Dashiell Hammett(author of detective stories, including The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man)β
Richard Boone(actor)β
John Dye(actor)β
David Bowie(musician)β
Born
Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoy(novelist)β
Robinson Jeffers(poet)β
Dumas Malone(author)β
Ray Bolger(actor)β
Dean Dixon(musician)β
Gisele MacKenzie(singer & actress)β
Sherill Eustance Milnes(opera singer)β
Frank Mahovlich(hockey player)β
Sal Mineo(actor)β
Jim Croce(singer)β
Rod Stewart(singer)β
George Foreman(boxer)β
Pat Benatar(singer)β
Evan Handler(actor)β
Josh Ryan Evans(actor)β
Events
Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a pamphlet calling for independence from England
β
Florida seceded from the Union (U.S. Civil War) β
The first line of London’s underground transportation system opened β
Standard Oil Company was incorporated β
Spindletop, the first great Texas oil strike, was discovered β
First aerial photography β
League of Nations founded β
Juan de la Cierva demonstrated the first autogyro in Spain β
World’s first communication through space occurred when radar pulses from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, echoed from the Moon β
First UN General Assembly met in London β
Columbia Inc. and Radio Corp. of America introduced 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm vinyl records β
Elvis Presley made his first recording in Nashville— Heartbreak Hotel was the A side, I Was The One was the B-side β
Two African American students were admitted to the University of Georgia, marking the first step toward racial integration of the state’s public school system β
State Representative Julian Bond was denied a seat in the Georgia legislature because of his opposition to the Vietnam War β
Masterpiece Theater made its television debut β
U.S. and the Vatican reestablished full diplomatic relations after more than 100 years β
Daniel Ortega inaugurated for a 6 year term as president of Nicaragua β
Judy Sweet became the first woman elected NCAA president β
Weather
The temperature in Charleston, South Carolina, dropped from 70F to 26F. The next morning, it plummeted to 15F. β
Charleston, South Carolina, received 10 inches of snow β
The Big Snow in central New York State dropped up to 60 inches β
Temperature dropped 47 degrees in 15 minutes at Rapid City, South Dakota β
Rochester, New York, had its coldest morning since January 16, 1994, with a record -12 degrees F β
Boston’s Logan International Airport recorded a low of -3 degrees F, 2 degrees chillier than the previous record for January 10, set in 1875. It was the city’s coldest day since January 16, 1994, when thermometers registered -4 degrees β
A huge mudslide crashed down on homes in the tiny town of La Conchita, about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles β