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29th day of 2011 - 336 remaining
Saturday, January 29, 2011
FIELDS DAY
“Ah, yes...” On this day in 1880, William Claude Dukenfield was born. He became one of the most celebrated comics and actors in the U.S., starting his career as a vaudeville juggler, then spending several decades on the musical stage before turning to films.
W.C. Fields (he shortened his name for stage and screen) made his first short, Pool Sharks, in 1915. After silent movies, he performed in many comedy classics like, My Little Chickadee with Mae West (1940), The Bank **** (1940) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941).
W.C.’s famous lines became subject matter for nightclub impersonators and comedians. One of the most-repeated quotes was originally directed at the child-actor, Baby LeRoy, Fields’ on-screen nemesis: “Go away, kid, you bother me.” The one-liner that demonstrated Fields’ jaundiced humor the best, and is probably his most-quoted, was fired at a party hostess who, unfortunately, had offered the bombastic curmudgeon a glass of water. “Never touch the stuff; fish **** in it,” was his response. Other W.C. Fields witticisms: “Doctors say don’t worry about your heart -- it will last as long as you live.”, “Californians talk so much about their climate, it makes their weather vane.”, “I am very humble and proud of it.”, “It was a woman who drove me to drink and I never even thanked her.”
A filmfest is held in Lompoc, California each year to commemorate their favorite son, who spoke of the town in several movies... calling it, “Lom-POCK.” He despised children and babies and requested that his headstone read, “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”
Events January 29
1802 - John Beckley became the first Librarian of the U.S. Congress. He was paid $2 a day. Not bad, considering in 1802 you could buy a house for $25.00 and a chicken.
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.
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.
1891 - Hawaii proclaimed Liliuokalani as its queen. She abdicated on January 24, 1895 after four years of turbulence. During her life, Liliuokalani composed hundreds of songs, including Aloha Oe. She also sang and played the guitar.
1924 - Carl R. Taylor of Cleveland, OH patented the ice cream cone rolling machine. Ice cream cones in Cleveland in January? Silly idea... but it took off anyway. Don’t you just love those rolled sugar cones!
1929 - The Seeing Eye was incorporated -- in Nashville, TN. Its purpose was to train dogs to guide the blind. The Seeing Eye (founded in Nashville, TN) is now located in Morristown, NJ, has matched thousands of dogs with persons who are blind or visually impaired in the U.S. and Canada.
1936 - Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson were the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It happened on this day in Cooperstown, NY.
1937 - Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra waxed the famous Song of India on Victor Records.
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. You green-thumbers out there will soon receive a pop quiz on this, so, please, reread it and pay close attention. Thank you.
1945 - Lionel Barrymore became host of the Lux Radio Theatre on this day. Actually, he replaced the previous host. Some guy named Cecil B. DeMille.
1949 - The ship, The Newport News, was commissioned as the first air-conditioned naval ship -- in Virginia.
1951 - Liz Taylor got her very first divorce on this day -- from Conrad Hilton Jr
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 Sleeping Beauty was released. The animated fantasty features the voices Mary Costa (as Princess Aurora and Briar Rose), Bill Shirley (as Prince Phillip) Eleanor Audley (Maleficent) Verna Felton (Flora) Barbara Luddy (Merryweather) Barbara Jo Allen (Fauna) Taylor Holmes (King Stefan) and Bill Thompson (as King Hubert).
1963 - The first members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced in Canton, Ohio. The Hall of Fame building officially opened on Sep 7, 1963 with 17 charter inductees: Sammy Baugh, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, Earl (Dutch) Clark, Harold (Red) Grange, George Halas, Mel Hein, Wilbur (Pete) Henry, Robert (Cal) Hubbard, Don Hutson, Earl (Curly) Lambeau, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, John (Blood) McNally, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers and Jim Thorpe.
1963 - Robert Frost died in Boston. He was 88. Frost was a four-time Pulitzer prize-winning poet: Birches, Mending Wall, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. He read The Gift Outright at inauguration of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
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 - Coach Adolph Rupp of the Kentucky Wildcats notched win #772 and became the winningest coach in college basketball history, as Kentucky beat Mississippi on this night.
