#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#
                  #       THIS  DATE  IN  HISTORY       #
                  #              FEBRUARY 20            #
                  #:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#

                           -=- Today's Quote -=-

  "Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday Dear 
   Kira, Happy Birthday To You."               ----------- Anonymous

                              -=- Events -=-

- Today is the Roman Day of Tacita.
- Scotland's King James I was assassinated in 1437.
- Pope Julius II, patron of Michelangelo and Raphael, died in 1513. 
  Groucho Marx's real name was Julius but I don't believe that 
  "Groucho" is the accepted nickname for Julius although Pope Groucho
  does have panache - pass it on.
- Benedict Spinoza, Jewish Dutch philosopher, died in 1677.
- Voltaire, French philosopher, was born in 1694. Is a man with one
  name more noble than a man with two? Is a bear Catholic?
- Aurangzeb, the Moghul emperor of India, died at age 88 in 1707. 
  He had ruled for 49 years.
- Josef II, the Holy Roman Emperor died in 1790.
- President Washington created the US Post Office in 1792. (The 
  disgruntled postal worker was created on the 6th day after.)
- The US Supreme Court ruled that the federal government's power was
  greater than any state's in 1809.
- Austria declared itself bankrupt in 1811.
- Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia in 1839.
- Tony Mullane, ambidextrous baseball pitcher in the ninteenth
  century who won thirty games or more for five years in a row, 
  was born in 1859. He died 4/25/1944.
- M.I.T. established the first US collegiate architectural school 
  in 1865.
- The hydraulic electric elevator was patented by Cyrus Baldwin in
  1872.
- The University of California opened its first Medical School in
  1873.
- Mary Garden, concert musician, was born in 1877.
- Anthony Thierne, artist, was born in 1888.
- American abolitionist Frederick Douglass died at age 78? in 1895.
- Sam Rice, baseball hall of famer, was born this date in 1890. When
  he retired from baseball in 1934, he had 2987 hits.  Hardly anyone 
  was counting hits back then otherwise he may have hung on to reach 
  3000. He is forever linked with fellow hall of famer Zack Wheat.
  (Rice and Wheat). The Patrick Swayze character in "Ghost" was 
  named Sam Wheat, a tribute to both. He died 10/13/74.
- Russel Crouse journalist/novelist/playwright (Life with Father) was
  born in 1893.
- Harold "Muddy" Ruel, major league baseball catcher who played for
  the Yankees and the Senators and hit .300 three times, was both a
  manager and a coach, was born in 1896. He died 11/13/63.
- Ivan Le Lorraine Albright, artist, was born in 1897.
- The first territorial legislature of Hawaii convenes in 1901.
- Ansel Adams, photographer who shot exclusively in black and white,
  was born in 1902. He died 4/22/1984.
- John Charles Daly, journalist and host of "What's My Line?" was 
  born in 1914. He died in 1991.
- The Panama-Pacific International Exposition opened in San Francisco
  in 1915. Everyone had a good time.
- During World War I, the armistice between Germany and Russia ended 
  when Germany attacked Russia in 1918.
- The Beer Shortage of 1919 began ... in 1919.
- Amanda Blake, (real name: Beverly Louise Neill), Miss Kitty...
  the woman who made Matt Dillon's gun smoke (according to Ellis W.)
  ..., was born this date in 1929.  She died of AID's in 1989 after
  being infected by her husband.
- The House of Representatives completed congressional action on an
  amendment to repeal Prohibition in 1933.
- Anthony Eden resigned as British Foreign Secretary in a dispute
  with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938.
- The movie "Tobacco Road," premiered in 1941.
- During World War II, U.S. bombers began raiding German aircraft
  manufacturing centers in a series of attacks that became known as
  "Big Week" in 1944.
- Batman & Robin comic strip premiered in newspapers in 1944.
- The Harlem Globetrotters defeated the NBL champs Minneapolis 
  Lakers, 61-59 in 1948.
- Senator Joseph R. McCarthy launched his communist witch hunt in 1950
  by declaring, "I have here in my hand a list of 205 ... members of 
  the Communist party, ... still working and shaping policy in the 
  State Department."
- Actress Sheree North, Babs Kramer on "Seinfeld," married John Freeman in
  1955. Her real name is Dawn Bethel. Not a bad name.
- Thurston Hall, character actor, died at age 75 in 1958.
- John Herschel Glenn, Jr., became the first American to orbit the
  Earth, 1962.  Very few people remember this as most were 
  celebrating Kira's birthday that day and did not have a chance to
  watch TV. More recently John has become famous as one of the 
  "Keating Five" of the savings and loan fiasco.
- Ranger 8 spacecraft crashed on the moon after sending back 
  thousands of pictures of the lunar surface in 1965.
- The National Emergency Warning Center made a mistake and ordered
  radio and TV stations across the US to go off the air in 1971. The
  alert lasted for forty minutes.
- Walter Winchell, journalist and broadcaster, died at age 74 in 
  1972.
- Robert Strauss, loveable actor, died at age 61 in 1975.
- Actress Lillian Fontaine died at age 88 in 1975.
- Miler Eamonn Coghlin knocked two seconds off his own world record by
  running the indoor mile in 3:50.6, in San Diego, in 1981.
- Singer Pat Benatar - real name Patricia Andrejewski - married guitarist
  Neil Giraldo in 1982.
- Contraceptives went on sale for the first time in the Irish 
  Republic in 1985. 
- Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, died this date at 
  the age of 80 in 1985.
- British P.M. Margaret Thatcher address a joint session of
  Congress in 1985. She endorsed the Star Wars program saying
  nothing about Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- President Reagan visited Grenada in 1986, the scene of the 1983
  U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Caribbean island's Marxist 
  government.
- Flooding in Rio de Janeiro killed 500 and leave 10,000 homeless 
  in 1988.
- An IRA bomb destroyed Tern Hill barracks in Shropshire, England in
  1989.
- Dick York, the real Darrin on Bewitched, died at age 63 in 1992. He 
  left the hit TV show due to a chronic back problem which eventually
  disabled him. From his home, he did charity work until his death.
- U.S. Marine, Sgt. Justin A. Harris, died in a helicopter crash 
  during the evacuation of United Nations forces from war in Somalia
  in 1995.

                              -=- Birthdays -=-

- Tommy Henrich, former Yankee outfielder, born 1913.
- Phillip Friend, British actor, born 1915.
- Gloria Vanderbilt, who dabbles in perfume and clothing for women,
  born 1924.
- Robert Altman, film director, (M*A*S*H, Nashville), born 1925.
- Bob Richards, pole valter, minister, Wheaties pitchman, born 1926.
- Sidney Poitier, actor, born 1927. (One source shows his DOB as
  2/24/24.)  He was the first black to win an Academy Award for a 
  starring role in a motion picture. (Lillies of the Fields).
- Elroy Face, former baseball pitcher, who once went 18-1 for the
  Pittsburgh Pirates, born 1928.
- Robert William "Bobby" Unser, race car driver, born 1934.  His
  younger brother is Al Unser who is also a race car driver. His
  other brother Del was a major league baseball player.
- Marj Dusay, actress, born 1936.
- Larry Hovis, actor/comedian (Hogan's Heroes), born 1936.
- Nancy Wilson, singer, born 1937. This is the black Nancy Wilson.
  There is also another NW who is one of the heavyset girls in the
  rock group Heart.
- Roger Penske, auto racer and business executive, born 1937.
- Jimmy Greaves, British soccer player, born 1940.
- Buffy Sainte-Marie, singer, born 1941.  The only other Buffy 
  that I remember is Jody's twin from "Family Affair."  She's not 
  with us anymore.....either is Mr. French or Victor French for
  that matter. Buffy Sainte-Marie has always been a trouble maker.
- Phil Esposito, hockey great and hockey executive, brother of
  goalie Tony Esposito, born 1942.
- Claude Miller, French Director, born 1942.
- Mike Leigh, director, born 1943.
- J. Geils, rock guitarist, born 1946.
- Sandy Duncan, actress, born 1946. Now that Sammy Davis is dead,
  she might be the greatest one eyed entertainer in show business.
- Jennifer O'Neill, model/actress/bride, born 1947.  Her first
  major acting role was in the film "The Summer of '42" over twenty
  years ago. Married eight times, she is now a grandmother.
- Peter Strauss, actor, best known for his starring role in the 
  Television mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man", born 1947.
- Ivana Trump, socialite/writer and former wife of the "Donald"
  who claims to be born in 1949. She recently remarried.
- John Voldstad, actor (Darryl #2 on Newhart), born 1950.  He was
  of course, the more talanted Darryl.
- Edward Albert, actor (Butterflies Are Free), son of actor
  Eddie Albert, born 1951.
- Kira Susan Braiterman (Lis) born to Selma and Morton Braiterman
  in Baltimore, Maryland's Sinai Hospital in 1952.  This is her
  homepage.
- Fred Applegate, actor "Stuart Saves His Family," born 1953.
- Patricia Hearst (Shaw), heiress, kidnapee, revolutionary, born 
  1954. Who could forget the Symbionese Liberation Army? They 
  kidnapped Patty, then 19 on February 4, 1974.  Her father 
  Randolph Hearst offered millions for her return.  Her fiancee,
  Steven Weid was on TV everyday begging for her release. 
  Meanwhile the SLA "turned" Patty and she became a wanted bank
  robber.  She was captured on September 18, 1975 and
  eventually sent to prison. She was granted executive clemency
  and released in 1979. She dumped Steve and married a guy named
  Shaw.  She is now a housewife.
- Kelsey Grammer, actor (Cheers/Frasier), born 1955. He has a new
  movie coming out soon where he plays a submarine skipper.
- James Wilby, actor, (Howard's End), born 1958.
- Sabine Kaack, German actress, born 1959.
- Bill Gullickson, baseball pitcher, born 1959.
- Joel Hodgson, creator of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," born 1960.
- Imogen Stubbs, actress, (Sense and Sensibilty), born 1961.
- Charles Barkley, basketball player with an attitude, born 1963.
  He recently recorded his 10,000th rebound.
- Federico Moro, actress/Miss Italy 1982, born 1965.
- Cindy Crawford, model/MTV personality and former wife of actor
  Richard Gere, born 1966.
- Andrew Shue, actor/brother of actress Elizabeth, born 1967.
- Rebekka Armstrong, actress/playmate (September 1986), born 1967.
- Kimberly Davies, actress, (Austr. TV show "Neighbors"), born 1973.
- Ophelie Winter, singer/actress. born 1974.
- Nathan Kaye, actor (Muriel's Wedding), born 1974.

                    IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII