Welcome to Today In History for Thursday, January 16, 2025.

On this day in history ..

• 1219 - Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed
• 1325 - Laure de Noves, beloved of Petrarch, marries Hugues de Sade
• 1493 - Columbus returns to Spain on his 1st trip
• 1531 - English Reformation parliament's 2nd sitting
• 1547 - Ivan IV the Terrible (17) crowns himself 1st tsar of Moscow
• 1556 - Emperor Karel appoints his son Philip II, king of Spain
• 1581 - English parliament passes laws against Catholicism
• 1756 - England & Prussia sign Treaty of Westminster
• 1759 - British Museum opens in London
• 1765 - Charles Messier catalogs M41 (galactic cluster in Canis Major)
• 1776 - Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks
• 1777 - Vermont declares independence from NY
• 1780 - Battle at Cape St Vincent: admiral Rodney beats Spanish fleet
• 1795 - French army under Pichegru occupies Utrecht Neth
• 1819 - Godert baron van der de Capellen becomes governor of Dutch-Indies
• 1832 - Charles Darwin lands at San Tiago, Cape Verde
• 1863 - -Aug 23rd) Cruise of CSS Florida
• 1864 - Heavy fighting takes place near Dandridge, Tennessee
• 1865 - Confederate brig-gen John Pegram marries Hetty Cary
• 1865 - Drunken sailor attacks munitions at Ft Fisher NC, 40 die
• 1865 - Gen Wm Sherman issues Field Order #15 (land for blacks)
• 1865 - SF Dramatic Chronicle started
• 1868 - Refrigerator car patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit
• 1870 - Virginia becomes 8th state readmitted to US after Civil War
• 1871 - Jefferson Long of Georgia sworn in as 2nd black congressman
• 1877 - Color organ (for light shows) patented, by Bainbridge Bishop
• 1879 - January record 13" of snow falls in NYC (broken Jan 7, 1996)
• 1883 - Pendleton Act creates basis of US Civil Service system
• 1883 - Quebec Rugby Football Union forms
• 1887 - Cliff House damaged when schooner "Parallel"'s powder cargo explodes
• 1889 - 128øF (53øC), Cloncurry, Queensland (Australian record)
• 1897 - John Dewey's essay "My Pedagogic Creed" appears in School Journal
• 1905 - Baseball outfielder Frank Huelsman traded for 6th time in 8 months
• 1905 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Dawson City (Yukon) in 2 games Ottawa Silver 7 beats Dawson City (Yukon) 23-2 for Stanley Cup, this is most lopsided playoff game, Frank McGee scores 14 goals
• 1906 - -13] Conference of Algeciras (about Morocco)
• 1906 - -Apr 13] Conference of Algeciras (about Morocco)
• 1908 - Pinnacles National Monument, Calif established
• 1909 - British explorer Ernest Shackleton finds magnetic south pole
• 1909 - David, Mawson & Mackay reach south magnetic pole
• 1911 - Pandora becomes 1st 2-man sailboat to round Cape Horn west to east
• 1913 - British House of Commons accepts Home-Rule for Ireland
• 1914 - Writer Maksim Gorki returns to Russia
• 1915 - Congress authorizes $1 & $50 Panama-Pacific Intl Expo gold coin
• 1919 - Prohibition ratified by 3/4 of states; Nebraska is 36th
• 1920 - 18th Amendment, prohibition, goes into effect; repealed in 1933
• 1920 - 1st assembly of League of Nations (Paris)
• 1920 - Georgia declares independence
• 1925 - Gen M Froense replaces Trotsky as People's Commissioner of Defense
• 1925 - Leon Trotsky dismissed as CEO of Russian Revolution Military Council
• 1931 - Bradman scores 223 Australia v WI, 297 mins, 26 fours
• 1933 - Bert Oldfield flattened by Larwood delivery in Adelaide Test
• 1936 - 1st photo finish camera installed at Hialeah Race track in Hialeah Fla
• 1936 - Screen Actors Guild incorporates with King Vidor as president
• 1936 - Spanish socialists/communists/anarchists form Unidad Popular
