Sa this video earlier, and got a good chuckle out of it.
Also thought it would be worth sharing here.
Enjoy.
The Most American Man in the World (Dos Equis Style Ad)
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
February 4th: This Day in History
Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
On this day in 211, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus died, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta. In 960 on this day came the coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries. On this day in 1194, 100,000 ransom was paid for Richard I, the King of England. In 1454 on this day during the Thirteen Years' War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sent a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master. Maximilian I assumed the imperial title without being crowned on this day in 1508. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, became the Governor of Netherlands on this day in 1586. Tycho Brahe & Johannes Kepler met for the first time near Prague (in modern day Czechia) on this day in 1600. In 1620 on this day, Prince Bethlen Gabor signed a peace treaty with Emperor Ferdinand II. Oliver Cromwell granted residency to Luis Caravajal on this day in 1657. In 1697 on this day, three VOC-ships anchored at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia. On this day in 1699, 350 rebellious Streltsi were executed in Moscow. On this day in 1703 in Edo (present day Tokyo), all but one of the Forty-Seven Ronin committed seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death. A British garrison surrendered to the French & Spanish fleet on this day in 1782. The worst earthquake in eight years killed some 50,000 in modern day Calabria, Italy, on this day in 1783. The first unmanned balloon flight in Ireland took place on this day in 1784. In 1787 on this day, the first Anglican bishops of New York & Pennsylvania consecrated in London. Shays' Rebellion (of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers) failed and came to an end on this day in 1787. On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College, a feat he would repeat on this same day in 1792. On this day in 1794 during the French Revolution, the National Convention proclaimed the abolishment of slavery. On this day in 1794 during the French Revolution, the National Convention proclaimed the abolishment of slavery. An earthquake in Quito, Ecuador, killed 41,000 on this day in 1797. In 1803 on this day, William Dunlap, adapted French melodrama "Voice of Nature." The Royal Navy seized Guadeloupe on this day in 1810. On this day in 1822, free American Blacks settled Liberia in West Africa. J W Goodrich introduced rubber galoshes to the public on this day in 1824. On this day in 1826, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper was published. In 1915 on this day during the Great War (now more commonly called World War I), Germany declared a war zone around the British Isles. On this day in 1945 during the tail end of the European part of World War II, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta Conference, in the Crimea, to discuss and plan the postwar world—namely, to address the redistribution of power and influence. It is at Yalta that many place the birth of the Cold War. On this day in 1948, Ceylon gained independence from the United Kingdom. The country became known as Sri Lanka. In 1969 on this day, the Palestine National Congress appointed Yasir Arafat as the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Scientists from a Russian space agency tested an 82-foot mirror in orbit and flashed a beam of sunlight across Europe during the night on this day in 1993. Observers saw it only as a momentary flash. In 2000 on this day, Austrian President Thomas Klestil swore in a coalition government that included Joerg Haider's far-right Freedom Party. European Union sanctions soon followed. On this day in 2003, the nation of Yugoslavia was formally dissolved by lawmakers. The country was replaced with a loose union of its remaining two republics, Serbia and Montenegro.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
• On this day in 211, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus died, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta.
• In 960 on this day came the coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries.
• On this day in 1194, 100,000 ransom was paid for Richard I, the King of England.
• In 1454 on this day during the Thirteen Years' War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sent a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master. Maximilian I assumed the imperial title without being crowned on this day in 1508.
• Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, became the Governor of Netherlands on this day in 1586.
Bust of Astronomer Johann Kepler
• Tycho Brahe & Johannes Kepler met for the first time near Prague (in modern day Czechia) on this day in 1600.
• In 1620 on this day, Prince Bethlen Gabor signed a peace treaty with Emperor Ferdinand II.
English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
• Oliver Cromwell granted residency to Luis Caravajal on this day in 1657.
• In 1697 on this day, three VOC-ships anchored at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia.
