What Happened On
Terry Kath Kills Himself Playing with Gun
January 23, 1978
Founding member of the band Chicago, Terry Kath, accidentally kills himself playing with a gun. It was just eight days shy of his 32nd birthday.
He was at a friend's playing with several of his guns when he pointed a .38 revolver at his head and pulled the trigger. It was not loaded. He then picked up a semi-automatic 9-mm pistol, stating "Don't worry about it, look, the clip is not even in it." Kath then inserted an empty magazine into the gun, placed it against his temple and pulled the trigger. Apparently Kath didn't realize the gun had a round in the chamber. He died instantly.
Kath was the lead guitarist, singer, and founding member of the band Chicago. Mostly self taught, he is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Roots
January 23, 1977
The TV miniseries Roots begins airing on ABC for eight consecutive nights. The story of Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) and his descendants drew 130,000,000 viewers for its conclusion, making it the highest-rated TV program up to that time. The series received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It is considered the first blockbuster miniseries.
In 1987, Alex Haley, the author of the 1976 novel the series was based on, admitted that he copied large passages of Roots from the 1967 novel The African by Harold Courlander and settled out-of-court for $650,000.
Also, Haley's claim that he had traced his own ancestry back through slavery to a very specific individual and village in Africa as a basis for the book has been refuted by researchers.
Captives displaying the "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign"
Captives displaying the "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign"
USS Pueblo Captured by North Korea
January 23, 1968
The North Koreans capture the USS Pueblo. The captain and crew are held captive for 11 months. The crew can be seen displaying the "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign" in a number of propaganda photos of the crew taken by the North Koreans. This was done until the North Koreans found out what it really meant. The crew was released in December.
The Pueblo is still held by North Korea and is still a commissioned U.S. Navy vessel.
First Nazi to Take Office
January 23, 1930
Wilhelm Frick becomes State Minister of the Interior and of Education in the coalition government of Thuringia, making him the first Nazi to hold any ministerial-level office in pre-Nazi Germany. He used his position to replace officials with Nazi Party members and banned several newspapers as well as pacifist drama and film performances. He became parliamentary leader of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler's minister of the interior, who played a major role in drafting and carrying out the Nazis' anti-Semitic measures. After World War II, he was tried and convicted of war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and executed by hanging.
First Assassination by Firearm
January 23, 1570
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, is fatally wounded with a carbine shot from a window while passing down the street. This is the first recorded assassination by firearm.
He was assassinated by a supporter of Mary Queen of Scots.
Photo Credit: wikipedia
Photo Credit: wikipedia
World's Deadliest Earthquake
January 23, 1556
The world's deadliest earthquake in recorded history occurs, in Shaanxi, China killing 830,000 people. An 520 mile-wide (840-kilometre) area was destroyed, and in some counties as much as 60% of the population was killed.
The A-Team
January 23, 1983
The TV show The A-Team debuts on NBC. The show was about four members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit who were tried and convicted for a crime they had not committed. They escaped and began working as soldiers of fortune, while still trying to clear their names and avoid capture by law enforcement and military authorities.
The team consisted of John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), Faceman (Dirk Benedict), "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), and the team's strong man, "B.A." Baracus (Mr. T).
24th Amendment
January 23, 1964
24th Amendment ratified, a person could not be required to pay a tax to vote in federal elections.
Trieste just before her historic descent
Trieste just before her historic descent
Deepest Manned Ocean Descent
January 23, 1960
The U.S. Navy bathyscaphe Trieste descends 35,800 feet into the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
20th Amendment - Lame Duck Amendment
January 23, 1933
20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified. Called the "Lame Duck Amendment," it moved the beginning of the President's and Vice-President's terms from March 4 to January 20 and members of Congress from March 4 to January 3. The time between an election and a successor taking office is often referred to as a "lame duck" period.
Father John Carroll
Father John Carroll
First Roman Catholic College in the U.S.
January 23, 1789
Georgetown College in Washington D.C. is founded by Father John Carroll, when he purchased the property in Georgetown on which Dahlgren Quadrangle was later built. Now named Georgetown University, it is also the nation's first federally chartered university.