1968 - Gore Vidal’s controversial sex novel, Myra Breckinridge, was published by Little, Brown & Company. It was later made into a film starring Raquel Welch and Mae West.
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.
1977 - From the Do You Remember When file, this note: Rose Royce earned the #1 spot on the music charts with Car Wash, from the movie of the same name. The song stayed at the peak of the pop charts for one week before its popularity began to drain away...
1984 - The East All-Stars defeated the West All-Stars, for a record, fifth straight year in the NBA’s All-Star Game. This game went into overtime (the third time in the game’s history). Isaiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons was named Most Valuable Player in the 154-145 win.
1985 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at a new high of 1,292.62, eclipsing the record set on November 29, 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.” How about that! Bet Leonardo da Vinci would have been impressed. Modern medicine at its finest. That will be $54 for the visit. Next, please...
1990 - Former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in Anchorage, Alaska, on charges stemming from the Alaskan oil spill. Hazelwood later was acquitted of the major charges and convicted of a misdemeanor.
1991 - Nelson Mandela (president of South Africa) and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi held the first talks in almost 30 years between predominantly Zulu Inkatha and the ethnically mixed African National Congress.
1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin said his country’s nuclear weapons would no longer be aimed at any U.S. targets.
1993 - U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that he was ordering the draft of a formal directive to end the longstanding ban on homosexuals in the U.S. military.
1995 - Super Bowl XXIX (at Miami): San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26. 49ers’ QB Steve Young (MVP) threw six (a record) TD passes and directed an offense that generated seven TDs, 28 first downs and 455 total yards. The 49ers were the first team to win five Super Bowls. Tickets: $200.00.
1996 - Canadian country singer Shania Twain was named best new country artist at the American Music Awards.
1997 - Threatened with lawsuits across the U.S., America Online agreed to give refunds to customers who had been unable to log on after AOL offered a flat $19.95-a-month rate.
1998 - A bomb exploded outside the New Woman, All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officer working as a security guard. Emily Lyons, a nurse, was critically injured. Police captured the bomber, Eric Robert Rudolph, on May 31, 2003.
1999 - She’s All That debuted in the U.S. The romantic comedy stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Anna Paquin, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Lillard, Lil’ Kim, Dule Hill, Elden Henson and Kevin Pollak.
2000 - Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott, participants in San Francisco’s Super Bowl dynasty, were among five individuals elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2001 - U.S. President George Bush (II) established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
2002 - In his first State of the Union Address, U.S. President George W. Bush (II) said terrorists were threatening the U.S. He warned of “an axis of evil", consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
2002 - Actor Harold Russell, who received two Oscars for his sensitive portrayal of a disabled veteran in The Best Years of Our Lives died in Needham, Mass. He was 88 years old.
2003 - AOL Time Warner posted a record $98.7 billion loss, the biggest in U.S. corporate history. It included a $45.5 billion write down on the value of AOL. AOL Time Warner also announced the resignation of vice chairman Ted Turner.
2004 - Israel released more than 420 prisoners in a long-awaited swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah in exchange for an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers.
2005 - Clint Eastwood was named best director of 2004 by the Directors Guild of America for his his boxing-melodrama Million Dollar Baby.
2006 - ABC World News Tonight co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously injured by an improvised explosive device near Taji, Iraq.
2007 - Lauren Nelson was crowned Miss America on this day. It was the second year in a row that a Miss Oklahoma had won. (Jennifer Berry was crowned Miss America in 2006.)
2008 - Senator John McCain defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (36-31 percent) in Florida’s Republican primary. The Democratic race, won by Hillary Clinton, was moot because Democratic Party rules forbade the state from holding its primary before February 5.
2009 - Iraq announced that it had barred Blackwater Worldwide from providing security protection for U.S. diplomats. Iraq said Blackwater’s contractors had used excessive force.
2009 - Pat Quinn, Illinois Democratic Lt. Governor, became governor after the state Senate convicted Rod Blagojevich of abuse of power.