• 1938 - Benny Goodman refuses to play Carnegie Hall when black members of his band were barred from performing
• 1939 - Comic strip "Superman" debuts
• 1941 - US vice admiral Bellinger warns of an assault on Pearl Harbor
• 1941 - War Dept forms 1st Army Air Corps squadron for black cadets
• 1942 - William Knudsen becomes 1st civilian appointed a general in US army
• 1943 - -60øF (-51øC), Island Park Dam, Idaho (state record)
• 1943 - 1st US air raid on Ambon
• 1943 - German 2nd SS-Pantzer division evacuates Charkow
• 1943 - Red Army recaptures Pitomnik airport at Stalingrad
• 1944 - Gen Eisenhower took command of Allied Invasion Force in London
• 1945 - Scottish 52nd land division/1st Commando brigade-assault at Heinsberg
• 1945 - US 1st & 3rd army meet at Houffalise
• 1947 - Vincent Aurial elected president of France
• 1948 - 35 Haganah members are ambushed & killed in Gush Etzyon
• 1949 - "Rape of Lucretia" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 23 perfs
• 1949 - KNBH (now KNBC) TV channel 4 in Los Angeles, CA (NBC) 1st broadcast
• 1949 - WTOP (now WUSA) TV channel 9 in Washington, DC (CBS) 1st broadcast
• 1950 - Belgium, Luxembourg & Netherlands recognize Israel
• 1951 - Viet Minh offensive against Hanoi
• 1951 - World's largest gas pipeline opens (Brownsville Tx, to 134th St, NYC)
• 1952 - New Dutch bible translation finished
• 1952 - US Standard Board clears Stan Musial to get an $85,000 salary
• 1953 - 27th Australian Womens Tennis: Maureen Connolly beat J Sampson (63 62)
• 1953 - 41st Australian Mens Tennis: Ken Rosewall beats Mervyn Rose (60 63 64)
• 1953 - Egyptian Premier Gen Naguib disbands all political parties
• 1953 - KXLY TV channel 4 in Spokane, WA (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
• 1954 - "South Pacific" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 1928 performances
• 1955 - Jackie Pung wins LPGA Sea Island Golf Open
• 1955 - NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 26-19
• 1956 - Egyptian pres Nasser pledges to reconquer Palestine
• 1957 - 3 B-52s leave Calif for 1st non-stop round world flights
• 1957 - Cavern Club (Beatle's) opens on Matthews Street in England
• 1958 - William Gibson's "Two for the Seesaw," premieres in NYC
• 1961 - "Conquering Hero" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 8 performances
• 1961 - Russian espionage ring detected in Great Britain
• 1962 - Shooting begins on "Dr No"
• 1962 - Suit accuses NYC Board of Education uses "racial quotas"
• 1963 - Khrushchev claims to have a 100-megaton nuclear bomb
• 1963 - Tennessee Williams' "Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore," premieres
• 1964 - "Hello, Dolly!" opens at St James Theater NYC for 2,844 performances
• 1964 - AL owners vote 9-1 against Charlie Finley moving KC A's to Louisville
• 1965 - "Oh What a Lovely War" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 125 performances
• 1965 - "Outer Limits" last airs on ABC-TV
• 1965 - AFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 38-14
• 1965 - Searchers' "Love Potion #9" peaks at #3
• 1965 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• 1966 - Harold R Perry becomes 2nd black Roman Catholic bishop in US
• 1966 - Metropolitan Opera House opens in Lincoln Center
• 1967 - 1st black government installed in Bahamas
• 1967 - Lucius Amerson, becomes 1st southern (Ala) black sheriff in 20th cent
• 1968 - 21st NHL All-Star Game: Toronto beat All-Stars 4-3 at Toronto
• 1968 - Jay Allen's "Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," premieres in NYC
• 1969 - Soviet Soyuz 4 & Soyuz 5 perform 1st transfer of crew in space
• 1970 - Col Kadhaffi becomes premier of Libya
• 1970 - Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause
