Jan 14, 1952. NBC program that started the morning news format we know today. Captained by Dave Garroway, the show was segmented with bits and pieces of news, sports, weather, interviews and other features that were repeated so that viewers did not have to stop their morning routine to watch. The segments were brief and to the point. Sylvester Weaver devised this concept to capitalize on television’s unusual qualities. What used to take three hours to broadcast live across the country was done in two with videotape on a delayed basis. The addition of chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs in 1953 helped push ratings up. There have been a number of hosts over the years, from John Chancellor and Hugh Downs to Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumbel and Matt Lauer. Female hosts (originally called “Today Girls”) have included Betsy Palmer, Florence Henderson, Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric and Meredith Viera.
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On 14 January 1794. Dr. Jesse Bennett, of Edom, Virginia, performed the first successful caesarean section. The patient was his wife.
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Jan 14, 1784. Anniversary of the act that officially ended the American Revolution and established the US as a sovereign power. On Jan 14, 1784, the Continental Congress, meeting at Annapolis, MD, ratified the Treaty of Paris, thus fulfilling the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776.
Elizabeth Short FBI mugshot
Jan 15, 1947. On this day, the body of Elizabeth Short was found in an empty lot in Los Angeles, CA. Short, nicknamed the Black Dahlia for her striking looks, had been murdered and mutilated, and her body’s discovery sparked a media frenzy. Although dozens of men (and women) confessed to the crime, those confessions were discounted. The murder remains Los Angelos, California’s most famous unsolved murder and one that evokes the noirish aura of postwar Los Angelos’s corruption and crime problems.
Jan 15, 1967. The Green Bay Packers won the first NFL– AFL World Championship Game, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35– 10, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Packers quarterback Bart Starr was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Pro football’s title game later became known as the Super Bowl.
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Jan 15, 1929. Black civil rights leader, minister, advocate of nonviolence and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (1964). Born at Atlanta, GA, he was assassinated at Memphis, TN, Apr 4, 1968. After his death many states and territories observed his birthday as a holiday. In 1983 Congress approved HR 3706, “A bill to amend Title 5, United States Code, to make the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr, a legal public holiday.” Signed by the president on Nov 2, 1983, it became Public Law 98– 144. The law sets the third Monday in January for observance of King’s birthday. First observance was Jan 20, 1986.
Jan 15, 1943. The world’s largest office building with 6.5 million square feet of usable space, the Pentagon is located in Virginia across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, and serves as headquarters for the Department of Defense.
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Aerial view of the Pentagon, Arlington, VA
Jan 16, 1883. The US Congress passed a bill creating the civil service.
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Jan 16, 1976. ABC show hosted by brother-and-sister act Donny and Marie Osmond. There were seven other talented siblings in the Osmond family who appeared on the show at times along with regulars Jim Connell and Hank Garcia. The sister-and-brother team could sing, dance and perform on ice skates.
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Jan 16, 1909. Musical comedy star famous for her belting voice and brassy style. Born Ethel Agnes Zimmerman on Jan 16, 1909 (or 1912— the date changed the older she got, but most sources say 1909), at Queens, NY. Died Feb 15, 1984, at New York, NY.
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Jan 16, 1991. Allied forces launched a major air offensive against Iraq to begin the Gulf War. The strike was designed to destroy Iraqi air defenses and command, control and communication centers. As Desert Shield became Desert Storm, the world was able to see and hear for the first time an initial engagement of war as CNN broadcasters, stationed at Baghdad, covered the attack live.
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Jan 16, 1973. Anniversary of National Nothing Day, an event created by newspaperman Harold Pullman Coffin and first observed “to provide Americans with one national day when they can just sit without celebrating, observing or honoring anything.” Since 1975, though many other events have been listed on this day, lighthearted traditional observance of Coffin’s idea has continued. Coffin, a native of Reno, NV, died at Capitola, CA, Sept 12, 1981, at the age of 76.
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Jan 16, 1919. When Nebraska became the 36th state to ratify the prohibition amendment, the 18th Amendment became part of the US Constitution. One year later, Jan 16, 1920, the 18th Amendment took effect and the sale of alcoholic beverages became illegal in the US, with the Volstead Act providing for enforcement. This was the first time that an amendment to the Constitution dealt with a social issue.
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Jan 16, 1786. The legislature of Virginia adopted a religious freedom statute that protected Virginians against any requirement to attend or support any church and against discrimination. This statute, which had been drafted by Thomas Jefferson and introduced by James Madison, later was the model for the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
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Jan 17, 1949. Originally broadcast by CBS, this show was one of the earliest TV sitcoms. The show centered around a Jewish mother and her family living in the Bronx and later in the suburbs. Gertrude Berg created the hit radio show before she wrote, produced and starred as Molly Goldberg in the television version. Contributing actors and actresses included Philip Loeb, Arlene McQuade, Tom Taylor, Eli Mintz, Menasha Skulnik and Arnold Stang.