• On this day in 1699, 350 rebellious Streltsi were executed in Moscow.
• On this day in 1703 in Edo (present day Tokyo), all but one of the Forty-Seven Ronin committed seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death.
• A British garrison surrendered to the French & Spanish fleet on this day in 1782.
• 1783 - Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America.
• The worst earthquake in eight years killed some 50,000 in modern day Calabria, Italy, on this day in 1783.
• The first unmanned balloon flight in Ireland took place on this day in 1784.
• In 1787 on this day, the first Anglican bishops of New York & Pennsylvania consecrated in London. Shays' Rebellion (of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers) failed and came to an end on this day in 1787.
Statue: "George Washington Kneeling in Prayer" by Donald De Lue in Paramus, New Jersey
• On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College, a feat he would repeat on this same day in 1792. The peculiarities of early American voting procedure meant that although Washington won unanimous election, he still had a runner-up, John Adams, who served as vice president during both of Washington's terms. Electors in what is now called the Electoral College named two choices for president. They each cast two ballots without noting a distinction between their choice for president and vice president. Washington was chosen by all of the electors and therefore is considered to have been unanimously elected. Of those also named on the electors' ballots, Adams had the most votes and became vice president. Although Washington's overwhelming popularity prevented problems in 1789 and 1792, this procedure caused great difficulty in the elections of 1796 and 1800. In 1796, Federalist supporters of John Adams cast only one of their two votes in an effort to ensure that Adams would win the presidency without giving votes to any of the other candidates. This led to a situation in which the Federalist Adams won the highest number of votes and became president, but Thomas Jefferson, the opposing Democratic-Republican candidate, came in second and therefore became his opponent's vice president. In 1800, the system led to a tie between the Democratic-Republican candidates for president and vice president, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. This sent the vote to the House of Representatives, where Federalists voted for Burr instead of Jefferson, whom they despised. As a result, the Congressional vote ended in a tie 35 times before the Federalists decided to hand in blank ballots and concede the White House to Jefferson. In 1804, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution ended this particular form of electoral chaos by stipulating that separate votes be cast for president and vice president.
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The flag of France, which originated during the French Revolution.
• On this day in 1794 during the French Revolution, the National Convention proclaimed the abolishment of slavery.
• An earthquake in Quito, Ecuador, killed 41,000 on this day in 1797.
• In 1803 on this day, William Dunlap, adapted French melodrama "Voice of Nature." The Royal Navy seized Guadeloupe on this day in 1810.
• On this day in 1822, free American Blacks settled Liberia in West Africa. J W Goodrich introduced rubber galoshes to the public on this day in 1824.
• On this day in 1826, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper was published. One of the earliest distinctive American novels, the book is the second of the five-novel series called the "Leather-stocking Tales." Cooper was born in 1789 in New Jersey and moved the following year to the frontier in upstate New York, where his father founded frontier-town Coopersville. Cooper attended Yale but joined the Navy after he was expelled for a prank. When Cooper was about 20, his father died, and he became financially independent. Having drifted for a decade, Cooper began writing a novel after his wife challenged him to write something better than he was reading at the moment. His first novel, Precaution, modeled on Jane Austen, was not successful, but his second, The Spy, influenced by the popular writings of Sir Walter Scott, became a bestseller, making Cooper the first major American novelist. The story was set during the American Revolution and featured George Washington as a character. He continued to write about the American frontier in his third book, The Pioneer, which featured backcountry scout Natty Bumppo, known in this book as "Leather-stocking." The character, representing goodness, purity, and simplicity, became tremendously popular, and reappeared, by popular demand, in five more novels, known collectively as the "Leather-stocking Tales." The second book in the series, The Last of the Mohicans, is still widely read today. The five books span Bumppo's life, from coming of age through approaching death.
