History Blog

January 28

Happy Birthday “Alan Alda”(Alphonso D’Abruzzo)–78 Barbi Benton(Barbara Klein)–64 Sarah McLachlan–46 Joey Fatone Jr.–37 Nickolas “Nick” Carter–34 Elijah Wood–33 ; 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–74 Nick Mason–69 Mikhail Baryshnikov(Михаи́л Никола́евич Бары́шников)–66 “Mimi Rogers”(Miriam Spickler)–58 Keith Olbermann–55 Bridget Fonda–50 Alan Cumming–49 Tamlyn Tomita–48 ; 1880 – Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp(light bulb).

January 26

Happy Birthday RIP Zara Cully(1892–1978) Eugene “Gene” Siskel(1946–1999) Paul Newman(1925–2008) ; Anne Jeffreys Carmichael–91 Robert “Bob” Uecker–79 Theodore “Scott” Glenn–75 Edward Van Halen–59 Ellen DeGeneres–56 Anita Baker–56 Wayne Gretzky–53 Paul Johansson–50 Colin O’Donoghue–33 ; 1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States ; 1950 – India proclaimed itself a republic.

January 25

Happy Birthday RIP “Virginia Woolf”(Adeline Stephen 1882–1941) “Etta James”(Jamesetta Hawkins 1938–2012) Edwin Newman(1919–2010) ; Tobe Hooper–71 Jenifer Lewis–57 Dinah Manoff–56 Alicia Keys(Cook)–33 ; 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–73 Aaron Neville–73 Yakov Smirnoff(Pokhis)–63 Nastassja Nakszynski–55 Mary Lou Retton–46 Matthew Lillard–44 Edward “Ed” Helms–40 ; 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell. ; 1984 – The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.

January 23

Happy Birthday RIP Frances “Bay” Goffman(1919–2011) ; “Sonny Chiba”(Sadaho Maeda 千葉 真)–75 Gilbert “Gil” Gerard–71 Rutger Hauer–70 Anita Pointer–66 Richard Dean Anderson–64 Antonio Villaraigosa(Villar Jr.)–61 Richard Finch–60 Princess Caroline Grimaldi of Monaco–57 Mariska Hargitay–50 Lisa Snowdon–42 Tiffani Thiessen–40 ; 1789 – Georgetown College, the first Catholic University in the US, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland(now Washington D.C.) ;  1977 – The TV mini-series “Roots,” based on the Alex Haley novel, began airing on ABC.

January 22

Happy Birthday RIP David Llewelyn Wark Griffith(1875–1948) Sam Cooke(1931–1964) Wilfred “Bill” Bixby III(1934–1993) ; “Piper Laurie”(Rosetta Jacobs)–82 John Hurt–74 Stephen “Steve” Perry–65 Linda Blair–55 Diane Lane–49 Gabriel Macht–42 Paul Balthazar Getty–39 Nicholas Simmons–25 ; 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) “Wolfman Jack”(Robert Smith 1938–1995) ; Jack Nicklaus–74 José Plácido Domingo Embil–73 Morris Mac Davis–72 “Billy Ocean”(Leslie Charles)–64 “Robby Benson”(Robin Segal)–58 Virginia “Geena” Davis–58 Emma Bunton–38 ; 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.(1923–2013) ; Arthur “Arte” Johnson–85 Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr.–84 David Lynch–68 William “Bill” Maher Jr.–58 Lorenzo Lamas–56 James Denton–51 Rainn Wilson–48 Melissa Rivers(Rosenberg)–46 “Skeet Ulrich”(Bryan Trout)–45 ; 1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union is founded.

January 19

Happy Birthday RIP Edgar Allan Poe(1809–1849) Janis Joplin(1943–1970) Jean Stapleton(Murray 1923–2013) Phillip Everly(1939–2014) ; Nathalie “Tippi” Hedren–84 Dolly Parton–68 Desi Arnaz Jr.(Desiderio Arnaz IV)–61 Catherine “Katey” Sagal–60 Paul Rodriguez–59 Robert Palmer–55 Robert “William” Ragsdale–53 Shawn Wayans–43 Benjamin Ayres–37 Jodie Sweetin–32 ; 1955 – A presidential news conference was filmed for TV for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ; 1935 – Coopers Inc. sells the world’s first men’s briefs