Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

January 15

1991
Desert Shield: Deadline for Iraq to withdraw its forces from Kuwait. They failed to meet it, resulting in an Allied Forces invasion hours later.

1990
AT&T's long distance service breaks down: Much of the nations's long-distance service is disrupted.

1988
Jimmy the Greek: The oddsmaker gives his explanation of why blacks are better athletes, attributing it to selective breeding by slave owners.

1981
Hill Street Blues: The critically acclaimed TV series debuts on NBC.

1974
Happy Days: The TV series debuts on ABC. It was a spinoff of a Love, American Style segment called Love and the Happy Day (1972) starring Ron Howard and Anson Williams.

1973
Vietnam War: With peace talks eminent, Pres. Nixon orders a halt to all bombing of North Vietnam by American planes.

1967
First Super Bowl: The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs (35-10) at Los Angeles. (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1927
Monkey Trial: The case against John Scopes is dismissed by the Tennessee Supreme Court. He had been convicted of teaching evolution in Tennessee.

1907
First gold dental inlay: A Chicago dentist describes his procedure to the New York Odontological Society.

1870
First cartoon depicting the Democratic Party as a donkey: Thomas Nast publishes a cartoon titled "A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" in Harper's Weekly.

1852
First Jewish hospital in America: Mount Sinai Hospital in New York is incorporated; It accepted its first patients in 1855.

1759
British Museum: Formed from a collection of books and antiquities bequeathed by Hans Sloane, it opens to the public in London.

1953
Kent Hovind, American Young Earth Creationist, Dr. Dino. He started Dinosaur Adventure Land (2001), a Young Earth Creationist-theme park in Pensacola, Florida. The park depicts humans and dinosaurs co-existing in the last 4,000 to 6,000 years.

1951
Charo, Spanish singer, TV personality.

1941
Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), American singer. He appeared regularly on TV as a child prodigy, especially noted for his clay sculpting. Music: Trout Mask Replica.

1937
Margaret O'Brien (Angela Maxine O'Brien), American actress. In 1944 she received a special Oscar as "Outstanding Child Actress." Film: Journey for Margaret (1942) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

1929     d. 1968
Martin Luther King Jr., American Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil-rights leader. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee by escaped convict James Earl Ray.

1913
Lloyd Bridges, American actor. TV: Sea Hunt (Mike Nelson).

1908
Edward Teller, Hungarian-born American physicist. He was the principal creator of the hydrogen bomb.

1906     d. 1975
Aristotle Socrates Onassis, Greek shipping executive, husband of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

1891     d. 1920
Ray Chapman, American baseball player. He was the first major-league baseball player mortally wounded during a game; he was hit in the head by a pitch.

1842     d. 1925
Josef Breuer, Austrian physician whose work formed the foundation of modern psychoanalysis.

1821     d. 1875
John Cabell Breckinridge, 14th U.S. Vice-President (1857-61). He was the youngest U.S. vice president (age 36 years and 48 days). He also served as the Confederate secretary of war during the Civil War.

1432     d. 1481
Alfonso V, King of Portugal (1438-81).

1996     b. 1913
Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Wanderone Jr), American billiards wizard.

1994     b. 1941
Harry Nilsson (Harry Nelson), American Grammy-winning singer, songwriter. Music: wrote One (#1 for Three Dog Night), Everybody's Talking (1969, Grammy, theme to the movie Midnight Cowboy), and the animated TV film The Point!

1993     b. 1913
Sammy Cahn, American Oscar-winning lyricist. Music: Call Me Irresponsible, Three Coins in a Fountain (1954, Oscar), High Hopes, and Love And Marriage (theme to Married...With Children).

1987     b. 1904
Ray Bolger, American actor, dancer. Film: The Wizard of Oz (1939, Scarecrow). TV: The Partridge Family (Shirley Jones' father).

1983     b. 1902
Meyer Lansky (Maier Suchowljanksy), Russian-born American organized-crime financial wizard. He was responsible for laundering much of the Mafia's money.

1968     b. 1938
Bill Masterson, American hockey player. He was the first NHL player to die as result of injuries received in a game; he had struck his head on the ice.

1950     b. 1886
Henry Harley Arnold, American 5-star general, commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Force during World War I. He became the first movie stuntman (1911) when hired as a stand-in for The Military Scout.

1943     b. 1897
Eric Knight, British author. Writings: Lassie Come Home (1940). He was killed in a plane crash while on a mission in World War II.

1893     b. 1808
Horace Smith, American gun-maker, co-founder of Smith & Wesson (1857).

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