1846 - Mormons leave Nauvoo, Mo for settlement in west
1847 - 1st US telegraph co established in Maryland
1849 - University of Wisconsin begins in 1 room with 20 students
1854 - Alvan Bovay proposes name "Republican Party," Ripon, Wisc
1855 - Soldiers shoot Jewish families in Coro, Venezuela
1859 - The Codex Sinaiticus is discovered in Egypt.
1861 - Confederate constitutional convention meets for 1st time, Montgomery Ala, Ga, Fla, La, Miss & SC elect Jefferson Davis pres of Confederacy
A statue in Flemington, New Jersey, honoring veterans of the American Civil War.
1864 - Skirmish at Big Black River Bridge, Mississippi
1865 - Hawaiian Board of Education formed
1865 - Robert E. Lee is named commander-in-chief of Confederate Army
Christian Science Founder Mary Baker EddyChristian Science Founder Mary Baker Eddy 1866 - Mary Baker Eddy cures her injuries by opening a bible
1880 - Steele MacKay's "Hazel Kirke," premieres in NYC
1887 - Interstate Commerce Act authorizes federal regulation of railroads
1895 - 1st rolling lift bridge opens, Chicago
• 1899 - Revolt against US occupation of Philippines
1899 - The Philippine-American War begins.
1903 - Stanley Cup: Montreal AAA beat Winn Victorias, 2 games to 1 & 1 tie
1904 - John Millington Synges "Well of Saints," premieres in Dublin
1913 - Louis Perlman patents demountable auto tire-carrying wheel rim
1913 - National Institute of Arts & Letters founded
1914 - US Congress approves Burnett-anti-immigration law
1915 - Experiments to find cause of pellagra begin at Miss Penitentiary
• In 1915 on this day during the Great War (now more commonly called World War I), Germany declared a war zone around the British Isles. A full two years before Germany's aggressive naval policy would draw the United States into the war against them, Kaiser Wilhelm announces an important step in the development of that policy, proclaiming the North Sea a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, were liable to be sunk without warning. In widening the boundaries of naval warfare, Germany was retaliating against the Allies for the British-imposed blockade of Germany in the North Sea, an important part of Britain's war strategy aimed at strangling its enemy economically. By war's end—according to official British counts—the so-called hunger blockade would take some 770,000 German lives. The German navy, despite its attempts to build itself up in the pre-war years, was far inferior in strength to the peerless British Royal Navy. After resounding defeats of its battle cruisers, such as that suffered in the Falkland Islands in December 1914, Germany began to look to its dangerous U-boat submarines as its best hope at sea. Hermann Bauer, the leader of the German submarine service, had suggested in October 1914 that the U-boats could be used to attack commerce ships and raid their cargoes, thus scaring off imports to Britain, including those from neutral countries. Early the following month, Britain declared the North Sea a military area, warning neutral countries that areas would be mined and that all ships must first put into British ports, where they would be searched for possible supplies bound for Germany, stripped of these, and escorted through the British minefields. With this intensification of the blockade, Bauer's idea gained greater support within Germany as the only appropriate response to Britain's actions. Though German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg and the German Foreign Ministry worried about angering neutral countries, pressure from naval leaders and anger in the German press about the British blockade convinced them to go through with the declaration. On February 4, 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm announced Germany's intention to sink any and all ships sailing under the flags of Britain, Russia or France found within British waters. The Kaiser warned neutral countries that neither crews nor passengers were safe while traveling within the designated war zone around the British Isles. If neutral ships chose to enter British waters after February 18, when the policy went into effect, they would be doing so at their own risk. The U.S. government immediately and strongly protested the war-zone designation, warning Germany that it would take any steps it might be necessary to take in order to protect American lives and property. Subsequently, a rift opened between Germany's politicians—who didn't want to provoke America's anger—and its navy, which was determined to use its deadly U-boats to the greatest possible advantage. After a German U-boat sank the British passenger ship Lusitania on May 7, 1915, killing over 1,000 people, including 128 Americans, pressure from the U.S. prompted the German government to greatly constrain the operation of submarines; U-boat warfare was completely suspended that September. Unrestricted submarine warfare was resumed on February 1, 1917, prompting the U.S., two days later, to break diplomatic relations with Germany.