2010 - New movies in the U.S.: Dread, starring Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans, Hanne Steen, Laura Donnelly, Jonathan Readwin, Carl McCrystal, Zoe Stollery, Eva Wyrwal, Elissa Dowling, Kirean Murphy, Elspeth Rae, Erin Gavin and Matt Jessup; The Graves, with Clare Grant, Jillian Murray, Bill Moseley, Tony Todd, Amanda Wyss, Patti Tindall and Dean Matthew Ronalds; Saint John of Las Vegas, starring Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Emily Mortimer, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho and Emmanuelle Chriqui; Edge of Darkness, with Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts, Bojana Novakovic, Frank Grillo and Gbenga Akinnagbe; When in Rome, starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Alexis Dziena, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Kate Micucci, Bobby Moynihan, Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston; and Preacher’s Kid, with Letoya Luckett, Tammy Townsend, Carlos Davis, Andre Butler, Nadiyah Hollis, Javen Campbell, Clayton English, Kelly Finley and Ella Joyce.
2010 - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said there had been no ‘covert’ deal with then U.S. president George W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003. Blair adamantly defended his decision to take Britain into the Iraq War.
2010 - U.S. President Barack Obama engaged with Republican critics holding a GOP House Issues Conference. Obama testily accused the Republicans of trying to block his policies, but urged them to “join with me” in creating jobs.
Birthdays January 29
1737 - Thomas Paine
American revolutionary leader, political philosopher: Common Sense, The Age of Reason, The Crisis: “These are the times that try men’s souls.”; died Jun 8, 1809
1843 - William McKinley
25th U.S. President [1897-1901]; assassinated six months after the start of his second term: Sep 14, 1901
1860 - Anton Chekhov
short story writer: The Party, The Darling; playwright: The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya; died Jul 15, 1904
1874 - John Davison Rockefeller Jr.
industrialist: founder of Standard Oil Co.; Rockefeller Foundation; died May 11, 1960
1880 - W.C. (William Claude) Fields (Dukenfield)
entertainer; died Dec 25, 1946; see Fields Day [above]
1885 - Leadbelly (Huddie William Ledbetter)
American guitarist, blues singer, songwriter: The Rock Island Line, The Midnight Special, Goodnight Irene; died Dec 6, 1949
1906 - Joe Primeau
Hockey Hall of Fame player and coach: Toronto Maple Leafs: only coach to win Memorial Cup, Allan Cup and Stanley Cup; died May 14, 1989
1909 - Eddie Dew
actor: Beyond the Last Frontier, Raiders of Sunset Pass, A Star Is Born, Government Agents vs Phantom Legion, Renegades of the Rio Grande, Raiders of Sunset Pass, Six Gun Gospel; died Apr 6, 1972
1911 - Bryan Coleman
actor: Chaplin, The Black Candle, Mona Lisa, Country, Zeppelin, Mr. Brown Comes Down the Hill, The Hand, Blood of the Vampire; died July 4, 2005
1913 - Victor (John) Mature
actor: The Robe, Samson and Delilah, The Las Vegas Story, Song of the Islands, After the Fox; died Aug 4, 1999
1917 - John Raitt
actor, singer: The Pajama Game, The Chevy Show, The Buick Circus Hour; died Feb 20, 2005
1918 - 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; died Apr 1, 2010
1918 - Bill (William Joseph) ‘Specs’ Rigney
‘The Cricket’: baseball: NY Giants [all-star: 1948/World Series: 1951]; died Feb 20, 2001
1923 - Paddy (Sidney) Chayefsky
Academy Award-winning playwright: Marty [1955]; Paint Your Wagon, Altered States, Network; died Aug 1, 1981
1934 - Noel Harrison
actor: The Best of Enemies, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Murder in China Basin
1937 - Bobby Scott
singer, pianist: Chain Gang; songwriter: A Taste of Honey; died Nov 5, 1990
1939 - Bobby (Donald) Bolin
baseball: pitcher: SF Giants [World Series: 1962], Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
1939 - Germaine Greer
feminist author: Daddy We Hardly Knew You, The Change
1940 - Katharine Ross
actress: The Graduate, The Final Countdown, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Singing Nun, The Colbys
1942 - Claudine Longet
singer: LPs: Claudine, The Look of Love, Love is Blue, Colours; actress: McHale’s Navy, Hogan’s Heroes, The Party, How to Steal An Airplane, Only One Day Left Before Tomorrow; formerly married to Andy Williams
1945 - Donna Maria Caponi (Young)
golf champion: U.S. Open [1969, 1970], Nabisco Dinah Shore [1980], Du Maurier Classic [1976], LPGA [1979, 1981]; sportscaster: ABC Sports
1945 - 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, Las Vegas, Blue Bloods
