Today In History - January 31

876 Charles becomes king of Italy
1504 By treaty of Lyons, French cede Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon
1560 Spanish king Philip II marries Elisabeth van Valois
1578 Battle of Gembloers
1596 Catholic League disjoins
1609 Wisselbank of Amsterdam established
1627 Spanish government goes bankrupt
1804 British vice-admiral William Blighs fleet reaches Curacao
1817 Franz Grillparzer's "Die Ahnfrau," premieres in Vienna
1842 John Tyler's daughter Elizabeth marries in White House
1849 Corn Laws abolished in Britain
1851 Gail Borden announces invention of evaporated milk
1851 SF Orphan's Asylum, 1st in California, founded
1855 Western railroads blocked by snow
1861 State of Louisiana takes over U.S. Mint at New Orleans
1862 Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius
1863 1st black Civil War regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, mustered into U.S. army
1865 Gen Robert E Lee named Commander-in-Chief of Confederate Armies
1871 Millions of birds fly over western SF, darkens sky
1874 Jesse James gang robs train at Gads Hill, Missouri
1895 Jose Marti and others leave New York City for invasion of Spanish Cuba
1901 Boer general John Smuts and De la Rey conqueror Mud river Transvaal
1901 Chekhov's "Three Sisters" opens at Moscow Art Theater
1901 Winnipeg Victorias sweep Montreal Shamrocks in 2 for Stanley Cup
1904 Bela Bartok's symphony "Kossuth," premieres
1905 Carroll Wright appointed 1st U.S. Commissioner of Labor
1906 Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter
1911 Congress names San Francisco as Panama Canal opening celebration site
1915 1st German poison gas attack, against Russians
1916 Dutch Girl Guides form
1917 Germany notifies U.S. that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship
1920 Joe Malone, Quebec Bulldogs, sets NHL record with 7 goals in a game
1920 Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, at Howard University, incorporates
1925 Premier Ahmed Zogu becomes president of Angola
1927 International allies military command in Germany disbands
1928 Scotch tape 1st marketed by 3-M Company
1929 Erich Maria Remarques publishes "Im West nieces Neues" in Berlin
1929 Leon Trotsky expelled from Russia to Turkey
1930 1st U.S. glider flight from a dirigible, Lakehurst, NJ
1931 NHL's Quebec Bulldogs' Joseph Malone scores a record 7 goals
1931 Philip Barry's "Tomorrow and Tomorrow," premieres in New York City
1933 French government of Daladier takes power
1933 Hitler promises parliamentary democracy
1934 Franklin D. Roosevelt devalus dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce
1936 "Green Hornet" radio show is 1st heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit
1941 Joe Louis KOs Red Burman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title
1943 Chile breaks contact with Germany and Japan
1943 Gen Friedrich von Paul surrenders to Russian troops at Stalingrad
1944 U-592 sunk off Ireland
1944 U.S. forces invade Kwajalein Atoll
1945 US 4th Infantry division occupies Elcherrath
1946 Yugoslavia adopts new constitution, becomes a federal republic
1948 J D Salinger's "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" appears in NY
1948 Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
1950 President Truman approves building of hydrogen bomb
1952 Dutch Lutheran Church reunites after 1 centuries
1952 Harry Heilmann and Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1953 "Princess Victoria" capsized off Stanraer Scotland; 133 die
1953 Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands drowning 1,835
1955 RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer
1956 French government of Mollet forms
1956 Juscelino Kubitschek becomes president of Brazil
1957 Trans-Iranian oil pipe line finished
1958 "Jackpot Bowling" premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host
1958 James van Allen discovers radiation belt
1958 U.S. launches their 1st artificial satellite, Explorer 1
1959 Joe Cronin signs 7 year pact to become head of AL
1960 Songwriter Adolph Green marries actress and singer Phyllis Newman in New York City
1961 David Ben-Gurion resigns as premier of Israel
1961 Houston voters approve bond to finance luxury domed stadium
1961 NATO Secretary-General Paul-Henri Spaak says he'll resign
1961 USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights
1962 Gen Charles P. Cabell, USAF, ends term as deputy director of CIA
1962 Samuel Gravely assumes command of destroyer escort "USS Falgout"
1963 Tony Sheridan and Beat Brothers record "What'd I Say" and "Ruby Baby"
1964 U.S. report "Smoking and Health" connects smoking to lung cancer
1965 Pud Galvin elected to baseball Hall of Fame
1966 Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers
1966 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 9 towards Moon
1968 Bobby Simpson takes 5-59 vs. India in his last Test for ten years
1968 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1968 Viet Cong's Tet offensive begins
1969 Vice Admiral Rufus L Taylor, USN, ends term as deputy director of CIA
1970 Grateful Dead members busted on LSD charges
1971 "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison hit #1 on U.K. pop chart
1971 Apollo 14 launched, 1st landing in lunar highlands
