Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

February 2

1982
Late Night with David Letterman: NBC debuts the show that brought us stupid pet tricks, elevator races, top-ten lists, and Larry "Bud" Melman.

1979
Sex Pistols: Sid Vicious overdoses on heroin. He was awaiting trial for the stabbing death of his girlfriend, "nauseating Nancy" Spungen.

1964
First U.S. spacecraft to strike the moon: Ranger 6, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, strikes the moon. Unfortunately, its camera equipment failed to operate.

1943
World War II - Battle of Stalingrad: German troops surrender to Russia after a five-month battle, marking the end of Hitler's campaign in Russia.

1934
Export-Import Bank of the U.S: Pres. Roosevelt establishes this organization to encourage trade between the U.S. and other nations.

1914
Cub Scouts: The first Cub Scout pack is formed in Sussex, England.

1913
Grand Central Terminal: The New York terminal officially opens.

1901
U.S. Army Dental Corps is founded by Congress.

1893
First motion picture close-up: Fred Ott sneezing.

1892
Bottle cap: William Painter of Baltimore receives a patent for his design. Called a "crowned cork," it consisted of a cork disk which prevented the bottle's contents from touching the corrugated tin cap.

1876
First professional baseball league: The National League is formed. It consisted of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. (Source: Famous First Facts)

1848
Mexican War: The war between Mexico and the U.S. ends with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The U.S. acquired Texas and the land that would become California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

1834
First co-ed college: Oberlin Collegiate Institute, Ohio, is incorporated. Although it allowed women to attend classes, it did not grant them equal status until 1837.

1962
Garth Brooks, American country singer, Country Music Association's Male Vocalist of the Year (1991).

1953
Christie Brinkley, American model.

1948
Al McKay, American guitarist, with Earth, Wind & Fire. Music: Shining Star (1975, #1, Grammy), Best of My Love (1977, #1), and After the Love has Gone (1979, #2, Grammy).

1947
Farrah Fawcett, American actress. TV: Charlie's Angels (Jill Munroe).

1946
Howard Bellamy, American singer, with the Bellamy Brothers. Music: Let Your Love Flow (1976, #1), If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me? (1979, #1), and Kids of the Baby Boom (1987, #1).

1942
Graham Nash, English singer, with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

1942
Bo Hopkins, American actor. TV: The Rockford Files (disbarred lawyer John Cooper) and Dynasty (Matthew Blaisdel).

1937
Tom Smothers, American comedian, one of the Smothers Brothers.

1935
Jane Wagner, American Emmy/Peabody-winning playwright, actress, Lily Tomlin's comic writer and life partner. Writings: The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) and The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991)and . Quote: The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool (source: Fifth 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said #550)

1932
Robert Mandan, American actor. TV: Soap (Chester Tate) and Private Benjamin (Col. Fielding).

1926
Elaine Stritch, American actress. TV: My Sister Eileen (Ruth).

1923
James Dickey, American poet, novelist. Writings: Deliverance (1970 He played the sheriff in the 1972 film adaptation).

1909     d. 1964
Frank Albertson, American actor. Film: It's a Wonderful Life (1946, Sam Wainwright), and Bye Bye Birdie (1963, Sam the Mayor).

1905     d. 1982
Ayn Rand, Russian-born American author. Writings: Anthem (1938), The Fountainhead (1943), and Atlas Shrugged (1957).

1895     d. 1983
George Halas, American Football Hall of Famer, player-coach, co-founder of the NFL, and founder of the Chicago Bears. He is the all-time leader in coaching wins (324) and won a record 6 NFL championships. He was also the 1919 Rose Bowl MVP.

1886     d. 1950
William Rose Benet, American Pulitzer-winning poet, novelist. Writings: The Dust Which is God (1941).

1883     d. 1958
Johnston McCulley, American author, creator of Zorro. Writings: The Mark of Zorro (1920) and The Curse of Capistrano (1920).

1882     d. 1941
James Joyce, Irish novelist. Although his novel Ulysses (1922) was banned in the U.S. in 1933, it is considered one of the greatest works of 20th-century fiction.

1861     d. 1949
Solomon R. Guggenheim, American philanthropist. In 1937 he founded the Guggenheim foundation, which maintains the museum in New York.

1754     d. 1838
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French statesman. He was foreign minister to Napoleon Bonaparte and King Louis XVIII, and was ambassador to Britain.

1651     d. 1695
Sir William Phips, English Colonial leader and governor of the Massachusetts Colony (1692-94) during the Salem witchcraft trials.

1650     d. 1687
Nell Gwynn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II, by whom she had two children.

1649     d. 1730
Benedict XIII, religious leader, 245th Pope (1724-30).

1996     b. 1912
Gene Kelly, American Emmy-winning actor, dancer. Film: Singin' in the Rain (1952, with his famous dance scene).

1995     b. 1919
Donald Pleasence, British actor. Film: The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965, the Devil), You Only Live Twice (1967, Ernst Blofeld), and Halloween (1978).

1987     b. 1922
Alistair Maclean, Scottish novelist, World War II veteran. Writings: Guns of Navarone (1957) and Ice Station Zebra (1963).

1978     b. 1912
Wendy Barrie (Wendy Jenkins), British actress. TV: The Wendy Barrie Show.

1970     b. 1872
Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, Nobel-winning philosopher, author. He was the most distinguished philosopher of his time.

1969     b. 1887
Boris Karloff (William Henry Pratt), English horror actor. Stage: Arsenic and Old Lace (1941, Jonathan Brewster) and Peter Pan (1951, Captain Hook). Film: Frankenstein (1931, the monster) and The Mummy (1932, title role). TV: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966, narrator).

1967     b. 1888
Floretta McCutcheon, American bowler. Although considered the greatest woman bowler of all time, she had never held a bowling ball until she was 33.

1918     b. 1858
John L. Sullivan, American boxer, heavyweight champion (1882-92) and the last bare-knuckle champion.

1907     b. 1834
Dmitri Mendeléyev, Russian chemist. He created the periodic table of elements (1869).

1804     b. 1751
George Walton, American lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, and governor of Georgia (1779-80, 1789-90).

1769     b. 1693
Clement XIII, Italian religious leader, 248th Pope (1758-69).

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