytona race is held, over two days.
- Finishing 8th in GTO class and 9th overall is the Phil Currin #99 Corvette driven by Phil Currin, Cliff Gottlob, and Peter Knab.
- Finishing 11th in GTO class and 22nd overall is the Garcia Brothers #15 Corvette driven by Javier Garcia, George Garcia, and Manuel Garcia.
- Finishing 12th in GTO class and 24th overall is the Ted Mathey #35 Corvette driven by Ted Mathey, Joe Chamberlain, and Arnstein Loyning.
- Finishing 13th in GTO class and 29th overall is the Sam Fillingham #40 Corvette driven by Sam Fillingham and Bud Sherk.
- Placing 16th in GTO class and 34th overall is the Greenwood Customercar Levitt Racing #76 Corvette driven by Mike Brockman and John Greenwood. The car is not running at the finish due to engine failure after 11 hours.
- Placing 20th in GTO class and 43rd overall is the Denny Long #22 Corvette driven by Denny Long, Bill Jobe, and Tim Startup. The car is not running at the finish.
- Placing 30th in GTO class and 61st overall is the Bill Arnold #72 Corvette driven by Bill Arnold and Al Levenson. The car is not running at the finish.
- Placing 36th in GTO class and 69th overall is the Clark Howey #73 Corvette driven by Clark Howey. The car is not running at the finish.
- 2003 - At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Daytona 250 race is held, round one of the Grand-Am Cup series.
- Finishing 5th in GSI class and 5th overall is the Silverstone Racing Services #39 Corvette, driven by Larry Huang and Chris Hall.
- Finishing 7th in GSI class and 7th overall is the Powell Motorsport #11 Corvette, driven by Devon Powell and Doug Goad.
- Finishing 11th in GSI class and 11th overall is the Powell Motorsport #02 Corvette, driven by Mike Weinberg and Stu Hayner.
- 1941 - A formal armistice is signed by Siam and Indochina.
- 1943 - German 6th Army commander Friedrich Paulus and almost 250,000 German troops surrender at Stalingrad.
- 1945 - Final German forces abandon Kapelsche Veer island in the Maas River, Holland.
- 1945 - (1004 hours) American Private Edward Donald Slovik of the 28th Infantry Division is executed by firing squad for desertion.
- 1945 - Soviet forces reach the lower Oder River near Küstrin.
- 1945 - More American forces land on central Luzon, the Philippines.
- 1946 - In Bordeaux Harbor, France, US tanker Antietam strikes a floating mine and sinks.
- 1983 - Atari announces that Marcian Hoff, inventor of the microprocessor, is joining the company as vice president of research and development.
- 1997 - Square releases the Final Fantasy VII video game for the PlayStation in Japan.
- 2000 - Activision releases the Disney's Tarzan video game for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color in the US.
- 1531 - King Gustav decrees that one bell in every church in towns and monasteries should be sacrificed to the exchequer, to help pay the debt to Lübeck.
- 1713 - Ottoman forces march out of Bender to expel King Karl. After firing cannon on the King's position, Janissaries are ordered to attack. They had been assigned to guard the King in 1709, and now refuse to attack him. The King is granted three days to leave.
- 1991 - The Secretary of State and the Minister of Supply and Services announce an open design competition for the 1992 25c and $1 coins, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Confederation. Twelve different 25c coins will be issued for circulation. The contest deadline is March 15.
- 1901 - Winnipeg Victorias sweep Montréal Shamrocks in two for the Stanley Cup.
- 1920 - Joe Malone, Québec Bulldogs, sets NHL record with 7 goals in a game against Toronto.
- 1927 - National League President John Heydler rules Roger Hornsby can't hold stock in the Saint Louis Cardinals and play for the New York Giants.
- 1939 - George Thornton cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1902, 1* and 1-20), dies.
- 1941 - Joe Louis knocks out Red Burman in five for heavyweight boxing title.
- 1952 - Harry Heilmann and Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1953 - New York, Cleveland and Boston retaliate against Bill Veeck, forcing the Cleveland Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues.
- 1959 - Joe Cronin signs seven-year pact to become head of American League.
- 1961 - Houston voters approve bond to finance luxury domed stadium.
- 1961 - Kanhai completes twin tons (117 and 115) versus Australia at Adelaide.
- 1965 - Pud Galvin elected to baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1968 - Bobby Simpson takes 5-59 versus India in his last Test for ten years.
- 1971 - Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley, Harry Hooper, Rube Marquard, Chick Hafey and Dave Bancroft and George Weiss elected to baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1971 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn.
- 1971 - US male Figure Skating championship won by John Misha Petkevich.
- 1974 - McDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys San Diego Padres for US$12 million.
- 1975 - UCLA wins NCAA basketball championship.
- 1976 - Lance Gibbs becomes highest Test wicket-taker at 308.
- 1977 - Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez elected to baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1980 - J P Duminy, cricketer (30 runs at 5 and 1 wicket at age 39 in three Test South Africa), dies.
- 1981 - Gaetan Boucher skates world record 1000m (1:13.39).
- 1982 - 12th NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 16-13.
- 1982 - 32nd NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 120-118 at New Jersey.
- 1982 - Gustafson skates world record 10 km (14:26.59).
- 1982 - Hollis Stacy wins LPGA Whirlpool Golf Championship of Deer Creek.
- 1982 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton.
- 1984 - 36th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 7-6 at New Jersey.
- 1988 - Super Bowl XXII: Washington Redskins beat Denver Broncos, 42-10 in San Diego; Most Valuable Player: quarterback Doug Williams.
- 1990 - Jushin "Thunder" Liger beats Naoki Sano to become New Japan IWGP champ.
- 1990 - The first ever all-sports daily The National begins publishing.
- 1991 - Denver Nugget's Michael Adams becomes shortest NBA player to get a triple-double.
- 1992 - Mel Hein, NFL player (New York Giants), dies at age 82.
- 1992 - Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires.
- 1992 - Wim van Heumen, field hockey coach (Netherlands), dies at age 63.
- 1993 - 81st Australian Men's Tennis: Jim Courier beats Stefan Edberg (6-2, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5).
- 1993 - In Pasadena, California, the NFL's Super Bowl XXVII is played. The Buffalo Bills become the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls as they are defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, 52-17. Most Valuable Player: Troy Aikman, quarterback of Dallas. Michael Jackson performs at the halftime show.
- 1998 - 72nd Australian Women's Tennis: Martina Hingis beats C Martinez (6-3 6-3).
- 1999 - NFL Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver Broncos beat Atlanta Falcons in Miami, Florida; Most Valuable Player: John Elway, Denver, Quarterback.
- 1999 - Death of Norm Zauchin, baseball player (born 1929).
- 2003 - The Chicago White Sox announces Comiskey Park will now be known as U.S. Cellular Field, in exchange for US$68 million in a 23-year deal with the wireless service provider.
- 2004 - Death of Eleanor Holm, American swimmer (born 1913).
- 2009 - The Australian Open tennis championships final games are played (day one).
- Girls' singles: Russian Ksenia Pervak defeats Britain's Laura Robson 6-3, 6-1.
- Boys' singles: Indian Yuki Bhambri defeats Germany's Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas 6-3, 6-1.
- Womens' singles: American Serena Williams defeats Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3.
- 1862 - Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius.
- 1958 - James van Allen discovers radiation belt.
- 1958 - US launches their first artificial satellite, Explorer 1.
- 1961 - Ham is first primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2.
- 1961 - US Air Force launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights.
- 1966 - USSR launches Luna 9 toward the Moon.
- 1971 - Apollo 14 launched, first landing in lunar highlands.
- 1972 - US launches HEOS A-2 for interplanetary observations (396/244,998).
- 1998 - STS 89 (Endeavour 12) lands.
- 1605 - In Tokaido, Japan, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs, claiming 5,000 deaths and creating a tsunami wave.
- 1906 - Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter.
- 1953 - Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands drowning nearly 2,000.
- 1968 - Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32 inches), at Agata, USSR.
- 1986 - In Ohio, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurs.
- 1991 - In Hindu Kush Region, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. Estimated 200-400 people killed, many injured and many homes destroyed or damaged in Afghanistan. At least 300 people killed, hundreds injured and several thousand houses damaged in Pakistan.
Other history:
- 1865 - U.S. Congress passes 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in America.
- 2007 - The Venezuelan National Assembly gives President Hugo Chávez the power to rule by decree for 18 months.
You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.
Bookmark this URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/today/ 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
What's Notable About this Year?
Ken P's Coin/Stamp/Bill Novelties
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