• 1917 - Belgian Council of Flanders established
1919 - City of Bremen's Soviet Republic overthrown
1920 - 1st flight from London to South Africa takes-off (lasts 1½ months)
Confederate General Robert E. LeeConfederate General Robert E. Lee 1922 - WGY-AM in Schenectady NY begins radio transmissions
Flag of the Olympics
• The first Winter Olympic games came to a close on this day in 1924 at Chamonix, France.
1924 - George Kelly's "Show-Off," premieres in NYC
1926 - Austrian chancellor Seipel wants to join Germany
1927 - KGA-AM in Spokane WA begins radio transmissions
1929 - Archie Jackson scores 164 on Test Cricket debut v England at Adelaide
1930 - 1st tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks, New Orleans
1931 - National League adopts a deader baseball
1932 - 3rd Winter Olympic games open in Lake Placid, NY
1932 - Japanese troop occupy Harbin, Manchuria
1932 - World War II: Japan occupies Harbin, China.
1933 - -Feb 10] Crew of Dutch "7 Provinces" mutiny after pay cuts
1933 - German Pres Von Hindenburg limits freedom of the press
1936 - 1st radioactive substance produced synthetically (radium E)
1937 - Jim Margie, Philadelphia, bowls 900 in 3 (unsanctioned) games
1938 - "Our Town," by Thornton Wilder opens on Broadway
Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler
1938 - Hitler seizes control of German army & puts Nazi in key posts
1939 - Glenn Cunningham (top miler) says 4-min mile beyond human effort
1941 - British tanks occupy Maus, Libya
1941 - Former Dutch premier De Geer flies to Berlin
1941 - United Service Organization (USO) founded
Statue of an American Soldier at the World War II Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey
In 1942 on this day, Clinton Pierce became the first US general wounded in action during World War II.
1943 - Bertolt Brecht's "Der gute Mensch von Sezuan," premieres in Zurich
1944 - Jean Anouilh's "Antigone," premieres in Paris
1944 - US 7th Infantry Division captures Kwajalein
Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London
Statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt at his Memorial in Washington
• On this day in 1945 during the tail end of the European part of World War II, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta Conference, in the Crimea, to discuss and plan the postwar world—namely, to address the redistribution of power and influence. It is at Yalta that many place the birth of the Cold War. It had already been determined that a defeated Germany would be sliced up into zones occupied by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, the principal Allied powers. Once in Germany, the Allies would see to the deconstruction of the German military and the prosecution of war criminals. A special commission would also determine war reparations. But the most significant issue, the one that marked the conference in history, was Joseph Stalin's designs on Eastern Europe. (Stalin's demands had started early with his desire that the location of the conference be at a Black Sea resort close to the USSR. He claimed he was too ill to travel far.) Roosevelt and Churchill attempted to create a united front against the Soviet dictator; their advisers had already mapped out clear positions on Europe and the creation and mission of the United Nations. They propounded the principles of the Atlantic Charter, formulated back in August 1941, that would ensure "life, liberty, independence, and religious freedom" for a free Europe and guarantee that only those nations that had declared war on the Axis powers would gain entry into the new United Nations. Stalin agreed to these broad principles (although he withdrew his promise that all 16 Soviet republics would have separate representation within the United Nations), as well as an agreement that the Big Three would help any nation formerly in the grip of an Axis power in the establishment of "interim governmental authorities broadly representative of all democratic elements in the population... and the earliest possible establishment through free elections of governments responsive to the will of the people." Toward that end, Roosevelt and Churchill gave support to the Polish government-in-exile in London; Stalin demurred, insisting that the communist-dominated and Soviet-loyal Polish Committee of National Liberation, based in Poland, would govern. The only compromise reached was the inclusion of "other" political groups in the committee. As for Poland's new borders, they were discussed, but no conclusions were reached. The conference provided the illusion of more unanimity than actually existed, especially in light of Stalin's reneging on his promise of free elections in those Eastern European nations the Soviets occupied at war's end. Roosevelt and Churchill had believed Stalin's promises, primarily because they needed to—they were convinced the USSR's support in defeating the Japanese was crucial. In fact, the USSR played much less of a role in ending the war in the East than assumed. But there was no going back. A divisive "iron curtain," in Churchill's famous phrase, was beginning to descend in Europe.