Birthdays
Inventor of the Frisbee
Fred Morrison (Walter Frederick Morrison)
Born January 23, 1920 d. 2010
American inventor. He invented the Frisbee (c1937). He got the idea when someone offered to buy the cake pan he and his future wife were tossing back and forth at the beach. He was also a prisoner of the infamous Stalag 13 during World War II.
The Original Ouija Board
The Original Ouija Board
Elijah J. Bond
Born January 23, 1847 d. 1921
American inventor, lawyer. Bond patented the Ouija Board (1891). His patent was initially denied, because the chief patent officer wanted proof that it worked. As a test, he asked the board to spell out his name, which it did. He then granted the patent.
The name Ouija had been determined in 1890 when Bond's sister-in-law, a spiritualist and medium, asked the board what its name was, to which the board spelled out "OUIJA". When asked what the word meant, it responded "GOOD LUCK".
The use of similar talking boards is recorded as far back as A.D. 1100 in China. They became popular in the United States in the 1860s after the Civil War when spiritualists used the devices to help people contact relatives lost in the war.
The scientific community generally believes the Ouija board works via unconscious movements, known as the ideomotor effect. This effect was described by Michael Faraday in 1853.
Many religious groups believe Ouija boards are connected to the occult and ban their use. Some believe their use can even result in demonic possession.
John Hancock
Born January 23, 1737 d. 1793
4th and 13th president of the Continental Congress (1775-77, 1785-86). First signer of the Declaration of Independence and first governor of Massachusetts (1780-85).
Richard Dean Anderson
Born January 23, 1950
American actor. TV: MacGyver (title role of Angus MacGyver) and General Hospital (Dr. Jeff Weber).
Hauer as android Roy Batty
Hauer as android Roy Batty
Rutger Hauer
Born January 23, 1944 d. 2019
Dutch actor. Film: Blade Runner (1982, android Roy Batty) and The Hitcher (1986).
Gil Gerard
Born January 23, 1943
American actor. TV: The Doctors (Dr. Alan Stewart) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (title role).
Lou Antonio
Born January 23, 1934
American actor, director. TV: The Snoop Sisters (1973-74, Barney the chauffeur) and Rich Man, Poor Man (director).
Chita Rivera (Dolores Conchita del Rivero)
Born January 23, 1933
American Tony-winning actress. Stage: Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993, Tony).
Jeanne Moreau
Born January 23, 1928 d. 2017
French actress. Film: Seven Days… Seven Nights (1960, Cannes Best Actress), Jules and Jim (1961) and Going Places (1974).
Ernie Kovacs
Born January 23, 1919 d. 1962
American comedian. TV: The Tonight Show (1956-57, host) and The Ernie Kovacs Show (1961-62).
Kovacs died when he lost control of his Chevrolet Corvair and crashed into a power pole in West Los Angeles. He died almost instantly from chest and head injuries. Pictures of Kovacs' body with an unlit cigar on the pavement near his outstretched hand appeared in newspapers across the United States.
Bob Steele (Robert North Bradbury Jr.)
Born January 23, 1907 d. 1988
American actor. TV: F Troop (Trooper Duffy).
Anya Seton (Ann Seton)
Born January 23, 1904 d. 1990
American author of historical romances. Writings: Dragonwyck and Foxfire. Her father, Ernest Thompson Seton, was a founding pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America.
Randolph Scott (Randolph Crane)
Born January 23, 1898 d. 1987
American actor. Film: Seven Men from Now (1956), The Tall T (1957), and Ride the High Country (1962).
Deaths
Jack LaLanne (Francois Henri Jack LaLanne)
Died January 23, 2011 b. 1914
American fitness expert. He opened the first U.S. fitness club (1936), invented the jumping jack, designed the first leg extension machines, and pulley machines using cables. His first dog on the show was named Happy, who was later replaced by a dog named Walter which stood for "We All Love To Exercise Regularly".
TV: The Jack LaLanne Show (1951-85, the first television exercise program).
Johnny Carson
Died January 23, 2005 b. 1925
American Emmy-winning TV late-night host of the Tonight Show (1962-92) for nearly 30 years. An avid tennis player, when he sold a Malibu house to John McEnroe the terms required McEnroe to give Johnny six tennis lessons.