• 1970 - NFL realigns into 3 divisions (down from 4)
• 1970 - AAU player Steve Myers makes a basketball field goal of 92'3«" from out of bounds, Tacoma-it shouldn't have counted, but was allowed
• 1971 - Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (1:58.7)
• 1972 - Atje Keulen-Deelstra becomes European all-round lady skating champ
• 1972 - Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys-24, Miami-3 in New Orleans Superbowl MVP: Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB
• 1973 - NBC presents 440th & final showing of "Bonanza"
• 1973 - USSR's Lunakhod 2 begins radio-controlled exploration of Moon
• 1974 - "Jaws" by Peter Benchley is published
• 1974 - L A Landslide kills 9, Canyonville, Oregon
• 1974 - NY Yankees Mickey Mantle & Whitey Ford elected to Hall of Fame
• 1976 - "Donny & Marie" [Osmond] musical variety show premieres on ABC TV
• 1976 - Peter Frampton released platinum live album "Frampton Comes Alive"
• 1977 - Cap's H Monahan scored on 2nd penalty shot against Islanders
• 1978 - 5th American Music Award: Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac & C Twitty
• 1978 - Soyuz 27 returns to Earth
• 1979 - Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi of Iran flees Iran for Egypt
• 1980 - Paul McCartney jailed in Tokyo for 10 days on marijuana possession
• 1981 - Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even took his gold teeth
• 1981 - John Lennon releases "Woman" in UK
• 1981 - Protestant gunmen shoot & wound Bernadette Devlin McAliskey & husband
• 1981 - Ivan Lendl intentionally loses a match in Volvo Masters in order to avoid having to play Bjorn Borg
• 1984 - 11th American Music Award: Michael Jackson
• 1984 - Paul & Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados-possession of cannabis
• 1985 - "Playboy" announces end of stapling centerfolds
• 1986 - Police arrested 3 IRA-terrorists in Amsterdam
• 1988 - 4th Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Live wins
• 1988 - Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder fired from CBS for racial remarks
• 1988 - NFL St Louis Cardinals announce move to Phoenix
• 1989 - Police arrest writer Vaclav Havel in Prague
• 1989 - USSR announces plan for 2-yr manned mission to Mars
• 1990 - 2 Bank of Credit & Commerce members plea guilty to money laundering
• 1991 - 7th Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Live wins
• 1991 - US & 27 allies attack Iraq for occupying Kuwait (US time)
• 1992 - "2 Shakespearean Actors" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 29 performances
• 1994 - Scott skates world record 1000m (1:12.54)
• 1995 - UPN (Universal-Parmount Network) begins telecasting (WWOR in NYC)
• 1997 - Anthony Stuart takes ODI hat-trick, Aus v Pakistan, MCG

Famous birthdays for this day ..

• 1587 - Alexander Adriaenssen, Flemish painter
• 1672 - Francesco Mancini, composer
• 1697 - Richard Savage, poet
• 1728 - Niccol• Piccinni, Italian composer (Buona Figliuola)
• 1749 - Vittoria A Alfieri, Italian count/poet (Maria Stuarda)
• 1757 - Samuel McIntire, woodcarver/architect (architect of Salem)
• 1804 - Karl August Krebs, composer
• 1807 - Charles Henry Davis, Rear Admiral (Union Navy), died in 1877
• 1815 - Adolph Trube, composer
• 1815 - Henry Wagner "Old Brains" Halleck, Maj-General (Union Army)
• 1834 - Albert Lindley Lee, Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1907
• 1837 - James Phillip Simms, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1887
• 1847 - K lm n Miksz th, Hungary, writer (Wonderparaplu)
• 1853 - Andr‚ Michelin, France, industrialist/tire manufacturer (Michelin)
• 1853 - Johnston Forbes-Robertson, English actor/theater director (Kathleen)
• 1864 - Frank Bacon, actor/author (Lightnin)
• 1868 - Cyril Metodej Hrazdira, composer
• 1870 - Wilhelm Normann, German chemist (hardening of oils)
• 1872 - Edward G Craig, actor/director (On the art of theatre)
• 1872 - Henri-Paul Busser, composer
• 1873 - Boyd Alexander, English explorer
• 1874 - Robert Service, England, Canadian poet (Cremation of Sam McGee)
• 1878 - Harry Carey Sr, Bronx NY, actor (Aces Wild, Border Cafe, Air Force)
• 1878 - Henry Dewitt "Harry" Carey II, US actor (Informer)
• 1878 - Robert Garbe, German poet (G”rniek)
• 1885 - Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz, president of Poland (1939-40)
• 1887 - John Hamilton, Penn, actor (Perry White-Superman)
• 1890 - Karl Freund, Czech/Austrian cameraman/director
• 1890 - Lloyd Bacon, San Jose CA, actor (Charlie Chaplin)
• 1893 - Henry C Rmke, Dutch psychiatrist (Periods in Man's Life)
• 1894 - Guy Chamberlin, early NFL end/coach (Canton, Frankford, Cards)
• 1901 - Fulgencio Batista, president/dictator of Cuba (1933-44, 1952-59)
• 1902 - Eric Liddell, China, English 400m runner (Olympic-gold-1924)
• 1902 - Evelyn Levine, composer
• 1904 - Max Vredenburg, composer
• 1905 - Ernesto Halffter, composer
• 1906 - Clement Greenberg, art critic
• 1906 - Diana Winyard, London, actress (Cavalcade)
• 1907 - Alexander Knox, Canada, actor (Gorky Park, 2 of a Kind)
• 1907 - Phillip Humphrey Vellacott, classicist
• 1908 - Ethel Merman, stage & screen actress (Anything Goes, Call Me Madam)
• 1910 - David McCampbell, US pilot/capt (WW II-Pacific-downed 34 Jap planes)
• 1911 - Gilbert Gadoffre, French scholar
• 1911 - Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, HOF baseball pitcher (St Louis Cardinals)
• 1912 - Franz Tumler, Austria, author/novelist (Cloak, Aufruf)
• 1914 - Roger Aubert, Belgium, church historian (Le Pontificat de Pie IX)
• 1916 - Frederick Stewart, British geologist
• 1917 - Buddy Lester, Chicago Ill, actor (Nick-Phil Silvers Show)
• 1918 - Stirling Silliphant, screenwriter
• 1919 - Bob Boucher, Kent Ohio, orch leader (Music on Ice)
• 1920 - Elliot Reid, NYC, actor (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
• 1923 - Martin Stokken, Norway, nordic relay (Olympic-silver-1952)
• 1923 - Roy Lanham, rocker (Sons of the Pioneers)
• 1923 - Willem Aantjes, Dutch politicial leader (CDA)
• 1924 - Katy Jurado, M‚xico, actress (High Noon, Trapeze, Barabbas, AKA Pablo)
• 1926 - John "Jack" Layden, local politician
• 1928 - Ezra Sims, composer
• 1928 - John William Fozard, aircraft designer
• 1928 - William Kennedy, US writer
• 1929 - Allard Lowenstein, radical (Students for Democratic Action)
• 1929 - Francesco Scavullo, Staten Island NY, celebrity photographer
• 1929 - Tage Nielsen, composer
• 1930 - Norman Podhoretz, Brooklyn NY, author/editor (NY Post)
• 1931 - Vladimir Skutina, writer playwright/journalist
• 1932 - Dian Fossey, zoologist (Gorillas in the Mist)
• 1932 - Jim Berry, cartoonist (Berry's World)
• 1933 - Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 12, 18A, 27, T-3)
• 1933 - Susan Sonntag, writer
• 1934 - Bill Alexander, (Rep-D-AR, 1969- )
• 1934 - Marilyn Horne, Bradford, Pa, mezzo-soprano
• 1934 - Richard Wernick, Boston Mass, composer
• 1935 - A J Foyt, Houston, auto race driver (Indy 500 1961, 64, 67, 77)
• 1936 - Michael White, theater/film producer (From Russia With Love)
• 1937 - Bob Bogle, Portland, rock bassist/guitarist (Ventures-Batman Theme)
• 1937 - Conny Vandenbos, Dutch singer (My rose, my little rose)
• 1938 - Michael Pataki, Youngstown Ohio, actor (Get Christie Love)
• 1939 - Cliff Thorburn, English snookers player
• 1941 - Christine Janes, tennis player