Jan 17, 1706. “Elder statesman of the American Revolution,” oldest signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, scientist, diplomat, author, printer, publisher, philosopher, philanthropist and self-made, self-educated man. Author, printer and publisher of Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733– 58). Born at Boston, MA, Franklin died at Philadelphia, PA, Apr 17, 1790. His birthday is commemorated each year by the Poor Richard Club of Philadelphia with graveside observance.
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Jan 17, 1871. Andrew Hallikie received a patent for a cable car system that began service in San Francisco in 1873.
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Muhammad Ali born Jan 17, 1942. Born Cassius Clay at Louisville, KY, boxing’s “The Greatest” lived up to his nickname: winning the gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Rome Olympics and winning the world heavyweight title three times (1964, 1974, 1978). Ali was also nicknamed the “Louisville Lip”— always ready with a quote-worthy quip or challenge. He converted to Islam in 1964 (under Malcolm X’s mentorship) and dropped his “slave name” for that of Muhammad Ali. Later, as a conscientious objector, he refused to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War— he was arrested and stripped of his title. In a battle that went to the US Supreme Court in 1971, overturned. Ali’s refusal to bow to the establishment, his civil rights beliefs and leadership and his outsize personality made him one of the great iconic figures— in sports or otherwise— of the 20th century. After battling Parkinson’s disease (diagnosed in 1984) for more than thirty years, Ali died at Scottsdale, AZ, on June 3, 2016.
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Jan 17, 1994. An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck the Los Angeles area about 4: 20 AM. The epicenter was at Northridge in the San Fernando Valley, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. A death toll of 51 was announced Jan 20. Sixteen of the dead were killed in the collapse of one apartment building. More than 25,000 people were made homeless by the quake and 680,000 lost electric power. Many buildings were destroyed and others made uninhabitable due to structural damage. A section of the Santa Monica Freeway, part of the Simi Valley Freeway and three major overpasses collapsed. Hundreds of aftershocks occurred in the following several weeks. Costs to repair the damages were estimated at $ 15– 30 billion.
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Queen Liliuokalani in a black dress Hawaiian Monarchy Hawaii
Jan 17, 1893. Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of Hawaii, lost her throne when the monarchy was abolished by the “Committee of Safety,” with the foreknowledge of US minister John L. Stevens, who encouraged the revolutionaries. The Queen’s supporters were intimidated by the 300 US Marines sent to protect American lives and property. Judge Sanford B. Dole became president of the republic and later was Hawaii’s first governor after the US annexed it by joint resolution of Congress on July 7, 1898. Hawaii held incorporated territory status for 60 years. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation making Hawaii the 50th state on Aug 21, 1959.
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Jan 18, 1966. Robert Clifton Weaver was sworn in as secretary of housing and urban development, becoming the first black cabinet member in US history. He was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson. Weaver died at New York, NY, July 17, 1997.
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Jan 18, 1803. Seeking information on what lay west of the young US, President Thomas Jefferson sent a confidential letter to Congress on Jan 18, 1803, requesting funds for an exploratory expedition to be led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark. After the Louisiana Purchase was signed on Apr 30, 1803, the expedition’s mission changed: it became a survey of new American land. The Corps of Discovery set off May 14 from St. Louis and returned with much information about the land, flora and fauna and peoples there on Sept 23, 1806.
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A famous and iconic photograph by Howard Coster of A.A. Milne, his son Christopher Robin and Pooh Bear at Cotchford Farm, their home in Sussex, dated 1926 and in the collection of the National Portrait Galley, London, a gift of the estate of Howard Carter 1959. Fair Use.
Jan 18, 1882. Anniversary of the birth of Alan Alexander Milne, English author, especially remembered for his children’s stories: Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Also the author of Mr Pim Passes By, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Born at London, England; died at Hartfield, England, Jan 31, 1956.
Jan 18, 1948. This immensely popular show, featuring host Ted Mack, introduced amateurs performing their talents on live television. It debuted as a regularly scheduled broadcast on the DuMont network. The show had been a long-running success on radio as “Major Bowes’ Original Amateur Hour” until the death of Edward Bowes. Mack became host of the radio show a year later. While a few episodes were televised in 1947, the show did not air weekly until this date. The program ran until 1970 and also continued on radio until 1952.
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Jan 19, 1809. American poet and story writer, called “America’s most famous man of letters.” Born at Boston, MA, he was orphaned in dire poverty in 1811 and was raised by Virginia merchant John Allan. In 1836 he married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. A magazine editor of note, he is best remembered for his poetry (especially “The Raven”) and for his tales of suspense. Died at Baltimore, MD, Oct 7, 1849.
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