• On this day in 1948, Ceylon gained independence from the United Kingdom. The country became known as Sri Lanka.
• 1949 - Failed assassination attempt on Shah of Persia
1951 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Sonya Klopfer
1951 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Richard Button
Baseball Player Jackie RobinsonBaseball Player Jackie Robinson 1952 - 1st black executive of a major TV station (Jackie Robinson-WNBC NY)
1956 - AL plans to test automatic intentional walk during spring training
1957 - 1st electric portable typewriter placed on sale (Syracuse NY)
1958 - "Oh, Captain!" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 192 performances
1958 - Hall of Fame fails to elect anyone for 1st time since 1950
1959 - Israel begins exporting copper ore
1960 - BBWAA voters fail to elect a new Hall of Fame member
1960 - Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park
1960 - Lionel Bart's musical "Fings ain't wot they used t'be," premieres
1961 - Sputnik 7 launches into Earth orbit; probable Venus probe failure
1962 - "Gay Life" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 113 performances
1962 - Russian newspaper Izvestia reports baseball is an old Russian game
1962 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Barbara Roles
1962 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Monty Hoyt
1964 - FAA begins 6 month test of reactions to sonic booms over Oklahoma City
Soviet Union Premier Joseph StalinSoviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin 1965 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1966 - All-Nippon Airways 727 crashes off Haneda Airport (Japan); kills 133
1967 - "Wild Thing" hits #20 on the pop singles chart by Senator Bobby
• 1967 - US launches Lunar Orbiter 3
1968 - "Golden Rainbow" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 355 performances
1968 - Bowie Kuhn replaces William Eckert as 5th commissioner of baseball
1969 - 41,163, then largest NBA crowd, watches doubleheader Cin-Det, SD-Bost
• In 1969 on this day, the Beatles appointed Eastman & Eastman, as General Cousel to Apple.
1969 - John Madden is named head coach of NFL's Oakland Raiders
1969 - Lonnie Elder's "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men," premieres in NYC
• In 1969 on this day, the Palestine National Congress appointed Yasir Arafat as the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
1970 - "Charles Aznavour" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 23 performances
1970 - "Gantry" opens at George Abbott Theater NYC for 1 performance
1970 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 - Baseball announces a special hall of fame wing for blacks
• 1971 - British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt
• 1971 - Government exhibit under construction in Brazil collapses, kills 65
1971 - National Guard mobilized to quell rioting in Wilmington NC
1972 - 6th round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ends in Vienna Austria
Ran into this image of John Lennon, and just thought it was cool, as well as appropriate for the day, given that Paul McCartney was in town (Syracuse, New York, June 2022).
• On this day in 1972, Republican Senator Strom Thurmond suggested that John Lennon should be deported from the United States.
1973 - "No, No Nanette" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 861 performances
1973 - Islanders & Sabres had a penalty free game
1973 - Manfred Kokot runs world record 50m indoor (5.61 sec)
1973 - Reshef, Israel's missile boat, unveiled
1974 - Chimpanzee Nim Chimsky signs his 1st word, at 2½ months
1974 - Petroleum rationing ends in Netherlands
1974 - Patricia Hearst (19), daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst, kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army
1975 - Haicheng earthquake, M 7.3, occurred in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
1976 - 12th Winter Olympic games opens in Innsbruck, Austria
1976 - 7.5 earthquake kills 22,778 in Guatemala & Honduras
1976 - Judge Oliver upholds Seitz's decision on Andy Messersmith free agency
1976 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1977 - 30th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 4-3 at Vancouver
1977 - Elevated train jumps track, crashes onto Chicago st (11 die, 200 hurt)
1977 - Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" released
• 1977 - Wings release "Maybe I'm Amazed"
1979 - "Co-Ed Fever," TV Comedy, debut & cancelled that outing on CBS
1979 - End of last 3+day D/N game for 15 yrs (WSC, SCG)
1979 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Colgate Triple Crown Golf Tournament
• 1980 - Bani Sadr sworn in as premier of Iran
1982 - Indoor distance record for a paper airplane (47m) Tacoma Wash
1982 - Musical "Pump Boys & Dinettes," premieres in NYC
1982 - Suriname premier Chin A Sen flees
1983 - Jose Happart becomes mayor of Voeren Belgium
1983 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
1984 - "9" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 739 performances
1984 - "Backstage Magic" opens at CommuniCore
1984 - Frank Aquilera sets world frisbee distance record (168m) Las Vegas
1985 - 20 countries (but not US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture
1985 - Naval exercises canceled when US refuses to tell NZ of nuclear weapons
1986 - 38th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 4-3 (OT) at Hartford
1986 - Israeli fighters intercept Libyan liner (passenger plane)
US President & Actor Ronald ReaganUS President & Actor Ronald Reagan
• 1987 - Pres Reagan's veto of Clean Water Act is overridden by Congress
1987 - Stars & Stripes beats Australia's Kookaburra 3, sweeps America's Cup
1987 - Sacramento Kings score only 4 points 1st quarter against Lakers; fewest in a period since introduction of 24 second shot-clock in 1954
1988 - Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega indicted on drug charges
1989 - Dean Jones scores 216 v WI at the Adelaide Oval
• 1990 - 10 Israeli tourists murdered near Cairo
1990 - Anders Holmertz swims world record 400 m freestyle (3:40.81)
1990 - Danny Everett runs world record 400m indoor (45:04)
1990 - Lyudmila Narozhi-Lenko runs world record 60m hurdles indoor (7.69)
1990 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 27-21
1990 - Pat Bradley wins Oldsmobile LPGA Golf Classic
1990 - Richard Hadlee takes his 400th Test Cricket wicket (Sanjay Manjrekar)
1990 - St Petersburg Pelicans beat West Palm Beach Tropics 12-4 to win 1st Senior Professional Baseball Association Championship
1991 - Hall of Fame's board of directors vote 12-0 to bar Pete Rose
1991 - Martin Crowe & Andrew Jones make 467 stand v SL, world record
1991 - US postage raises from 25 cents to 29 cents
1993 - Admiral Studeman, ends term as acting director of CIA
1993 - Marge Schott suspended from baseball for 1 year due to racism
• Scientists from a Russian space agency tested an 82-foot mirror in orbit and flashed a beam of sunlight across Europe during the night on this day in 1993. Observers saw it only as a momentary flash.
• 1994 - 20 die in armed assault on mosque in Khartum Sudan
1994 - Merlene Ottey runs world record 50 m indoor (6.00 sec)
1994 - Russian team beats ladies world record 4x800 m indoor (8:18.71)
1995 - Dean Jones completes 324* for Victoria v South Australia
1995 - Sandra Volker swims female European record 50m backstroke (27.77)
1995 - Zimbabwe's 1st Test Cricket victory, over Pakistan by an inning
1996 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 20-13
1997 - Mario LeMieux is 7th NHL player to score 600 goals
NFL Running Back and Convicted Criminal OJ SimpsonNFL Running Back and Convicted Criminal OJ Simpson 1997 - OJ Simpson found libel in murders of Ron Goldman & Nicole Simpson
1997 - Secretary of State Margaret Albright announces she just discovered that her grandparents were Jewish
• 1997 - En route to Lebanon, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel killing 73.
1997 - After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
• 1998 - Bill Gates gets a pie thrown in his face in Brussels, Belgium
• 1998 - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in northeast Afghanistan kills more than 5,000.
• 1999 - The New Carissa runs aground near Coos Bay, Oregon.
• 1999 - Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race-relations in the city.
• 2000 - German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with the sabotage of German railway lines.
• In 2000 on this day, Austrian President Thomas Klestil swore in a coalition government that included Joerg Haider's far-right Freedom Party. European Union sanctions soon followed. On this day in 2003, the nation of Yugoslavia was formally dissolved by lawmakers. The country was replaced with a loose union of its remaining two republics, Serbia and Montenegro. 2000 - Austrian President Thomas Klestil swore in a coalition government that included Joerg Haider's far-right Freedom Party. European Union sanctions were a result of the action.
• On this day in 2003, the nation of Yugoslavia was formally dissolved by lawmakers. The country was replaced with a loose union of its remaining two republics, Serbia and Montenegro.
2006 - A stampede occurs in the ULTRA Stadium near Manila killing 71.
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Indianapolis Colts
• Super Bowl XLI was played on this day in 2007 at the Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears, 29-17. However, Chicago's Devin Hester became the first player in NFL history to return the opening kick for a touchdown on the game's first play. Still, the Colts came back to win, with Quarterback Peyton Manning earning the Super Bowl MVP honors. It was the first title for the Colts franchise in 36 years (they had last won Super Bowl V), and it was the first Super Bowl trophy that the Colts won while based in Indianapolis.
2012 - Tens of thousands of people are stranded by floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland
2013 - 20 people are killed after an apartment building was struck by a rocket in Aleppo, Syria
Microsoft Founder Bill GatesMicrosoft Founder Bill Gates 2013 - 22 people are killed and 44 are injured after a suicide bombing in Taji, Iraq
2013 - 8 people are killed and 30 are injured after a bus collides with two vehicles and flips in Yucaipa, California
2013 - 22 people are killed and 24 are injured after a bus and a truck collide in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
2013 - Europol announces it will investigate over 680 football matches alleged to involve match fixing
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Philadelphia Eagles
Some pictures from the game my son and I went to at US Bank Stadium, where Super Bowl LII was played.
Philadelphia Eagles
Some pictures from the game my son and I went to at US Bank Stadium, where Super Bowl LII was played.
• Super Bowl LII was played on this day in 2018 at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles managed to upset the New England Patriots, 41-33. The Eagles managed to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history, and it was their first NFL title dating back to 1960. This Super Bowl was notable for the two offenses. Combined, they set a Super Bowl record with 1,151 total combined yards by both teams, with the Patriots offense producing.613 yards to 538 for the Eagles. The two teams also had the least combined punts in a Super Bowl, with one, and the Patriots had the least punts by any team in Super Bowl history, with zero. Philadelphia Quarterback Nick Foles won the MVP honors, while also earning the distinction of becoming the first quarterback to both throw and catch a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
1789 - Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. 1824 - J.W. Goodrich introduced rubber galoshes to the public. 1847 - In Maryland, the first U.S. Telegraph Company was established. 1861 - Delegates from six southern states met in Montgomery, AL, to form the Confederate States of America. 1865 - The Hawaiian Board of Education was formed. 1895 - The Van Buren Street Bridge opened in Chicago, IL. 1901 - "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines" opened in New York City. 1904 - The Russo-Japanese War began after Japan laid siege to Port Arthur. 1913 - Louis Perlman received a patent for his demountable tire-carrying rims. 1932 - The first Winter Olympics were held in the United States at Lake Placid, NY. 1935 - CBS radio presented "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" for the first time. 1936 - Radium E. became the first radioactive substance to be produced synthetically. 1938 - The play "Our Town", by Thornton Wilder, opened in New York City. 1941 - The United Service Organizations (USO) was created. 1945 - During World War II, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a conference at Yalta to outline plans for Germany's defeat. 