2015-01-31

0314  St Silvester I begins his reign as Catholic Pope

0876  Charles becomes king of Italy

1504  By treaty of Lyons, French cede Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon

1531  Kings Ferdinand of Austria/János Zápolyai of Hungary accept each other

1560  Spanish king Philip II marries Elisabeth van Valois

1578  Battle of Gembloers

1596  Catholic League disjoins

1609  Wisselbank of Amsterdam established

1627  Spanish government goes bankrupt

1675  Cornelia/Dina Olfaarts found not guilty of witchcraft

1679  Jean-Baptiste Lully’s opera “Bellérophon” premieres in Paris

1696  Revolt of undertakers after funeral reforms (Amsterdam)

1779  Charles Messier adds M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra) to his catalog

1804  British Vice-Admiral William Bligh’s fleet reaches Curaçao

1817  Franz Grillparzer’s “Die Ahnfrau” premieres in Vienna

1842  John Tyler’s daughter Elizabeth marries in the White House

1849  Corn Laws abolished in Britain

1851  San Francisco Orphan’s Asylum, 1st in California founded

1851  Gail Borden announces invention of evaporated milk

1854  Dutch KNMI established (Royal Meteorological Institute)

1855  Western railroads blocked by snow

1861  State of Louisiana takes over US Mint at New Orleans

1861  Friedrich Hebbel’s “Siegfrieds Tod” premieres in Weimar

1862  Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius

1863  1st black Civil War regiment, SC Volunteers, mustered into US army

1865  Congress passes 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in America (121-24)

1871  Millions of birds fly over western San Francisco, darken the sky

1874  Jesse James gang robs train at Gads Hill MO

1893  “Westminster Gazette” begins publishing

1895  José Martí & others leave New York City NY for invasion of Spanish Cuba

1901  Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” opens at the Moscow Art Theater

1901  Winnipeg Victorias sweep Montréal Shamrocks in 2 for the Stanley Cup

1901  Boer General John Smuts & De la Rey conqueror Mud river Transvaal

1904  Béla Bartók’s symphony “Kossuth” premieres

1905  1st auto to exceed 100 mph (161 kph), A G MacDonald, Daytona Beach

1905  Carroll Wright appointed 1st US Commissioner of Labor

1906  Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter

1911  Congress names San Francisco as Panamá Canal opening celebration site

1915  1st (German) poison gas attack, against Russians

1916  Dutch Girl Guides form

1917  Germany notifies US that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship

1920  1st Ukrainian daily newspaper in US (New York City NY) begins publication

1920  Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, at Howard University, incorporates

1920  Joe Malone, Québec Bulldogs, sets NHL record with 7 goals in a game against Toronto

1925  Premier Ahmed Zogu (Zogu I) becomes President of Albania

1927  International allies military command in Germany disbands

1927  National League President John Heydler rules Roger Hornsby can’t hold stock in the Cardinals & play for the Giants

1928  Scotch tape 1st marketed by 3-M Company

1929  Erich Maria Remarque publishes “Im West nieces Neues” in Berlin

1929  Leon Trotsky expelled from Russia to Turkey

1930  1st US glider flight from a dirigible, Lakehurst New Jersey

1931  Philip Barry’s “Tomorrow & Tomorrow” premieres in New York City NY

1932  US railway unions accept 10% wage reduction

1933  French government of Daladier takes power

1933  Hitler promises parliamentary democracy

1934  FDR devalues the dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce

1935  30.5 cm (12.0”) of rain falls, Quinault RS WA (state record)

1936  “Green Hornet” radio show is 1st heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit

1940  40 U boats sunk this month (111,000 ton)

1940  C Turney & J Horwin’s “My Dear Children” premieres in New York City NY

1941  21 U boats sunk this month (127,000 ton)

1941  Anti-German demonstration in Haarlem Netherlands

1941  Joe Louis KOs Red Burman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title

1942  62 U boats sunk this month (327,000 ton)

1943  39 U boats sunk this month (203,100 ton)

1943  Chile breaks contact with Germany & Japan

1943  General Friedrich von Paul surrenders to Russian troops at Stalingrad

1944  Operation-Overlord (D-Day) postponed until June

1944  U-592 sunk off Ireland

1944  US forces invade Kwajalein Atoll

1945  Eddie Slovik, 1st American executed for desertion since Civil War

1945  US 4th Infantry division occupies Elcherrath

1946  Yugoslavia adopts new constitution, becomes a federal republic

1948  J D Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Banana Fish” appears in NY

1948  Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway

1949  1st daytime soap on TV “These Are My Children” (NBC in Chicago)

1950  President Truman reveals that he ordered the Atomic Energy Commission to develop the hydrogen bomb

1952  Dutch Lutheran Church reunites after 1½ centuries

1952  Harry Heilmann & Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

1953  “Princess Victoria” capsized off Stanraer Scotland; 133 die

1953  Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands drowning nearly 2,000

1953  New York, Cleveland & Boston retaliate at Bill Veeck, forcing the Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues

