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January 31, 2005

Today’s Highlights in History

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On Jan. 31, 1865, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. (Go to article.)

On Jan. 31 , 1919, Jackie Robinson , who made history in 1947 by becoming the first black baseball player in the major leagues , was born. Following his death on Oct. 24 , 1972, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)

On January 31, 1863, Harper’s Weekly featured a cartoon about the Civil War. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)

On this date in:
1606	Guy Fawkes, convicted for his part in the ”Gunpowder Plot” against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.
1797	Composer Franz Schubert was born in Vienna, Austria.
1865	Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.
1917	Germany announced its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1944	U.S. forces invaded the Japanese-held Marshall Islands during World War II.
1945	Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion.
1949	The first TV daytime soap opera, ”These Are My Children,” was broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
1950	President Harry S. Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.
1958	The United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I.
1971	Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon.
1990	McDonald’s Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow.
2000	Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was suspended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in a Sports Illustrated interview.
2000	An Alaska Airlines jet plunged into the ocean off Southern California on a flight from Mexico to San Francisco, killing all 88 people on board.
2001	A Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands convicted one Libyan and acquitted a second in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
2004	Six U.S.-bound flights from England, Scotland and France were canceled because of security concerns.

Current Birthdays

Anthony LaPaglia turns 46 years old today.

AP Photo/Reed Saxon Actor Anthony LaPaglia (”Without a Trace”) turns 46 years old today.

84	Carol Channing Actress
82	Norman Mailer Author
76	Jean Simmons Actress
73	Ernie Banks Baseball hall-of-famer
68	Philip Glass Composer
68	Suzanne Pleshette Actress (”The Bob Newhart Show”)
65	Stuart Margolin Actor
64	Richard A. Gephardt Former House minority leader
61	Charlie Musselwhite Blues singer-musician
57	Nolan Ryan Baseball hall-of-famer
54	KC Singer-musician (KC and the Sunshine Band)
49	Johnny Rotten Rock singer (The Sex Pistols)
46	Kelly Lynch Actress
44	Lloyd Cole Singer-musician
42	John Dye Actor
39	Al Jaworski Rock musician (Jesus Jones)
32	Portia de Rossi Actress (”Arrested Development,” ”Ally McBeal”)
28	Kerry Washington Actress (”Ray”)
24	Justin Timberlake Singer

Historic Birthdays
Jackie Robinson
1/31/1919 – 10/24/1972 African/American baseball player (Go to obit.)

72	Robert Morris 1/31/1734 – 5/8/1806 American merchant/banker
54	Andre-Jacques Garnerin 1/31/1769 – 8/18/1823 French parachutist
85	Charles Green 1/31/1785 – 3/26/1870 English balloonist
70	Sam Loyd 1/31/1841 – 4/10/1911 American puzzlemaker
58	George Perkins 1/31/1862 – 6/18/1920 American insurance executive
67	Zane Grey 1/31/1872 – 10/23/1939 American Western writer
49	Anna Pavlova 1/31/1881 – 1/23/1931 Russian ballerina
72	Eddie Cantor 1/31/1892 – 10/10/1964 American comedian
84	Alva Myrdal 1/31/1902 – 2/1/1986 Swedish diplomat
65	John O’Hara 1/31/1905 – 4/11/1970 American writer
53	Thomas Merton 1/31/1915 – 12/10/1968 American Catholic monk/poet