1945 - Wayne Stephenson
hockey: NHL: SL Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals
1947 - David Byron
singer: groups: Uriah Heep: Gypsy, Salisbury, July Morning, Easy Livin’; Stalkers and Spice
1949 - Jim (James Vernon) Tyrone
baseball: Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics
1950 - Ann Jillian (Jurate Nauseda)
actress: Ann Jillian, It’s a Living, Jennifer Slept Here, Hazel
1952 - Billy Harris
hockey: NHL: NY Islanders, LA Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs
1952 - Tommy Ramone
musician: drums, songwriter: group: The Ramones I Wanna Be Sedated, Teenage Lobotomy, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Chinese Rock
1954 - 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 - Greg Ballard
basketball [forward]: Univ of Oregon; NBA: Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics; assistant coach: Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks
1960 - Matthew Ashford
actor: Days of our Lives, Paper Bullets, Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, Species, Night Sins, One Stormy Night
1960 - Greg Louganis
diver: Olympic gold medalist: [1984, 1988]
1961 - Eddie Jackson
musician: bass, singer: group: Queensryche: LPs: Queensryche, The Warning, Rage for Order, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, The Promised Land, Operation: Livecrime
1964 - Roddy Frame
musician: guitar, singer, songwriter: group: Aztec Camera: Oblivious, Walk Out to Winter, All I Need is Everything, Birth of the True, Knife, Just like the USA; solo LP: Love
1964 - Andre Reed
football: Kutztown Univ; NFL: Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins
1965 - Dominik Hasek
hockey [goalie]: Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings
1965 - Julia Stemberger
actress: Hexenkusse, Julie, chevalier de Maupin, 1809 Andreas Hofer - Die Freiheit des Adlers, Teuflischer Engel, Quintett komplett
1967 - Sean Burke
hockey [goalie]: NJ Devils, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers,Phoenix Coyotes
1968 - Edward Burns
actor: The Groomsmen, A Sound of Thunder, Looking for Kitty, Life or Something Like It, 27 Dresses, One Missed Call
1968 - Aeneas Williams
football: Southern Univ; NFL: Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, SL Rams
1970 - Heather Graham
actress: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Boogie Nights, Diggstown, Swingers, Killing Me Softly
1973 - Steve Passmore
hockey: Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, LA Kings
1973 - Jason Schmidt
baseball [pitcher]: Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants
1975 - Sara Gilbert (Sara Rebecca Abeles)
actress: Roseanne; sister of actress Melissa Gilbert and actor Jonathan Gilbert
1975 - Kelly Packard
actress: Auto Focus, Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay, Get Your Stuff, Little Bigfoot, And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird
1979 - Andrew Keegan
actor: 10 Things I Hate About You, Independence Day, Camp Nowhere, Thunder Alley, 7th Heaven, Party of Five
1980 - Katie Lohmann
Playboy magazine Playmate, actress: Room 6, Headache, National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze, The Hot Chick, The Model Solution, Bubble Boy, Tomcats
Chart Toppers January 29
1950Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
The Old Master Painter - Richard Hayes
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me - Eddy Arnold
1959Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
Donna - Ritchie Valens
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1968Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Bend Me, Shape Me - The American Breed
Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
1977Car Wash - Rose Royce
Dazz - Brick
Hot Line - The Sylvers
Let My Love Be Your Pillow - Ronnie Milsap
1986That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
I’m Your Man - Wham!
Never Be You - Rosanne Cash
1995Creep - TLC
Always - Bon Jovi
Take a Bow - Madonna
Gone Country - Alan Jackson
2004The Way You Move - Outkast
Milkshake - Kelis
The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera
There Goes My Life - Kenny Chesney
Chart Topper January 29th, 2004...The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera
View attachment 9852
Saturday, January 29, 2011
FIELDS DAY
“Ah, yes...” On this day in 1880, William Claude Dukenfield was born. He became one of the most celebrated comics and actors in the U.S., starting his career as a vaudeville juggler, then spending several decades on the musical stage before turning to films.
