1852 – Alexandre Dumas Jr’s play, an adaptation of his novel “La Dame aux Camélias” premieres in Paris
1869 – American industrialist James Oliver invents removable tempered steel plow blade
1920 – Tarto/Dorpat peace treaty: USSR recognizes Estonian independence
1922 – James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” first published by Sylvia Beach in Paris (1,000 copies)
1944 – Edward Chodorov’s play “Decision” premieres in NYC
1956 – Despite a severe ankle injury Tenley Albright leads an American 1-2 in the women’s figure skating at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics; Carol Heiss takes the silver medal
1977 – Toronto Maple Leafs Ian Turnbull scores 5 goals, NHL record for a defenseman
1980 – FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected and public officials for bribes for political favors
1980 – Mexican boxer Salvador Sánchez dethrones Danny “Little Red” Lopez as WBC world featherweight champion with a 13th-round TKO in Phoenix, AZ; Lopez champion since November 1976, 8th defense
1982 – Government troops and Muslim fundamentalists battle in Hamah, Syria
Author: gil7
Today in History for 2nd February 2024
Historical Events
1714 – Nicholas Rowe’s play “The Tragedy of Jane Shore” premieres in London
1861 – The “Organized Incorporated Territory of Nevada” is created, lasting until October 31st, 1864
1888 – Frank Sprague opens the first successful U.S. electric street railway system, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in Richmond, Virginia
1973 – Richard Helms, ends term as 8th director of CIA; succeeded by James R Schlesinger (until July)
1992 – IRS and Willie Nelson settle on $9M tax bill (of $16.7M)
2016 – First case of Zika contracted on US mainland (Texas) and second known sexually transmitted case confirmed in Texas
Famous Birthdays
1873 – Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum, Dutch colonial administrator and diplomat (Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1916–1921), born in Zwelle, Netherlands (d. 1948)
1901 – Connie Gilchrist, American actress (Cry Havoc, Letter to 3 Wives), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1985)
1927 – Richard Belmont Ray, American politician (Rep-D-GA, 1983-93), born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1999)
1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor (Data-Star Trek the Next Generation), born in Houston, Texas
1973 – Radka Bobkova, Czech tennis player (quarter Bournemouth), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
1996 – Paul Mescal, Irish actor (Normal People), born in Maynooth, Ireland
Famous Deaths
1435 – Johanna II, Queen of Naples (1414-35), dies at 61
1491 – Martin Schongauer, German painter, dies at 40
1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and inventor who devised the periodic table of the elements, dies at 72
1952 – Johann Babtist Thaller, German composer, dies at 79
1970 – Jaroslav Vogel, Czech composer and conductor (Brno Philharmonic, 1959-62; Ostrava Orchestra 1919- 43), dies at 76
1993 – Alexander Schneider, Lithuanian violinist (Budapest String Quartet), dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 1st February 2024
1328 – Charles IV, the Handsome, King of France (1322-28), dies at 33
1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English clergyman and educator, dies at 63
1839 – Giuseppe Valadier, Italian architect and archaeologist, dies at 76
1873 – Matthew Maury, American oceanographer, dies at 67
1928 – Hughie Jennings, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (Baltimore Orioles) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1907-20), dies of meningitis at 58
1997 – Herb Caen, American columnist (SF Chronicle), dies of lung cancer, at 80
2003 – Rick D. Husband, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 45
2003 – Laurel Clark, American astronaut and member of the STS-107 Mission (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), dies at 41
2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Danish Muslim leader, dies at 60
2009 – Jay Uzzell, American RandB singer (Corsairs), dies at 66
Historical Events for 1st February 2024
1814 – Lord Byron’s “Corsair” sells 10,000 copies on day of publication
1892 – Mrs William Astor invites 400 guests to a grand ball at her mansion thus beginning use of “400” to describe socially elite
1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar (making the day February 14)
1937 – Stapleton, Staten Island, becomes a customs-free port
1951 – 1st X-ray moving picture process demonstrated
1972 – Reprise Records releases “Harvest”, the 4th studio album by Neil Young; becomes best selling album in US, 1972
1979 – American publishing heiress Patty Hearst is released from prison for bank robbery
1987 – NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 10-6; MVP: Reggie White, Philadelphia Eagles, DE
2005 – Arsenal’s English Premier League record 33-game unbeaten streak at home ends when the Gunners go down, 4-2 to Manchester United at Highbury
2013 – The Nigerian Army bombs a Boko Haram camp, killing 18 people
Today in History for 1st February 2024
Historical Events
1957 – 1st black pilot (PH Young) on a US scheduled passenger airline
1959 – Swiss men vote against voting rights for women
1965 – Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma, Alabama
1973 – Outfielder Monte Irvin is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues; fourth inductee through the committee
1981 – French government accord sends 60 Mirage fighter jets to Iraq
2013 – John Kerry succeeds Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State
Famous Birthdays
1710 – Konrad Ernst Ackermann, German actor and theatre director (Die Oberpfalz), born in Schwerin, Germany (d. 1771)
1934 – Bob Shane, American folk vocalist (Kingston Trio – “Tom Dooley”), born in Hilo, Territory of Hawaii (d. 2020)
1967 – Patle Shishupal Natthu, Indian politician, born in Bhandara, India
1972 – Geoff Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey left wing (NHL All Star 1994, 97; World C’ships gold 1994, 97; Hartford Whalers, Columbus Blue jackets), born in Hay River, Canada
1989 – Hurricane Chris [Dooley], American rapper, born in Shreveport, Louisiana
1994 – Julia Garner, American Actress (Ozark), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1922 – Yamagata Aritomo, Japanese soldier and statesman (Prime Minister of Japan 1889–91,1898–1900), dies at 83
1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German field marshal who commanded the 6th Army at Stalingrad and highest-ranking German officer to surrender, dies at 66