1955  RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer

1956  French government of Mollet forms

1956  Juscelino Kubitschek becomes President of Brazil

1957  Liz Taylor’s 2nd divorce (Michael Wilding)

1957  Trans-Iranian oil pipe line finished

1958  “Jackpot Bowling” premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host

1958  James van Allen discovers radiation belt

1958  US launches their 1st artificial satellite, Explorer 1

1959  Joe Cronin signs 7 year pact to become head of AL

1960  Songwriter Adolph Green marries actress/singer Phyllis Newman in New York City NY

1961  Ham is 1st primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2

1961  USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights

1961  David Ben-Gurion resigns as premier of Israel

1961  Houston voters approve bond to finance luxury domed stadium

1961  Kanhai completes twin tons (117 & 115) vs Australia at Adelaide

1961  NATO secretary-General Paul-Henri Spaak says he’ll resign

1962  Samuel Gravely assumes command of destroyer escort “USS Falgout”

1962  General Charles P Cabell, USAF, ends term as deputy director of CIA

1963  Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers record “What’d I Say” & “Ruby Baby”

1964  US report “Smoking & Health” connects smoking to lung cancer

1965  Pud Galvin elected to baseball Hall of Fame

1966  USSR launches Luna 9 toward the Moon

1966  Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers

1968  Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32”), at Agata, USSR

1968  Viet Cong’s Tet offensive begins

1968  Bobby Simpson takes 5-59 vs India in his last Test for ten years

1968  Nauru (formerly Pleasant Island) declares independence from Australia

1968  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1969  Vice Admiral Rufus L Taylor, USN, ends term as deputy director of CIA

1970  Grateful Dead members busted on LSD charges

1971  Apollo 14 launched, 1st landing in lunar highlands

1971  “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison hit #1 on UK pop chart

1971  Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley, Harry Hooper, Rube Marquard, Chick Hafey & Dave Bancroft & 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

1972  Military coup ousts civilian government of Ghana

1972  US launches HEOS A-2 for interplanetary observations (396/244,998)

1972  Aretha Franklin sings at Mahalia Jackson’s funeral

1972  Birenda, becomes leader of Nepal

1974  McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc buys San Diego Padres

1975  John Lennon’s “#9 Dream” is released

1975  Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” goes gold

1975  UCLA wins NCAA basketball championship

1976  “Love Rollercoaster” by Ohio Players hits #1

1976  Lance Gibbs becomes highest Test wicket-taker at 308

1977  Frenchman François Claustre freed, after 33 months as hostage in Chad

1977  Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, & Al Lopez elected to baseball Hall of Fame

1978  Israel turns 3 military outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements

1978  “Elvis The Legend Lives!” opens at Palace Theater New York City NY for 101 performances

1980  Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41

1981  “The Tide Is High” by Blondie hits #1

1981  38th Golden Globes Ordinary People, Coal Miner’s Daughter

1981  Gaetan Boucher skates world record 1000m (1 13.39)

1982  10 Arabian oryx (extinct except in zoos) released in Oman

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

1984  Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years with the network

1984  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1985  South African President PW Botha offers to free Mandela if he denounces violence

1985  “Harrigan ‘n Hart” opens at Longacre Theater New York City NY for 5 performances

1986  Mary Lund of Minnesota, is 1st female recipient of an artificial heart

1987  United Steelworkers union ratified a concessionary contract with USX Corp

1987  44th Golden Globes Platoon, Marlee Matlin win

1988  Barge sinks near Anacortes WA, spills 70,000 gallons of oil

1988  Super Bowl XXII Washington Redskins beat Denver Broncos, 42-10 in San Diego; Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, Washington, Quarterback

1990  1st McDonald’s in Russia opens in Moscow, world’s biggest McDonald’s

1990  The 1st ever all-sports daily “The National” begins publishing

1990  Jushin “Thunder” Liger beats Naoki Sano to become New Japan IWGP champ

1991  Battle for Khafji in Saudi Arabia (ends after 3 days)

1991  Nugget’s Michael Adams becomes shortest NBAer to get a triple-double

1992  MTA raised tolls on most New York City NY bridges from $2.50 to $3.00

1992  Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires

1993  “St Joan” opens at Lyceum Theater New York City NY for 49 performances

1993  81st Australian Men’s Tennis Jim Courier beats Stefan Edberg (62 61 26 75)

1993  Super Bowl XXVII Dallas Cowboys beat Buffalo Bills, 52-17 in Pasadena; Super Bowl MVP Troy Aikman, Dallas, Quarterback

1994  Barcelona opera theater “Gran Teatro del Liceo” burns down

1994  Dow Jones hits a record 3,978.36

1998  72nd Australian Women’s Tennis Martina Hingis beats C Martinez (63 63)

1998  STS 89 (Endeavour 12) lands

1999  Super Bowl XXXIII Denver Broncos beat Atlanta Falcons in Miami; Super Bowl MVP John Elway, Denver, Quarterback

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