W.C. Fields (he shortened his name for stage and screen) made his first short, Pool Sharks, in 1915. After silent movies, he performed in many comedy classics like, My Little Chickadee with Mae West (1940), The Bank **** (1940) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941).
W.C.’s famous lines became subject matter for nightclub impersonators and comedians. One of the most-repeated quotes was originally directed at the child-actor, Baby LeRoy, Fields’ on-screen nemesis: “Go away, kid, you bother me.” The one-liner that demonstrated Fields’ jaundiced humor the best, and is probably his most-quoted, was fired at a party hostess who, unfortunately, had offered the bombastic curmudgeon a glass of water. “Never touch the stuff; fish **** in it,” was his response. Other W.C. Fields witticisms: “Doctors say don’t worry about your heart -- it will last as long as you live.”, “Californians talk so much about their climate, it makes their weather vane.”, “I am very humble and proud of it.”, “It was a woman who drove me to drink and I never even thanked her.”
A filmfest is held in Lompoc, California each year to commemorate their favorite son, who spoke of the town in several movies... calling it, “Lom-POCK.” He despised children and babies and requested that his headstone read, “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”
Events January 29
1802 - John Beckley became the first Librarian of the U.S. Congress. He was paid $2 a day. Not bad, considering in 1802 you could buy a house for $25.00 and a chicken.
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.
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.
1891 - Hawaii proclaimed Liliuokalani as its queen. She abdicated on January 24, 1895 after four years of turbulence. During her life, Liliuokalani composed hundreds of songs, including Aloha Oe. She also sang and played the guitar.
1924 - Carl R. Taylor of Cleveland, OH patented the ice cream cone rolling machine. Ice cream cones in Cleveland in January? Silly idea... but it took off anyway. Don’t you just love those rolled sugar cones!
1929 - The Seeing Eye was incorporated -- in Nashville, TN. Its purpose was to train dogs to guide the blind. The Seeing Eye (founded in Nashville, TN) is now located in Morristown, NJ, has matched thousands of dogs with persons who are blind or visually impaired in the U.S. and Canada.
1936 - Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson were the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It happened on this day in Cooperstown, NY.
1937 - Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra waxed the famous Song of India on Victor Records.
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. You green-thumbers out there will soon receive a pop quiz on this, so, please, reread it and pay close attention. Thank you.
1945 - Lionel Barrymore became host of the Lux Radio Theatre on this day. Actually, he replaced the previous host. Some guy named Cecil B. DeMille.
1949 - The ship, The Newport News, was commissioned as the first air-conditioned naval ship -- in Virginia.
1951 - Liz Taylor got her very first divorce on this day -- from Conrad Hilton Jr
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 Sleeping Beauty was released. The animated fantasty features the voices Mary Costa (as Princess Aurora and Briar Rose), Bill Shirley (as Prince Phillip) Eleanor Audley (Maleficent) Verna Felton (Flora) Barbara Luddy (Merryweather) Barbara Jo Allen (Fauna) Taylor Holmes (King Stefan) and Bill Thompson (as King Hubert).
1963 - The first members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced in Canton, Ohio. The Hall of Fame building officially opened on Sep 7, 1963 with 17 charter inductees: Sammy Baugh, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, Earl (Dutch) Clark, Harold (Red) Grange, George Halas, Mel Hein, Wilbur (Pete) Henry, Robert (Cal) Hubbard, Don Hutson, Earl (Curly) Lambeau, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, John (Blood) McNally, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers and Jim Thorpe.
1963 - Robert Frost died in Boston. He was 88. Frost was a four-time Pulitzer prize-winning poet: Birches, Mending Wall, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. He read The Gift Outright at inauguration of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
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 - Coach Adolph Rupp of the Kentucky Wildcats notched win #772 and became the winningest coach in college basketball history, as Kentucky beat Mississippi on this night.
