Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

January 20

2003
Iraq War: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declares, "Saddam Hussein possesses chemical and biological weapons¼ His regime is paying a high price to pursue weapons of mass destruction -- giving up billions of dollars in oil revenue. His regime has large, unaccounted for stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons -- including VX, sarin, cyclosarin and mustard gas; anthrax, botulism, and possibly smallpox -- and he has an active program to acquire and develop nuclear weapons."

2001
President Clinton: Before leaving office, he pardons 140 people including his half-brother Roger Clinton, Whitewater scandal figure Susan McDougal, Patty Hearst, and former CIA Director John Deutch.

2001
Donald Rumsfeld: Rumsfeld becomes the oldest Secretary of Defense in American history. When he took office in 1975, he was the youngest Secretary of Defense in American history.

1994
First female cadet to attend the Citadel: 19-year-old Shannon Faulkner becomes the 151-year-old military college's first female cadet. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled the all-male admissions policy unconstitutional.

1989
Dan Quayle: The newly elected Vice-President takes oath of office omitting a line.

1982
Ozzy Osbourne: The heavy-metal musician is bitten by a bat as he tries to bite its head off during a concert in Des Moines, Iowa. He was hospitalized and treated for rabies.

1981
Iranian Hostage Crisis: The 52 American hostages held in the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran are released minutes after the inauguration of Pres. Reagan. They had been held 444 days.

1980
Olympic boycott: Pres. Carter announces that the U.S. will boycott the Moscow Summer Olympics in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

1961
You're In the Picture: Jackie Gleason's TV game show makes its first and only broadcast. Celebrity contestants stuck their faces through the holes of a large picture and tried to guess what it was by asking Gleason questions. It was so bad, the following week Gleason spent a half hour apologizing for it.

1954
Lowest recorded temperature in the continental U.S., -69.7º in Rogers Pass, Montana.

1892
First basketball game: YMCA instructor Dr. James A. Naismith organized a game between his students.

1841
China cedes Hong Kong to Great Britain.

1975
Shannon Faulkner, American military student, the first woman cadet at the Citadel (1994).

1956
Lorenzo Lamas, American actor. TV: Falcon Crest (Lance Cumson).

1946
David Lynch, American director. Film: Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1985), and Blue Velvet (1986). TV: Twin Peaks.

1944
Bill Griffith, American cartoonist, creator of Zippy the Pinhead.

1934
Arte Johnson, American Emmy-winning comedian. TV: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (the Nazi and the dirty old man).

1930
Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr, American astronaut. He claimed to be the first man to piss his pants on the moon.

1926
Patricia Neal, American Oscar-winning actress. Film: Hud (1963, Oscar).

1922
Ray Anthony (Raymond Antonini), American bandleader of the '50s. He composed the hit The Bunny Hop.

1920     d. 1993
Federico Fellini, Italian Oscar-winning director, La Dolce Vita (1959), The Loafers (1953), La Strada (1954, Oscar), 8½ (1963, Oscar), and Amarcord (1973, Oscar). The word "paparazzo" is from the name of a character in La Dolce Vita.

1920
DeForest Kelly, American actor. TV: Star Trek (Bones).

1910     d. 1980
Joy Adamson, Austrian environmentalist, author. Writings: Born Free (1960). His work was featured in the 1966 movie of the same title.

1903     d. 1993
Leon Ames (Leon Waycoff), American actor. TV: Mr. Ed. (as neighbor Gordon Kirkwood). He was one of the 19 founders of the Screen Actors Guild (1933).

1900     d. 1937
Colin Clive (Colin Glenn Clive-Greig), British actor. Film: Frankenstein (1931, Dr. Frankenstein), Bride of Frankenstein (1935, Dr. Frankenstein),

1896     d. 1996
George Burns (Nathan Birnbaum), American actor, comedian.  He partnered with his wife Gracie Allen.  Film: The Sunshine Boys (1975) and Oh, God! (1977).

1894     d. 1968
Harold Gray, American cartoonist, creator of Little Orphan Annie (1924).

1889     d. 1949
Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, American blues and folk musician, "King of the 12-string guitar." Music: wrote Goodnight Irene, The Midnight Special, and The Rock Island Line.

1732     d. 1794
Richard Henry Lee, 12th president of the Continental Congress (1784-85) and signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

1992     b. 1929
Audrey Hepburn (Audrey Hepburn Ruston), Belgium-born Oscar-Tony-winning actress. Film: Roman Holiday (1953, Oscar) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).

1990     b. 1907
Barbara Stanwyck (Ruby Stevens), American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Big Valley (Emmy, Victoria Barkley) and The Colbys (Constance Colby). In 1944 the IRS reported her as the highest-paid American woman.

1971     b. 1882
G.M. "Bronco Billy" Anderson (Max Aronson), western actor and director. He became the first male movie star with The Great Train Robbery (1903). In 1957 he received a special Oscar "for his contributions to the development of motion pictures as entertainment."

1819     b. 1748
Charles IV, King of Spain (1788-1808). His loss of Trinidad to England (1797) and destruction of the Spanish fleet in the battle of Trafalgar (1805) made him unpopular.

1800     b. 1744
Thomas Mifflin, 11th president of the Continental Congress (1783-84).

1767     b. 1709
Etienne de Silhouette, French finance minister, his name became synonymous with reducing things to their simplest form.

1479     b. 1397
John II, King of Aragon (1458-79) and Navarre (1425-79).

250     b. ????
Saint Fabian, Italian religious leader, 20th Pope (236-250).

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