Bob Keeshan
Died January 23, 2004 b. 1927
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Howdy Doody (1947-53, Clarabell the Clown) and Captain Kangaroo (1955-84, title role). Quote: "If you want more time in your life, don't watch TV."
Salvador Dali
Died January 23, 1989 b. 1904
Spanish artist. Artwork: The Persistence of Memory (1931). Quote: "A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others."
Edvard Munch
Died January 23, 1944 b. 1863
Norwegian artist. Paintings: The Scream (1893). In 1994, The Scream was stolen from Oslo's National Art Museum. Thieves stole the painting by using a ladder to enter a window where the painting was stored. Two men were arrested while trying to collect a $414,000 ransom for the painting and the painting was returned.
A week after the theft, the Rev. Borre Knudsen, leader of a Norwegian anti-abortion movement, announced that the painting would be returned if Norwegian television would broadcast the anti-abortion film The Silent Scream. However, Knudsen was not involved in the theft.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
Larry King (Lawrence Harvey Zeiger)
Died January 23, 2021 b. 1933
American Emmy-winning talk-show host. TV: Larry King Live (1985-2010, CNN) and Larry King Now (2012-2020). His career started in 1957 while he was working doing janitorial work and miscellaneous tasks for radio station WAHR (now WMBM) in Miami Beach when a radio announcer abruptly quit and King was put on the air to take his place. The general manager had trouble pronouncing his last name Zeiger, so minutes before going on the air he chose the name Larry King.
Hal Holbrook (Harold Rowe HolBrook Jr.)
Died January 23, 2021 b. 1925
American Tony-Emmy-winning actor. Famous for his on-stage portrayal of Mark Twain. In 2008 at age 82, he became to oldest male actor nominated for an Oscar. Film: All the President's Men (1976, Deep Throat). TV: Designing Women (1988-90. Reese Watson) and Evening Shade (1990-94, Evan Evans).
Jim Lehrer
Died January 23, 2020 b. 1934
American news correspondent. TV: PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer Report.
Nell Carter
Died January 23, 2003 b. 1948
American Tony-Emmy-winning actress. TV: Gimme a Break (1981-87, Nell Harper). Broadway: Ain't Misbehavin' (1978, Tony).
Freddie Bartholomew (Frederick Cecil Bartholomew)
Died January 23, 1992 b. 1924
English-born American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of his time, he commanded a salary even higher than that of Shirley Temple. Film: David Copperfield (1935, Copperfield as a young boy) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936).
George Case
Died January 23, 1989 b. 1915
American baseball player. Led the American League in stolen bases six times.
Terry Kath
Died January 23, 1978 b. 1946
American rock guitarist. Founding member of the band Chicago and played guitar and sang lead vocals. He accidentally killed himself playing with a gun.
He was at a friend's playing with several of his guns when he pointed a .38 revolver at his head and pulled the trigger. It was not loaded. He then picked up a semi-automatic 9-mm pistol, stating "Don't worry about it, look, the clip is not even in it." Kath then inserted an empty magazine into the gun, placed it against his temple and pulled the trigger. Apparently Kath didn't realize the gun had a round in the chamber. He died instantly.
Mostly self taught, he is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
John Mills, Jr.
Died January 23, 1936 b. 1911
American ukulele/guitarist, with the Mills Brothers, the most popular vocal group of all time.
Phillips Brooks
Died January 23, 1893 b. 1835
American clergyman. He wrote the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem (1868).
Charles Kingsley
Died January 23, 1875 b. 1819
English clergyman, author. Writings: Westward Ho! (1855).
Luigi Lablache
Died January 23, 1858 b. 1794
Italian opera singer. He sang at the funerals of Franz Joseph Haydn (1809), Ludwig van Beethoven (1827) and Frederic Chopin (1849).
George Clymer
Died January 23, 1813 b. 1739
American politician, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Edward Rutledge
Died January 23, 1800 b. 1749
American politician, member of the first Continental Congress (1774) and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
John Cleland
Died January 23, 1789 b. 1709
English author, Fanny Hill, or the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1749).
Otto III
Died January 23, 1002 b. ????
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (983-1002), because of his great intellect he was called the "Wonder of the World."