1968 - Gore Vidal’s controversial sex novel, Myra Breckinridge, was published by Little, Brown & Company. It was later made into a film starring Raquel Welch and Mae West.
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.
1977 - From the Do You Remember When file, this note: Rose Royce earned the #1 spot on the music charts with Car Wash, from the movie of the same name. The song stayed at the peak of the pop charts for one week before its popularity began to drain away...
1984 - The East All-Stars defeated the West All-Stars, for a record, fifth straight year in the NBA’s All-Star Game. This game went into overtime (the third time in the game’s history). Isaiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons was named Most Valuable Player in the 154-145 win.
1985 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at a new high of 1,292.62, eclipsing the record set on November 29, 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.” How about that! Bet Leonardo da Vinci would have been impressed. Modern medicine at its finest. That will be $54 for the visit. Next, please...
1990 - Former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in Anchorage, Alaska, on charges stemming from the Alaskan oil spill. Hazelwood later was acquitted of the major charges and convicted of a misdemeanor.
1991 - Nelson Mandela (president of South Africa) and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi held the first talks in almost 30 years between predominantly Zulu Inkatha and the ethnically mixed African National Congress.
1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin said his country’s nuclear weapons would no longer be aimed at any U.S. targets.
1993 - U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that he was ordering the draft of a formal directive to end the longstanding ban on homosexuals in the U.S. military.
1995 - Super Bowl XXIX (at Miami): San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26. 49ers’ QB Steve Young (MVP) threw six (a record) TD passes and directed an offense that generated seven TDs, 28 first downs and 455 total yards. The 49ers were the first team to win five Super Bowls. Tickets: $200.00.
1996 - Canadian country singer Shania Twain was named best new country artist at the American Music Awards.
1997 - Threatened with lawsuits across the U.S., America Online agreed to give refunds to customers who had been unable to log on after AOL offered a flat $19.95-a-month rate.
1998 - A bomb exploded outside the New Woman, All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officer working as a security guard. Emily Lyons, a nurse, was critically injured. Police captured the bomber, Eric Robert Rudolph, on May 31, 2003.
1999 - She’s All That debuted in the U.S. The romantic comedy stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Anna Paquin, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Lillard, Lil’ Kim, Dule Hill, Elden Henson and Kevin Pollak.
2000 - Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott, participants in San Francisco’s Super Bowl dynasty, were among five individuals elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2001 - U.S. President George Bush (II) established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
2002 - In his first State of the Union Address, U.S. President George W. Bush (II) said terrorists were threatening the U.S. He warned of “an axis of evil", consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
2002 - Actor Harold Russell, who received two Oscars for his sensitive portrayal of a disabled veteran in The Best Years of Our Lives died in Needham, Mass. He was 88 years old.
2003 - AOL Time Warner posted a record $98.7 billion loss, the biggest in U.S. corporate history. It included a $45.5 billion write down on the value of AOL. AOL Time Warner also announced the resignation of vice chairman Ted Turner.
2004 - Israel released more than 420 prisoners in a long-awaited swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah in exchange for an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers.
2005 - Clint Eastwood was named best director of 2004 by the Directors Guild of America for his his boxing-melodrama Million Dollar Baby.
2006 - ABC World News Tonight co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously injured by an improvised explosive device near Taji, Iraq.
2007 - Lauren Nelson was crowned Miss America on this day. It was the second year in a row that a Miss Oklahoma had won. (Jennifer Berry was crowned Miss America in 2006.)
2008 - Senator John McCain defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (36-31 percent) in Florida’s Republican primary. The Democratic race, won by Hillary Clinton, was moot because Democratic Party rules forbade the state from holding its primary before February 5.
2009 - Iraq announced that it had barred Blackwater Worldwide from providing security protection for U.S. diplomats. Iraq said Blackwater’s contractors had used excessive force.
2009 - Pat Quinn, Illinois Democratic Lt. Governor, became governor after the state Senate convicted Rod Blagojevich of abuse of power.
