Saint Basil's Day

New Years Day

Circumcision of Christ celebrating Jesus' submission to Jewish law.

1981 Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe is arrested on suspicion of murdering 13 women. He had previously worked as a calendar model.

1979 U.S. Office of Personal Management is established, administers a merit system for federal employees.

1977 U.S. Polo Association's ban on left-handed play goes into effect. All players must now use their right hands to swing their sticks, except players who played left-handed before the ban.

1968 Evel Knievel The motorcycle daredevil crashes while attempting to jump the fountains at Caesar's Palace, resulting in a month-long coma.

1930 The Guggenheim prize for a fool-proof airplane is given to a Curtiss Tanager biplane.

1927 First coast-to-coast football game broadcast from the West Coast Rose Bowl game in which University of Alabama ties Stanford University.

1914 First airline with scheduled passenger service The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line of Florida begins operation.

1902 First Rose Bowl game Michigan beats Stanford (49-0). This is the oldest college bowl game.  Source: Guinness Book of World Records

1899 Cuba comes under American control.

1897 First black collegiate football game Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta beat Tuskegee Institute.

1892 Ellis Island The upper New York island is opened as a processing station for immigrants. Twenty million immigrants would be handled there before its closing in 1954.

1863 The Homestead Act goes into effect, giving land to settlers.

1863 Pres. Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation It called for the freeing of slaves in the rebelling states. No slaves were actually freed since the Confederate states ignored it, and it didn't apply to the slaves of Union States.

1856 U.S. Postage Government-issued stamps become mandatory for postage.  Until then, other forms of payment were legal.

1818 Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus Mary Shelley's famous novel is first published.

1808 Importation of slaves is forbidden by Congress.

1804 Haiti The West Indies island declares its independence from France.

1801 First discovery of an asteroid Ceres, by Giuseppe Piazzi in Italy. This is the largest known asteroid; it has a diameter of 582 miles.

1943 Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello), American comedian. In 1981 he was arrested and stripped of his priest outfit while visiting the Vatican. TV: Saturday Night Live.

1940 Frank Langella American Tony-winning actor. Broadway: Seascape (1977, Tony).

1925 Stymie Beard d. 1981 (Matthew Beard, Jr.), African-American actor, the derby-wearing Little Rascal. He appeared in 36 Our Gang films.  His trademark hat was a gift from Stan Laurel. He also played Monte in the TV series Good Times.

1919 J.D. Salinger (Jerome David Salinger), American author. Writings: The Catcher in the Rye (1951). Mark Chapman was carrying a copy of this book when he killed John Lennon.

1909 Dana Andrews d. 1992 American actor. Film: Laura (1944) and Night of the Demon (1957, which is referenced in the opening song of The Rocky Horror Picture Show). TV: Bright Promise (Tom Boswell).

1889 Charles Bickford d. 1967 American actor. TV: The Virginian (Shiloh Ranch owner John Grainger).

1879 E.M. Forster d. 1970 (Edward Morgan Forster), English author. Writings: Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908), Howard's End (1910), and A Passage to India (1924).

1874 Gustave Whitehead d. 1927 Bavarian-born American inventor. According to some documents, he made the first manned heavier-than-air flight in 1901 - two years before the Wright Brothers.

1863 Baron Pierre de Coubertin d. 1937 He revived the Olympic games in 1896.

1861 John Luther Long d. 1927 American playwright. Writings: Madame Butterfly (1898).

1752 Betsy Ross d. 1836 (Elizabeth Griscom Ross), American flag maker. She is credited with creating the first stars-and-stripes flag for the U.S.

1745 Anthony Wayne d. 1796 American Revolutionary War General. His daring and reckless tactics earned him the name "Mad Anthony."

1735 Paul Revere d. 1818 American soldier, hero of the American Revolution.

1994 Cesar Romero b. 1907 American actor. TV: Batman (the Joker) and Falcon Crest (Peter Stavros).

1982 Victor Buono b. 1938 American actor. TV: The Wild Wild West (1965, Count Manzeppi) and Batman (1966-68, King Tut). Film: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

1953 Hank Williams b. 1923 American country singer, composed Your Cheatin' Heart. His chauffeur was stopped by a highway patrolman who commented that Hank looked dead. Later on he realized that Hank really was dead.

1896 Alfred Ely Beach b. 1826 American inventor, publisher of Scientific American (1846 et seq.). He built New York City's first underground transit system (1870, A 10-passenger car that was pushed and pulled through a tunnel by a giant fan).

1854 Francis Place b. 1771 English reformer, considered the first political campaign manager (1807) in English electoral history.

1787 Arthur Middleton b. 1742 American patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1559 Christian III b. 1503 King of Denmark and Norway (1534-59). He established the state Lutheran Church in Denmark (1536).

1554 Pedro de Valdivia b. circa 1500 Spanish conquistador and first Governor of Chile, founder of Santiago, Concepción, and Valdivia. He was killed during a campaign against the Araucanian Indians. Legend has it that the Araucanians captured and executed him by pouring molten gold down his throat to satisfy his thirst for treasures.

1515 Louis XII b. 1462 King of France (1498-1515).

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