• 1941 - Richard Bohringer, Paris France, actor (Diva, I Married a Shadow)
• 1941 - T˜men G J "Tim" Beekman, actor (Nosferatu)
• 1942 - Barbara Lynn, rocker
• 1942 - Bill Francis Mobile Al, rocker (Dr Hook)
• 1942 - Tony P Hall, (Rep-D-OH, 1979- )
• 1942 - William Francis, rocker
• 1943 - Brian Ferneyhough, composer
• 1943 - Gavin Bryars, composer
• 1944 - Chris de Marigny, painter/designer
• 1944 - Jim Stafford, Eloise Fla, singer (Spiders & Snakes, My Girl Bill)
• 1944 - Ronnie Milsap, Robbinsville NC, country singer (Legend in My Time)
• 1945 - Kabir Bedi, actor (Thief of Baghdad, Terminal Entry)
• 1946 - Michael L Coats, Sacramento Ca, Capt USN/astr (STS 41-D, 29, 39)
• 1947 - Georgette Mosbacher, CEO (La Prairie cosmetics)
• 1947 - Juliet Berto, Grenoble France, actress (Le Sex Shop)
• 1948 - Anatoli Yakovlevich Solovyov, Riga, cosmonaut (TM-5,9,15,26, STS 71)
• 1948 - Christopher Moran, English financier/multi-millionaire
• 1948 - Cliff Thorburn, Victoria, BC, champion snooker player
• 1948 - John Carpenter, Carthage NY, director (Halloween, The Thing)
• 1950 - Caroline Munro, Windsor England, actress (Spy Who Loves Me) [or 12/16]
• 1950 - Debbie Allen, Houston Tx, dancer/actress (3 Girls 3, Lydia-Fame)
• 1950 - Jesse Dizon, Oceanside CA
• 1951 - Richard Thompson, rocker (BT Express-Here Comes the Express)
• 1952 - Lloyd Blaine Hammond Jr, Savannah Ga, Major USAF/astr (STS 39, 64)
• 1952 - Roberta Baskin, NY, correspondent (48 Hours)
• 1955 - Jerry M Linenger, Mt Clemens Mich, PhD/Cmdr USN/astronaut (STS 81/84)
• 1956 - Wayne Daniel, cricketer (WI fast bowler 1976-84)
• 1958 - Anatoli Boukreev, mountaineer
• 1960 - Sad‚, [Helen Ady] Nigeria, rocker (Taboo; Grammy 1986-Best new singer)
• 1962 - Jan Koster, Dutch drummer (Sleeze Beez-Powertool)
• 1962 - Kevin Ross, NFL safety (Atlanta Falcons, KC Chiefs)
• 1962 - Paul Webb, rocker (TalkTalk)
• 1964 - Gail Graham, Vanderhoof BC, LPGA golfer (1995 Fieldcrest Cannon)
• 1964 - Mark Collins, NFL cornerback/safety (NY Giants, KC Chiefs, GB Packers)
• 1964 - Trevor Barsby, cricketer (Queensland opening batsman since 1984-85)
• 1966 - Anthony Washington, Glasgow Montana, discus thrower (Olympics-4th-96)
• 1966 - Jack McDowell, Van Nuys CA, pitcher (NY Yankees, White Sox, Indians)
• 1967 - Jeff Branson, Waynesboro Miss, infielder (Cin Reds)
• 1967 - Maxine Waters Jones, rocker (En Vogue)
• 1968 - David Chokachi, actor (Baywatch)
• 1969 - Chelan Kozak, Revelstoke BC, equestrian (Olympics-96)
• 1969 - Roy Jones, Pensacola Fla, Light-MW boxer (Olympic-silver-1988)
• 1970 - Don MacLean, NBA forward (NJ Nets, Denver Nuggets)
• 1970 - Ron Villone, Englewood NJ, pitcher (San Diego Padres)
• 1971 - Josh Evans, actor (Ricochett, The Doors)
• 1971 - Jukka-Pekka Nummi, WLAF cornerback (Scottish Claymores)
• 1971 - Junior Bryant, NFL defensive end (SF 49ers)
• 1971 - Michel Kreek, Dutch soccer player (Ajax)
• 1971 - Scott Williams, Orange Calif, field hockey defender (Olympics-96)
• 1971 - Sergei Bruguera, Spain, tennis star
• 1971 - Ulrich van Gobbel, Suriname/Dutch soccer player (Feyenoord)
• 1972 - Desiree Leipham, Spokane Wash, WPVA volleyballer (Nationals-17th-1995)
• 1972 - Joe Horn, wide receiver (KC Chiefs)
• 1972 - Lee McIntyre, Peak Hill Aust, golfer (T3 1995 NSW Trainee Champ)
• 1973 - Josie Davis, LA Calif, actress (Sarah-Charles in Charge) [or Jun 19]
• 1973 - Mario Bates, NFL-running back (New Orleans Saints)
• 1973 - Willie Whitehead, CFL defensive end (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
• 1974 - Kate Moss, Addiscomb Surrey England, model (Calvin Klein)
• 1976 - Trisha Stillwell, Miss USA-Oklahoma (1997, top 10)
• 1986 - Mason Gamble, actor (Dennis the Menace)