2010 - New movies in the U.S.: Dread, starring Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans, Hanne Steen, Laura Donnelly, Jonathan Readwin, Carl McCrystal, Zoe Stollery, Eva Wyrwal, Elissa Dowling, Kirean Murphy, Elspeth Rae, Erin Gavin and Matt Jessup; The Graves, with Clare Grant, Jillian Murray, Bill Moseley, Tony Todd, Amanda Wyss, Patti Tindall and Dean Matthew Ronalds; Saint John of Las Vegas, starring Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Emily Mortimer, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho and Emmanuelle Chriqui; Edge of Darkness, with Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts, Bojana Novakovic, Frank Grillo and Gbenga Akinnagbe; When in Rome, starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Alexis Dziena, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Kate Micucci, Bobby Moynihan, Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston; and Preacher’s Kid, with Letoya Luckett, Tammy Townsend, Carlos Davis, Andre Butler, Nadiyah Hollis, Javen Campbell, Clayton English, Kelly Finley and Ella Joyce.
2010 - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said there had been no ‘covert’ deal with then U.S. president George W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003. Blair adamantly defended his decision to take Britain into the Iraq War.
2010 - U.S. President Barack Obama engaged with Republican critics holding a GOP House Issues Conference. Obama testily accused the Republicans of trying to block his policies, but urged them to “join with me” in creating jobs.
Birthdays January 29
1737 - Thomas Paine
American revolutionary leader, political philosopher: Common Sense, The Age of Reason, The Crisis: “These are the times that try men’s souls.”; died Jun 8, 1809
1843 - William McKinley
25th U.S. President [1897-1901]; assassinated six months after the start of his second term: Sep 14, 1901
1860 - Anton Chekhov
short story writer: The Party, The Darling; playwright: The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya; died Jul 15, 1904
1874 - John Davison Rockefeller Jr.
industrialist: founder of Standard Oil Co.; Rockefeller Foundation; died May 11, 1960
1880 - W.C. (William Claude) Fields (Dukenfield)
entertainer; died Dec 25, 1946; see Fields Day [above]
1885 - Leadbelly (Huddie William Ledbetter)
American guitarist, blues singer, songwriter: The Rock Island Line, The Midnight Special, Goodnight Irene; died Dec 6, 1949
1906 - Joe Primeau
Hockey Hall of Fame player and coach: Toronto Maple Leafs: only coach to win Memorial Cup, Allan Cup and Stanley Cup; died May 14, 1989
1909 - Eddie Dew
actor: Beyond the Last Frontier, Raiders of Sunset Pass, A Star Is Born, Government Agents vs Phantom Legion, Renegades of the Rio Grande, Raiders of Sunset Pass, Six Gun Gospel; died Apr 6, 1972
1911 - Bryan Coleman
actor: Chaplin, The Black Candle, Mona Lisa, Country, Zeppelin, Mr. Brown Comes Down the Hill, The Hand, Blood of the Vampire; died July 4, 2005
1913 - Victor (John) Mature
actor: The Robe, Samson and Delilah, The Las Vegas Story, Song of the Islands, After the Fox; died Aug 4, 1999
1917 - John Raitt
actor, singer: The Pajama Game, The Chevy Show, The Buick Circus Hour; died Feb 20, 2005
1918 - 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; died Apr 1, 2010
1918 - Bill (William Joseph) ‘Specs’ Rigney
‘The Cricket’: baseball: NY Giants [all-star: 1948/World Series: 1951]; died Feb 20, 2001
1923 - Paddy (Sidney) Chayefsky
Academy Award-winning playwright: Marty [1955]; Paint Your Wagon, Altered States, Network; died Aug 1, 1981
1934 - Noel Harrison
actor: The Best of Enemies, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Murder in China Basin
1937 - Bobby Scott
singer, pianist: Chain Gang; songwriter: A Taste of Honey; died Nov 5, 1990
1939 - Bobby (Donald) Bolin
baseball: pitcher: SF Giants [World Series: 1962], Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
1939 - Germaine Greer
feminist author: Daddy We Hardly Knew You, The Change
1940 - Katharine Ross
actress: The Graduate, The Final Countdown, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Singing Nun, The Colbys
1942 - Claudine Longet
singer: LPs: Claudine, The Look of Love, Love is Blue, Colours; actress: McHale’s Navy, Hogan’s Heroes, The Party, How to Steal An Airplane, Only One Day Left Before Tomorrow; formerly married to Andy Williams
1945 - Donna Maria Caponi (Young)
golf champion: U.S. Open [1969, 1970], Nabisco Dinah Shore [1980], Du Maurier Classic [1976], LPGA [1979, 1981]; sportscaster: ABC Sports
1945 - 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, Las Vegas, Blue Bloods
1945 - Wayne Stephenson
hockey: NHL: SL Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals
1947 - David Byron
singer: groups: Uriah Heep: Gypsy, Salisbury, July Morning, Easy Livin’; Stalkers and Spice
1949 - Jim (James Vernon) Tyrone
baseball: Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics
1950 - Ann Jillian (Jurate Nauseda)
actress: Ann Jillian, It’s a Living, Jennifer Slept Here, Hazel
1952 - Billy Harris
hockey: NHL: NY Islanders, LA Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs
1952 - Tommy Ramone
musician: drums, songwriter: group: The Ramones I Wanna Be Sedated, Teenage Lobotomy, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Chinese Rock
1954 - 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 - Greg Ballard
basketball [forward]: Univ of Oregon; NBA: Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics; assistant coach: Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks
1960 - Matthew Ashford
actor: Days of our Lives, Paper Bullets, Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, Species, Night Sins, One Stormy Night
1960 - Greg Louganis
diver: Olympic gold medalist: [1984, 1988]
1961 - Eddie Jackson
musician: bass, singer: group: Queensryche: LPs: Queensryche, The Warning, Rage for Order, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, The Promised Land, Operation: Livecrime
1964 - Roddy Frame
musician: guitar, singer, songwriter: group: Aztec Camera: Oblivious, Walk Out to Winter, All I Need is Everything, Birth of the True, Knife, Just like the USA; solo LP: Love
1964 - Andre Reed
football: Kutztown Univ; NFL: Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins
1965 - Dominik Hasek
hockey [goalie]: Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings
1965 - Julia Stemberger
actress: Hexenkusse, Julie, chevalier de Maupin, 1809 Andreas Hofer - Die Freiheit des Adlers, Teuflischer Engel, Quintett komplett
1967 - Sean Burke
hockey [goalie]: NJ Devils, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers,Phoenix Coyotes
1968 - Edward Burns
actor: The Groomsmen, A Sound of Thunder, Looking for Kitty, Life or Something Like It, 27 Dresses, One Missed Call
1968 - Aeneas Williams
football: Southern Univ; NFL: Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, SL Rams
1970 - Heather Graham
actress: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Boogie Nights, Diggstown, Swingers, Killing Me Softly
1973 - Steve Passmore
hockey: Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, LA Kings
1973 - Jason Schmidt
baseball [pitcher]: Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants
1975 - Sara Gilbert (Sara Rebecca Abeles)
actress: Roseanne; sister of actress Melissa Gilbert and actor Jonathan Gilbert
1975 - Kelly Packard
actress: Auto Focus, Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay, Get Your Stuff, Little Bigfoot, And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird
1979 - Andrew Keegan
actor: 10 Things I Hate About You, Independence Day, Camp Nowhere, Thunder Alley, 7th Heaven, Party of Five
1980 - Katie Lohmann
Playboy magazine Playmate, actress: Room 6, Headache, National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze, The Hot Chick, The Model Solution, Bubble Boy, Tomcats
Chart Toppers January 29
1950Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
The Old Master Painter - Richard Hayes
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me - Eddy Arnold
1959Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
Donna - Ritchie Valens
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1968Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Bend Me, Shape Me - The American Breed
Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
1977Car Wash - Rose Royce
Dazz - Brick
Hot Line - The Sylvers
Let My Love Be Your Pillow - Ronnie Milsap
1986That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
I’m Your Man - Wham!
Never Be You - Rosanne Cash
1995Creep - TLC
Always - Bon Jovi
Take a Bow - Madonna
Gone Country - Alan Jackson
2004The Way You Move - Outkast
Milkshake - Kelis
The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera
There Goes My Life - Kenny Chesney
Chart Topper January 29th, 2004...The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera
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