1967 – Ernie Bromley, Australian cricket batsman (2 Tests; first Western Australian to play Test cricket for Australia), dies at 54
2000 – Dick Rathmann, American auto racer (first Indy pole-sitter to complete no laps), dies at 74
2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Danish Muslim leader, dies at 60
2017 – Étienne Tshisekedi, Congolese opposition leader, dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 31st January 2024
1606 – Guy Fawkes, English Catholic conspirator convicted in the “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the British Parliament, hanged at 35
1729 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch navigator and explorer (1st European to discover Easter Island), dies at 69
1794 – Marriott Arbuthnot, British admiral and naval commander during the American War for Independence, dies at 82 or 83
1844 – Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand, French general and engineer, dies at 70
1940 – René Schickele, German-French writer, sometimes under nom de plume ‘Sascha’ (Erbe am Rhein), poet, and magazine editor (Weissen Blätter), dies at 56
2000 – Anne Cox Chambers, American media owner (Cox Enterprises) and US ambassador to Belgium (1977-81), dies at 100
2014 – Christopher Jones, American actor, dies from cancer at 72
2014 – Paul Humphrey, American jazz, RandB, and rock session and touring drummer, dies at 78
2017 – Deke [Roger] Leonard, Welsh rock musician (Man), dies at 72
2020 – Johnny Bumphus, American boxer (WBA super lightweight title 1984), dies at 59
Historical Events for 31st January 2024
1849 – Corn Laws abolished in Britain
1854 – Dutch KNMI established (Royal Meteorological Institute)
1901 – Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Winnipeg Victorias edge Montreal Shamrocks, 2-1 to sweep challenge series, 2-0
1906 – Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter
1945 – Soviet troops reach the Oder River, less that 50 miles from Berlin
1948 – Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
1955 – RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer
1966 – Australian Championships Women’s Tennis: Margaret Smith wins her 7th consecutive Australian singles title; beats American Nancy Richey in a walkover, Richey injured
1978 – “Elvis: The Legend Lives!” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
2001 – In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts a Libyan and acquits another for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed into Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988
Today in History for 31st January 2024
Historical Events
1958 – “Jackpot Bowling” premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host
1966 – Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers
1978 – “Elvis: The Legend Lives!” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
2003 – The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.
2016 – Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Novak Đoković retains Championship for his record-equaling 6th Australian title; beats Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6
2021 – Widespread protests in Russia against detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the government with 5,000 people arrested
Famous Birthdays
1865 – Henri Desgrange, French cyclist, journalist and founder of the Tour de France, born in Paris, France (d. 1940)
1900 – Betty Parsons, American artist and art dealer, born in New York City (d. 1982)
1911 – Christina Foyle, English book seller (Foyles), born in London, England (d. 1999)
1941 – Richard Gephardt, American politician (Rep-D-MO, 1977-2005), born in St. Louis, Missouri
1952 – Rosanne Musgrave, English headmistress (Blackheath HS, 1989-2000)
1974 – Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player, born in Cuba
Famous Deaths
1865 – Aristide Farrenc, French flautist, music publisher, and musicologist (Trésor des pianistes), dies at 70
1922 – Heinrich Reinhardt, Austrian composer, dies at 56
1955 – John Mott, American theologist and founder (YMCA, Nobel 1946), dies at 89
1983 – Lorraine Ellison, American soul singer (“Stay with Me”; “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)”), and songwriter, dies of ovarian cancer at 51
2012 – Tristram Coffin, American folklorist, dies from pneumonia at 89
2015 – Lizabeth Scott [Emma Matzo], American actress (Desert Fury, Dark City), dies of heart failure at 92
Famous Deaths for 30th January 2024
1384 – Louis II, Count of Flanders, dies at 53
1788 – Bonnie Prince Charlie [Charles Edward Stuart], English pretender to throne (Jacobite rebellion), dies of a stroke at 67
1797 – Johann Abraham Sixt, German organist, harpsichord player, and composer, dies at 40
1951 – Ferdinand Porsche, German automotive engineer (Volkswagen Beetle; Mercedes-Benz SS) and founder of the Porsche car company, dies at 75
1970 – Malcolm Keen, British actor (The Lodger, The Manxman, The Murder Party), dies at 82
1976 – Beau De Glen “Mance” Lipscomb, American blues singer and guitarist (“Shine On, Harvest Moon”), dies of a stroke at 80
1983 – Joan Valerie, American actress (Pier 13), dies of pneumonia at 71
2002 – Carlo Karges, German guitarist and songwriter (Nena – “99 Luftballons”), dies of liver failure at 50
2007 – Nikos Kourkoulos, Greek actor and artistic director (b. 1934)
2020 – Jörn Donner, Finnish director (Anna, Tenderness), dies at 86
Historical Events for 30th January 2024
1826 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world’s first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales is opened.
1889 – Victoria beat NSW after following on (NSW all out 63 needed 76)
1892 – Bobby Abel carries his bat for 132* for England in SCG Test
1930 – Vladimir Mayakovsky’s drama “The Bathhouse (Bunya)” premieres in Leningrad
1945 – American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters liberate over 500 Allied POWs from Japanese at Cabanatuan
1963 – Ivan Sutherland submits a thesis containing his Sketchpad program, a forerunner to modern-day graphic user interfaces and computer-aided design programs
1981 – 8th American Music Awards: Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers win
1996 – Gino Gallagher, the suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army, is killed while waiting in line for his unemployment benefit.
2000 – 16th Sundance Film Festival: “Girlfight” and “You Can Count on Me” (tie) win Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
2005 – 21st Sundance Film Festival: “Forty Shades of Blue”, directed by Ira Sachs, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic