History Blog

January 31

Happy Birthday RIP Tallulah Bankhead(1902–1968) Jackie Robinson(1919–1972) Jean Simmons(1929–2010) Suzanne Pleshette(1937–2008) ; Carol Channing–97 Philip Glass–81 Harry Wayne Casey(“KC”)–67 Anthony LaPaglia–59 Kelly Lynch–59 Amelia “Minnie” Driver–48 Patricia Velasquez–46 “Portia de Rossi”(Amanda Rogers)–45 Kerry Washington–41 Justin Timberlake–37 Joel Courtney–22 ; 1865 – The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, abolishing slavery, submitting it to the states for ratification ; 1949 – The first TV daytime soap opera, “These Are My Children,” was broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.