» » This day from the past, January 23rd, is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 342 days remaining until the end of the year (343 in leap years). → 1556 - The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000. → 1737 - John Hancock born, (U.S. statesman and patriot: President of Continental Congress [1775-1777]: first to put his signature on the Declaration of Independence [“I’ll sign it in letters bold enough so the King of England can see it without his spectacles on!”; passed away Oct 8, 1793]. → 1775 - American Revolution - On this day in London merchants petition Parliament for relief from the financial hardship put upon them by the curtailment of trade with the North American colonies. → 1789 - Georgetown College was established as the first Catholic college in the United States. The school is in Washington, DC. → 1849 - Patent granted for an envelope-making machine. → 1855 - First bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, MN, a crossing made today by the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge. → 1870 - In Montana, U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in what becomes known as the Marias Massacre. → 1883 - Holiday - Montrealers celebrate winter with the citys First-ever ice palace carnival. → 1888 - Well drillers discover natural gas in Kingsville Ontario. → 1895 - Romaine Callender demonstrates his automatic telephone in New York; inventor from Brantford, Ontario. → 1898 - Randolph Scott (Crane) born, (actor: Last of the Mohicans, The Nevadan, Ride the High Country, To the Shores of Tripoli, Man in the Saddle, Go West Young Man, Bombardier; dies Mar 2, 1987). → 1901 - King Edward VII starts reign; to 1910; most public events in country cancelled on death of Queen Victoria. London, England → 1901 - Fire ravages the city of Montreal, doing over $2.5 million in property damage; destroyed over 30 buildings in Old Montreal and took 7 hours to put out due to frozen water mains. Montréal, Québec. → 1907 - Dan Duryea born, (actor: The Flight of the Phoenix, Five Golden Dragons; dies June 7, 1968). → 1907 - Charles Curtis of Kansas began serving in the United States Senate. He was the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator. He resigned in March of 1929 to become President Herbert Hoover’s Vice President. → 1909 - ‘RMS Republic’, a passenger ship of the White Star Line, becomes the first ship to use the ‘CQD’ distress signal after colliding with another ship, the ‘SS Florida’, off the Massachusetts coastline, an event that kills six people. The Republic sinks the next day. → 1910 - Disaster - CPR derailment, at Spanish River near Sudbury, Ontario kills 43. → 1915 - Rail - William Mackenzie drives the last spike of the troubled Canadian Northern Railway at Basque, BC. → 1916 - Temp falls from 44ºF (7ºC) to -56ºF (49ºC) night of January 23-24, Montana, USA. → 1919 - Ernie Kovacs born, (comedian: The Ernie Kovacs Show; actor: Bell Book and Candle, North to Alaska; killed in car crash Jan 13, 1962). → 1920 - World War I - On this day the Dutch government refuses demands by the Allies for the extradition of Wilhelm II, the former Kaiser of Germany, who has been living in exile in the Netherlands since November 1918. → 1922 - First successful test on a human patient with diabetes occurs when a 2nd dose of insulin is administered to dangerously ill Leonard Thompson (14). Following the birth of an idea and nine months of experimentation, and through the combined efforts of four men at the University of Toronto; insulin for the treatment of diabetes was first discovered and later purified for human use. Rural Canadian physician Dr. F.G. Banting first conceived the idea of extracting insulin from the pancreas in 1920. He and his assistant C.H. Best prepared pancreatic extracts to prolong the lives of diabetic dogs with advice and laboratory aid from Professor J.J.R. Macleod. The crude insulin extract was purified for human testing by Dr. J.B. Collip. Insulin, now made from cattle pancreases, lifted the death sentence for diabetes sufferers around the world. Toronto, Ontario → 1937 - Charlie McCarthy named Edgar Bergens beneficiary. → 1941 - Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded Moonglow on Victor Records. In the band were such sidemen as Johnny Guarnieri, Jack Jenney, Billy Butterfield and Ray Conniff (on trombone). → 1941 - World War II - Lindbergh to Congress: Negotiate with Hitler. On this day, Charles A. Lindbergh, a national hero since his nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic, testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Lend-Lease policy-and suggests that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Hitler. → 1943 - Casablanca the movie, was copyrighted. → 1943 - Duke Ellington and the band played for a black-tie crowd at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was the first of what was to become an annual series of concerts featuring the Duke. → 1943 - Gil Gerard born, (actor: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Sidekicks, Hooch, Soldier’s Fortune). → 1943 - The United States 8th Air Force flies its first bombing mission over Germany, against Wilhelmshaven. → 1944 - Detroit Red Wings score 15 goals against New York Rangers and record 37 points, also most consecutive goals and most lopsided game 15-0. → 1944 - Rutger Hauer born, (actor: Lady Hawke, Nighthawks, Blade Runner, Beyond Justice, Forbidden Choices). → 1948 - Hustons Treasure of Sierra Madre starring Humphrey Bogart opens. → 1948 - Anita Pointer born, (singer: group: The Pointer Sisters: Fairy Tale, Fire, He’s So Shy, Slow Hand, Jump [For My Love], Automatic, Neutron Dance, I’m So Excited, Dare Me). → 1950 - Richard Dean Anderson born, (actor: Legend, MacGyver, Emerald Point N.A.S., Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, General Hospital, Stargate SG-1). → 1954 - Oh! My Papa by Eddie Fisher topped the charts. → 1957 - Princess Caroline of Monaco born, (royalty: daughter of Prince Ranier and Princess Grace of Monaco). → 1957 - Toy company Wham-O produces first Frisbees. On this day in 1957, machines at the Wham-O toy company roll out the first batch of their aerodynamic plastic discs--now known to millions of fans all over the world as Frisbees. → 1960 - The bathyscaphe ‘USS Trieste’ breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean. → 1960 - Running Bear by Johnny Preston topped the charts. → 1963 - Gail O’Grady born, (actress: N.Y.P.D. Blue, Monk, Boston Legal, American Dreams). → 1964 - The Milwaukee Braves’ legendary pitcher, Warren Spahn, signed a contract worth $85,000, making him the highest paid pitcher in baseball. → 1965 - Downtown by Petula Clark topped the charts. → 1967 - Chart Toppers - ‘I’m a Believer’ - The Monkees; ‘Tell It Like It Is’ - Aaron Neville; ‘Georgy Girl’ - The Seekers; ‘There Goes My Everything’ - Jack Greene. → 1971 - It was a cold day in Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was reported as the mercury fell to a minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Our teeth chatter and the car battery dies at the mere thought of it... → 1971 - Knock Three Times by Dawn topped the charts. → 1973 - Vietnam War - Nixon announces peace settlement reached in Paris. President Nixon announces that Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho, the chief North Vietnamese negotiator, have initialed a peace agreement in Paris to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. → 1974 - Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells opened the credits of the movie, The Exorcist, based on the book by William Peter Blatty. The song received a gold record this day. Mr. Oldfield was a bit surprised when he cracked open the wooden frame and removed the gold-plated disk. When he put it on his stereo, the record went around the OTHER way all by itself and the only sound he heard was that of Linda Blair throwing up pea soup. Yeeeech! We heard that the flip side was Sympathy for the Devil, by the Rolling Stones, but we’re not sure. We were too scared to find out. → 1974 - Tiffani-Amber Thiessen born, (actress: Beverly Hills 90210, Saved by the Bell, Son in Law). → 1975 - Barney Miller made his debut on ABC-TV. We saw life in the 12th Precinct as Hal Linden starred as Barney and Abe Vigoda played Fish. The talented cast made the show a hit for eight seasons. There are 170 episodes in the series; making it one of television’s most durable comedies. → 1975 - Taxation - Media - Ottawa announces it will end tax breaks to Canadian companies advertising in Canadian (split-run) editions of foreign magazines such as ‘Time’ and ‘Readers Digest’. → 1976 - Washington Capitals end 25-game winless streak (0-22-3) beating New York Rangers 7-5. → 1977 - Miniseries Roots premieres on ABC. → 1977 - Carole King’s landmark album, Tapestry, became the longest-running album to hit the charts, as it reached its 302nd week on the album lists. → 1977 - Patti Smith fell off the stage in Tampa, FL. She required 22 stitches and broke several neck vertebrae. → 1978 - Sweden banned aerosol sprays because of damage to environment. They were the first country to do so. → 1978 - Vic Ames (Ames Brothers) dies in an auto accident. → 1979 - Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and his wife Marilyn were divorced. → 1981 - Mike Bossy becomes first in NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games. → 1982 - Physical by Olivia Newton-John topped the charts. → 1983 - The A-Team debuts on NBC. In the pilot episode of the NBC television series The A-Team, the go-getting newspaper reporter Amy Allen (Melinda Culea) seeks the help of a mysterious group of Vietnam-veterans-turned-soldiers-for-hire to find her missing colleague in Mexico. An elite commando unit in Vietnam, the so-called A-Team was wrongly imprisoned by the Army. They escaped and began working as mercenaries, doing whatever needed to be done for their various clients while consistently eluding the fanatic Army officers sent to catch them. The A-Team went on to become a huge hit and make a star of the-then little known actor Mr. T. → 1984 - Gambling - Stuart Kelly and wife Lillian Kelly of Brantford, Ontario collect $13, 890, 588.80 for winning ticket in Lotto 6-49; largest to date. → 1985 - Apple Computer officially renames the ‘Lisa 2/10’ computer as the ‘Macintosh XL’. Price is US$3995. → 1985 - O.J. Simpson became the first Heisman Trophy winner to be elected to pro football’s Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys, another Heisman winner, was also elected; but ‘the Juice’ went in first because his name comes before Staubach’s, alphabetically. → 1986 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. → 1988 - Experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, complete the fist nonstop, round-the-world flight without landing for refueling. → 1988 - The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson topped the charts. → 1989 - Surrealist artist Salvador Dali dies in Spain at age 84. → 1991 - Seinfeld debuts on NBC-TV. → 1997 - The Swiss government, three banks and some businesses agreed to set up a private sector humanitarian fund for Nazi Holocaust victims and their heirs. Reportedly, the neutral Swiss profited from millions of dollars worth of gold deposited some fifty years earlier by victims of the Holocaust. It seems that the gold was also used to make deals with the Nazis. → 1997 - In Dallas, Texas Instruments announces it will sell its notebook computer business to Acer Group of Taiwan. → 1997 - A British woman received a record £186,000 damages for Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). → 2002 - EMI announced that it would pay Mariah Carey $28 million to end their association which was planned to last for several albums estimated at $100 million. → 2006 - 39th Canadian General Election - Stephen Harper leads Conservative Party of Canada to minority victory, ending 13 years of Liberal rule. → Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end...Ω
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 11:31:06 +0000
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