History Blog

Category Archives: History

January 29

Happy Birthday RIP John Forsythe(John Freund 1918–2010) ; Tom Selleck–68 Ann Jillian(Ann Nauseda)–63 Oprah Winfrey–59 Greg Louganis–53 Nicholas Turturro–51 Heather Graham–43 Sara Gilbert(Abeles)–38 Justin Hartley–36 Adam Lambert–31 ; 1845 – “The Raven” is published in the New York Evening Mirror, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe

January 28

Happy Birthday Alan Alda(Alphonso D’Abruzzo)–77 Barbi Benton(Barbara Klein)–63 Sarah McLachlan–45 Joey Fatone Jr.–36 Nickolas “Nick” Carter–33 Elijah Wood–32 ; 1915 – The Coast Guard was created by an act of Congress ; 1958 – The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today

January 27

Happy Birthday RIP Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart(1756–1791) Donna Reed(Donnabelle Mullenger 1921–1986) Troy Donahue(Merle Johnson 1936–2001) ; James Cromwell–73 Nick Mason–68 Mikhail Baryshnikov–65 Mimi Rogers(Miriam Spickler)–57 Keith Olbermann–54 Bridget Fonda–49 Alan Cumming–48 Tamlyn Tomita–47 ; 1880 – Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp(lightbulb).

January 26

Happy Birthday RIP Eugene “Gene” Siskel(1946–1999) Paul Newman(1925–2008) ; Anne Jeffreys Carmichael–90 Robert “Bob” Uecker–78 Theodore “Scott” Glenn–74 Edward Van Halen–58 Ellen DeGeneres–55 Anita Baker–55 Wayne Gretzky–52 Paul Johansson–49 ; 1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States ; 1950 – India proclaimed itself a republic.

January 25

Happy Birthday RIP Etta James(Jamesetta Hawkins 1938–2012) Edwin Newman(1919–2010) ; Tobe Hooper–70 Jenifer Lewis–56 Dinah Manoff–55 Alicia Keys(Cook)–32 ; 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco ; 1949 the first Emmy Awards are held at Hollywood Athletic Club

January 24

Happy Birthday RIP Ernest Borgnine(Ermes Borgnino 1917–2012) Sharon Tate(1943–1969) John Belushi(1949–1982) ;  Neil Diamond–72 Yakov Smirnoff(Pokhis)–62 Nastassja Nakszynski–54 Mary Lou Retton–45 Matthew Lillard–43 Edward “Ed” Helms–39 ; 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.

January 23

Happy Birthday RIP Frances “Bay” Goffman(1919–2011) ; Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba(前田 禎穂)–74 Gil Gerard–70 Rutger Hauer–69 Anita Pointer–65 Richard Dean Anderson–63 Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa–60 Anita Baker–55 Mariska Hargitay–49 Tiffani Thiessen–39; 1789 – Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C. ; 1973 – President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War

January 22

Happy Birthday RIP David Llewelyn Wark Griffith(1875–1948) Wilfred “Bill” Bixby III(1934–1993) ; Piper Laurie(Rosetta Jacobs)–81 John Hurt–73 Stephen “Steve” Perry–64 Linda Blair–54 Diane Lane–48 Paul Balthazar Getty–38 Nick Simmons–24; 1968 “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” premiered on NBC. ; 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its Roe vs. Wade decision, which legalized abortion.

January 21

Happy Birthday RIP Christian Dior(1905–1957) Alfred “Benny” Hill (1924–1992) Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas (1922–1994) ; Jack Nicklaus–73 José Plácido Domingo Embil–72 Morris “Mac” Davis–71 Billy Ocean(Leslie Charles)–63 Robby Benson(Robin Segal)–57 Virginia “Geena” Davis–57 Emma Bunton–37; 1915 – The first Kiwanis Club was founded, in Detroit ; 2003 – The Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had surpassed blacks as America’s largest minority group

January 20

Happy Birthday RIP George Burns(Nathan Birnbaum 1896–1996) Patricia Neal(1926–2010) Jackson DeForest Kelley(1920–1999) ; Ottis “Slim” Whitman Jr.–89 Arthur “Arte” Johnson–84 Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr.–83 David Lynch–67 Bill Maher Jr.–57 Lorenzo Lamas–55 Rainn Wilson–47 Melissa Rivers(Rosenberg)–45 Skeet Ulrich(Bryan Trout)–43 ; 1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union is founded.