Jan 20, 1896. Comedian George Burns was born at New York City. He began in vaudeville without much success until he teamed up with Gracie Allen, who became his wife. As Burns and Allen, the two had a long career on radio, in film and with their hit TV show, “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.” Later he played the roles of God and the Devil in the Oh, God! movies. He lived to be 100 and died Mar 9, 1996, at Los Angeles, CA.
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The 20th Amendment provides that “The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January . . . and the terms of their successors shall then begin . . .” A quadrennial event and holiday in the District of Columbia.
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Jan 20, 1981. The Iran hostage crisis ended with the release of 52 US citizens after 444 days of captivity. The deal was announced minutes after the swearing in of President Ronald Reagan. Read more and watch clips at https://dptv.pbslearningmedia.org/
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an 21, 1738. Revolutionary War hero and leader of the Vermont “Green Mountain Boys,” born at Litchfield, CT.
Ethan Allen is best remembered for his capture of British Fort Ticonderoga at Lake Champlain, NY, on May 10, 1775, which was the first major American victory of the Revolutionary War. He was captured by British forces on Sept 25, 1775, while attempting to capture Montreal and was a prisoner of war until 1778 when his release was secured in exchange for a British officer. Upon his return, Allen was an ardent supporter of Vermont’s separation from New York for independent statehood, although this goal was not achieved until 1791, two years after his death at Burlington, VT, on Feb 12, 1789.
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Jan 21, 1976. The supersonic Concorde airplane was put into service by Britain and France. The Concorde ended flights on Oct 24, 2003— bringing an end to supersonic air travel.
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Kiwanis Club International was founded on 21 January 1915. The first Kiwanis Club was chartered at Detroit, Michigan.
Jan 21. Because hugging is something everyone can do and because it is a healthful form of touching, this day should be spent hugging anyone who will accept a hug, especially family and friends.
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Jan 22, 1944. A predominately American Allied force of 36,000 men was landed at Anzio on Italy’s western coast. Commanding officer John P. Lucas failed to take the initiative but instead fortified his original position and thus possibly missed an early opportunity to retake Rome. The Allies entered Rome on June 4, 1944.
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Jan 22–28. Clean Out Your Inbox Week, observed annually the last business week of January, urges businesses and individuals to cure their e-mail “e-ddictions” and clean out their e-mail inboxes. A new year brings new beginnings— it’s a great time to adopt healthy e-mail habits, which make life stress-free and work more productive. People across the world have benefited from COYIW, which has been recognized by countless media outlets internationally.
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Jan 22, 1968. Actually the name of this NBC comedy was “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” Funny men Dan Rowan and Dick Martin hosted the show, but they seemed staid next to the show’s other regulars, most of whom were young unknowns, including Dennis Allen, Chelsea Brown, Judy Carne, Ruth Buzzi, Ann Elder, Richard Dawson, Teresa Graves, Arte Johnson, Goldie Hawn, Alan Sues, Jo Anne Worley and Lily Tomlin. The show moved fast from gag to gag, with heads popping out of bushes or doors in the big wall. The show brought a new energy to comedy as well as new phrases to our vocabulary (“ You bet your sweet bippy,” “Sock it to me”). The last telecast was May 14, 1973.
Images: NBC publicity photos, public domain.
Jan 22. Spanish deacon and martyr who died AD 304. Patron saint of wine growers. Old weather lore says if there is sun on this day, good wine crops may be expected in the ensuing season.
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The 20th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified on 23 January 1933 and changed the inauguration date of the US President from 4 March to 20 January. It also made the vice-president the successor if the president-elect were to die before being sworn in.
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The 24th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified on 23 January 1964 and eliminated poll taxes and other taxes as a pre-requisite for voting.
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Jan 23, 1849. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to receive an MD degree. The native of Bristol, England, was awarded her degree by the Medical Institution of Geneva, NY.
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Jan 23, 1737. American patriot and statesman, first signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hancock served as president of the Continental Congress (1775– 77) and served as Massachusetts governor for nine terms beginning in 1780.
Because of his conspicuous signature on the Declaration, Hancock’s name has become part of the American language, referring to any handwritten signature. Born at Braintree, MA, he died at Quincy, MA, Oct 8, 1793. (Some sources cite Hancock’s Old Style birth date of Jan 12, 1736/ 7.)
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In honor of John Hancock’s birthday and famous signature on the Declaration of Independence, National Handwriting Day is on 23 January 2017.
Jan 23. First observed in 1975 as a day to set aside and celebrate pie! Today is a day to maintain America’s pie heritage, pass on the tradition of pie making and promote America’s love affair with pie.
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Jan 24. Belly Laugh Day is a day to celebrate the great gift of laughter. Smiling and laughing are permitted, encouraged and celebrated. How? Smile, throw your arms in the air and laugh out loud. Join the Belly Laugh Bounce Around the World, as people from Antarctica to Hawaii in kitchens, schools, hospitals, offices, plants and stores stop at 1: 24 PM (local time) to bounce a smile and a laugh around the world. More information at http://www.bellylaughday.com/.
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Jan 24, 1848. James W. Marshal, an employee of John Sutter, accidentally discovered gold while building a sawmill near Coloma, California. Efforts to keep the discovery secret failed, and the gold rush of 1849 was under way.
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Jan 24, 1862. Born at New York, NY, author Edith Wharton in her stories and novels specialized in intense examinations of upper-class Manhattan society at the end of the 19th century. Major novels include The House of Mirth (1905) and The Age of Innocence (1920), which won a Pulitzer Prize. Ethan Frome (1911) departed from the upper-class society milieu to depict a grim New England love triangle and its tragic consequences. Wharton died at Pavillon Colombe, France, Aug 11, 1937.
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Jan 24, 1949. Actor, comedian (“ Saturday Night Live,” Animal House, The Blues Brothers), born at Chicago, Illinois, USA. Died Mar 5, 1982, at Hollywood, California.
On 25 January 1984, Apple’s Macintosh computer went on sale this day for $ 2,495. It wasn’t until mid-1985, however, that sales began to take off and this computer began to replace the Apple II model.
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Newspaper reporter Nellie Bly (pen name used by Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman) set off from Hoboken, New Jersey, 14 November 1889, to attempt to break Jules Verne’s imaginary hero Phileas Fogg’s record of voyaging around the world in 80 days. She did beat Fogg’s record, taking 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds to make the trip, arriving back in New Jersey on 25 January 1890.
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Born 25 January 1759. Farmer, lover of women, father of at least 11 children, freemason, songwriter and beloved poet who wove the folk traditions and dialects of Scotland into lovely lyrics and ballads. Poems and songs include “Tam O’Shanter,” “To a Mouse,” “Green Grow the Rushes, O” and most of “Auld Lang Syne.” “Oh wad some power the giftie gie us/ To see oursels as others see us!” Born at Ayrshire, Scotland, he died at Dumfries, Scotland, July 21, 1796. His birthday is widely celebrated as Burns Night, especially in Scotland, England and Newfoundland.
On 25 January 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened at Chamonix, France, with athletes representing 16 nations. The ski jump, previously unknown, thrilled spectators. The Olympics offered a boost to skiing, which became enormously popular in the next decade.
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