1666 - The first recorded blood transfusion in London, by a Dr. Croone in which the blood of one dog was transfused into another dog

1792 - Capt George Vancouver is first Englishman to enter San Francisco Bay

1832 - The first horse-drawn streetcar made its appearance in NY City

1835 -  Opening of insane asylum at Saint John NB; Canada's first insane asylum

1849 - Toronto, Upper Canada becomes the new seat of the Union government; after a Tory mob had burned the Montreal Parliament buildings

1851 - "Moby Dick," by Herman Melville, published

1882 - Franklin "Buckskin" Leslie shoots the Billy "The Kid" Claiborne dead in the streets of Tombstone, Arizona

1906 - Roosevelt becomes first US President to visit a foreign country, Panama

1918 - Republic of Czechoslovakia created with T.G. Masaryk as President

1940 - German bombers devastate the English city of Coventry, demolishing tens of thousands of buildings and killing hundreds of men, women, and children

1959 - Kilauea's most spectacular eruption in Hawaii

1960 - National Research Council announces formation of Medical Research Council

1964 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings set a National Hockey League record as he scored his 627th career goal in a game against Montreal

1969 - Organizers cancel annual Santa Claus parade in Montreal due to increased violence in city, and a civic law against demonstrations

1972 - Dow Jones closes above 1,000 for 1st time, 1003.16

1973 - Canada begins production of Olympic coins to help pay for the 1976 Summer Olympics awarded to Montreal

1982 - Lech Walesa, leader of Poland's outlawed Solidarity movement, returns to his apartment in Gdansk after 11 months of internment near the Soviet border

1982 - Workers raise the inflatable roof of Vancouver's BC Place, completing Canada's first domed stadium

1989 - CP Rail starts cabooseless train operations; CN Rail follows on Feb. 1, 1990

1991 - Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video premiers on FOX TV

1996 - Michael Jackson marries his second wife, Deborah Rowe

Birthdays

1765 - Robert Fulton - built first commercial steamboat
1776 - Henri Dutrochet - discovered & named process of osmosis
1840 - Claude Monet, Paris France - impressionist painter: Water Lilies, Spring Trees by a Lake
1889 - Jawaharlal Nehru, Allahabad India - first PM of India (1947-64)
1890 - Raymond B Egan, Windsor Ont - lyricist: Ain't We Got Fun?, Sleepy Time Gal, Till We Meet Again
1891 - Dr Frederick Banting, Alliston Ont - co-discovered of insulin
1900 - Aaron Copland, Brooklyn NY - composer: Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring
1901 - Morton Downey, Wallingford CT - singer: Star of the Family
1904 - Dick Powell, Arkansas - actor: 42nd Street, Christmas in July
1906 - Louise Brooks, Cherryvale Kansas - actress: A Girl in Every Port, Pandora's Box
1907 - Georges Chenier - billiards player: in 1963 ran the first perfect game of 150 points ever registered in tournament play
1910 - Rosemary DeCamp, Prescott AZ - actress: Love That Bob, That Girl
1911 - Frank (Budge) Crawley, Ottawa Ont - founder of Crawley Films: The Luck of Ginger Coffey, The Rowdyman
1919 - Veronica Lake [Constance Frances Marie Ockleman], Brooklyn NY - actress: This Gun for Hire, Blue Dahlia
1920 - Johnny Desmond, Detroit MI - singer: Your Hit Parade, Face the Music, Glenn Miller Time
1921 - Brian Keith, Bayonne NJ - actor: Bill-Family Affair, Loneliest Runner
1922 - Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egypt - UN Secretary General from 1992 to 1996
1924 - Phyllis Avery, NY City - actress: Alice-George Gobel Show, Ruth-Mr Novak
1928 - Kathleen Hughes, Hollywood CA - actress: It Came From Outer Space
1929 - McLean Stevenson, Normal IL - actor: M*A*S*H, Hello Larry
1935 - Don Stewart - actor: Guiding Light
1935 - Hussein ibn Talal I, Amman Jordan - King of Jordan (1953-1999)
1939 - Wendy (Walter) Carlos, Pawtucket RI - composer: Switched on Bach
1940 - Freddie Garrity - singer: Freddie & the Dreamers-I'm Telling You Now
1942 - Bryan 'Bugsy' Watson - NHL player: Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins
1948 - Prince Charles [Charles Philip Arthur George], London England - Prince of Wales
1948 - Robert Ginty, Brooklyn NY - actor: Paper Chase, White Fire
1955 - Jack Sikma - NBA player: Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks
1956 - Alec John Such - musician: Bon Jovi-You Give Love a Bad Name
1967 - Letitia Dean - actress: Sharon Watts-EastEnders
1969 - Butch Walker, Rome GA - guitarist: Southgang-Tainted Angel
1972 - Lori Dupuis, Williamstown, Ontario - women's hockey player: member of the gold medal winning team at the 1997 World Championship
1974 - David Moscow - actor: Big

 

 

 

Julie Andrews Turns 69

 

To commemorate her birthday, actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music". Here are the lyrics she used:
 
Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
    These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Cadillacs and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
    These are a few of my favorite things.

 

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
       And then I don't feel so bad.

 

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
      These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin', 
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
    When we remember our favorite things.

 

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
       And then I don't feel so bad.