1971 Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley, Harry Hooper, Rube Marquard, Chick Hafey
1971 U.S. Female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn
1971 U.S. Male Figure Skating championship won by John Misha Petkevich
1971 & Dave Bancroft and George Weiss elected to baseball Hall of Fame
1972 Aretha Franklin sings at Mahalia Jackson's funeral
1972 Birenda, becomes leader of Nepal
1972 Military coup ousts civilian government of Ghana
1974 McDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys San Diego Padres
1975 Barry Manilow's "Mandy" goes gold
1975 UCLA wins NCAA basketball championship
1976 "Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players hits #1
1976 Lance Gibbs becomes highest Test wicket-taker at 308
1977 Frenchman Francois Claustre freed, after 33 months as hostage in Chad
1977 Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez elected to baseball Hall of Fame
1978 Israel turns 3 milt outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements
1980 Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41
1981 "The Tide Is High" by Blondie hits #1
1981 38th Golden Globes: Ordinary People, Coal Miner's Daughter
1982 12th AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 16-13
1982 32nd NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 120-118 at New Jersey
1982 Hollis Stacy wins LPGA Whirlpool Golf Championship of Deer Creek
1982 U.S. Male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
1984 36th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 7-6 at NJ
1984 Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years with the network
1985 South Africa President PW Botha offers to free Mandela if he denounces violence
1986 Mary Lund of Minn, is 1st female recipient of an artificial heart
1987 44th Golden Globes: Platoon, Marlee Matlin win
1987 United Steel workers union ratified a concessionary with USX Corp
1988 Barge sinks near Anacortes, WA, spills 70,000 gallons of oil
1990 1st McDonalds in Russia opens in Moscow, world's biggest McDonalds
1990 1st ever all-sports daily "National" begins publishing
1990 Jushin "Thunder" Liger beats Naoki Sano to become New Japan IWGP champ
1991 Nugget's Michael Adams becomes shortest NBA player to get a triple-double
1991 Robert Gibson flies record 27,040 feet altitude
1992 MTA raised tolls on most New York City bridges from $2.50 to $3.00
1992 Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires
1993 "St. Joan" opens at Lyceum Theater New York City for 49 performances

1573 Ambrosius Metzger
1573 Giulio Cesare Monteverdi
1601 Pieter de Bloot
1607 James Stanley
1612 Hendrik Casimir I
1614 Nicolas Saboly
1620 Georg F von Waldeck
1633 Nathaniel Crew
1734 Julien-Amable Mathieu
1734 Robert Morris
1741 Theodor Gotlieb von Hippel
1750 Gerrit J Pijman
1759 Francois Devienne
1778 Franz Anton graaf von Kolowrat
1784 Carl Wilhelm Henning
1787 Louis Angely
1810 Daniel Ruggles
1812 John Randolph Tucker
1813 Samuel Sarphati
1817 Antony Winkler Prins
1818 William Raine Peck
1830 James G Blaine
1836 Henryk Szulc
1863 F Henri Berz
1866 Emil Strauss
1866 Henry Forster
1881 Irving Langmuir
1881 Joseph A Cushman
1882 Anna Pavlova
1882 Josephus RH van Schaik
1884 Nicholas Joy, Paris
1886 Alfonso Lopez
1889 F R Foster
1890 Adolf Bach
1891 Max Drischner
1892 Eddie Cantor
1893 Freya Stark
1894 Percy Helton
1901 Blaz Arnic
1901 Marie Luise Kaschnitz
1902 Alva Myrdal
1904 Leon N H Jungschlager
1905 Anna Blaman
1905 Charles de Trooz
1905 John O'Hara
1906 Benjamin Frankel
1906 R W Bonham
1908 Rene Simone Mathieu
1909 Foley Newns
1909 Miron Grindea
1910 Herbert Ashworth
1911 A G Ogston
1911 Christina Foyle
1913 Don Hutson
1913 Hector Iglesias Villoud
1913 Wayne Millner
1914 Carey Lofton
1914 Jersey Joe Walcott
1916 Ciro D Crown
1916 Frank A Parker
1916 Violet Cane
1917 Erich Geiringer
1917 Jose Maceda
1919 Jackie Robinson
1919 Lord Lowry
1920 Patrick Heron
1920 Robert Hersant
1920 Stewart L Udall
1920 Stewart L. Udall
1923 Joanne Dru
1923 Norman Mailer
1924 Robert Gatehouse
1924 Tengiz Abuladze
1925 Benjamin Hooks
1925 Charles Aidman
1925 Fred Catherwood
1926 Jean Simmons
1926 Prunella Briance
1928 Chuck Willis
1928 Eric Ash
1928 Richard Buckley
1928 Robert Clatworthy
1929 Rudolf Mossbauer
1930 Lynn Carlin
1932 Rick Hall
1933 Joseph D Early
1933 Walter Paulis
1934 Brian Bolus
1938 Ajip Rosidi
1938 Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard
1938 James G Watt
1940 Stuart Margolin
1941 Jessica Walter
1941 George S Mickelson
1941 Richard A Gephardt
1941 Sharon Miller
1942 Derek Jarman
1942 Gerald Chanberlain
1944 Anton Korteweg
1946 Subroto Guha
1946 Terry Kath
1947 Jim Nollman
1947 Nolan Ryan
1949 Carol Hawkins
1954 Sheik Faoud Ahamul Bacchus
1955 Virginia Ruzici
1956 Johnny Rotten
1956 Lloyd Cole
1956 Trevor A Manuel
1957 Shirley F Babashoff
1958 Rafael Santana
1958 Tom Schuman
1959 Anthony LaPaglia
1959 Kelly Lynch
1960 Elaine Roque
1961 Lloyd Cole
1965 Bobby Dollas
1965 Kim Clarke
1965 Rene Trost
1966 Al Jaworsky
1966 Charles Dimry
1966 Jamie Taras
1968 Doug Pederson
1968 Michael Sinclair
1968 Steve Phoenix
1969 Mathew Pallister
1972 Ben Cavil
1972 Fritz Fequiere
1972 Marvin Coleman
1972 Pulu Poumele
1972 Reinier Robbemond
1973 Latario Rachal
1974 Bob Mulder
1974 Lorenzo Styles
1974 Othella Harrington
1974 Pavi Sald
1974 Tory Toogood
1975 Kenard Lang
1977 Naomi Darrell
1981 Justin Timberlake