1948 - Ceylon gained independence within the British Commonwealth. The country later became known as Sri Lanka. 1952 - Jackie Robinson was named Director of Communication for NBC. He was the first black executive of a major radio-TV network. 1953 - "The Stooge" premiered at the Paramount Theatre in New York City. 1957 - Smith-Corona Manufacturing Inc., of New York, began selling portable electric typewriters. The first machine weighed 19 pounds. 1964 - The Administrator of General Services announced that the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had been ratified. The amendment banned the poll tax. 1968 - The world's largest hovercraft was launched at Cowes, Isle of Wight. 1973 - The Reshef was unveiled as Israel's missile boat. 1974 - Patricia (Patty) Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, CA, by the Symbionese Liberation Army. 1985 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan's defense budget called for a tripling of the expenditure on the "Star Wars" research program. 1993 - Russian scientists unfurled a giant mirror in orbit and flashed a beam of sunlight across Europe during the night. Observers saw it only as a momentary flash. 1997 - A civil jury in California found O.J. Simpson liable in the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Goldman's parents were awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages. 1997 - Two Israeli troop-carrying helicopters collided on their way to Lebanon, all 73 soldiers and airmen aboard were killed. 1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored his 600th National Hockey League (NHL) goal during his 719th game. Lemieux reached the milestone second fastest in history. Gretzky had reached the plateau during his 718th game. 1998 - In northeast Afghanistan, at least 5,000 people were killed in an earthquake that measured 6.1 on the Richter Scale. 1999 - Warplanes from Israel attacked south Lebanon just after rockets were fired toward Israel. No casualies were claimed on either side. 1999 - Gary Coleman was sentenced to a $400 fine, a suspended 90-day jail sentence, and ordered to attend 52 anger-management classes. The sentence stemmed from Coleman assaulting an autograph seeker on July 30, 1998. 1999 - Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant, was shot and killed in front of his Bronx home by four plainclothes New York City police officers. The officers had been conducting a nighttime search for a rape suspect.
1783 England proclaimed the formal end to the hostilities with the United States. 1787 Shays's Rebellion, an uprising of Massachusetts farmers, was defeated. 1789 George Washington and John Adams are elected the president and vice president of the United States. 1861 Delegates from six southern states met at Montgomery, Ala., to form the Confederate States of America. 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at the Yalta Conference. 1948 Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) gained independence from the United Kingdom. 1969 The Palestine National Congress appointed Yasir Arafat head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. 1974 Patricia Hearst, granddaughter of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. 1976 Benjamin Britten, British composer, died. 2004 The Massachusetts Supreme Court declared that gays had the right to marry.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/feb04.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Kennedy Center Set to Close For Two Year For "Renovations" According to Trump
This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now.
Yet another Trump-run business has failed.
Unfortunately, this one is the Kennedy Center (I will not refer to it by it's new official name), which President Trump took over last year, for no particularly good reason. He just wants more control. Indeed, despite not ever having shown much in the way of being artistic or creative in the least, Trump at least understand the possible influence of art in culture, and so he wanted to take over.
Somehow, he was allowed to do exactly that.
Does he not have enough else to worry about? He's running a country (into the ground) and seems to create crises on a daily basis. Many of these are manufactured, surely. But many of them become real, actual problems. Even crises, which it feels the situation now with our former European allies has become.
That's all Trump, that one.
But the Kennedy Center feels ruined now. Forever it will now be linked with these abysmal Trump years. It used to be a place where people were proud to perform, and had some of the very best artists the world over.
Since Trump took over, it's been one cancellation after another. Even Trump and the mindless MAGA Moron cult seem to understand that there just are not enough creative artists who can perform at the formerly prestigious arts center and command the respect of an audience. You can't have a revolving door of Trump-supporting performers like Kid Rock and Kanye West and Ted Nugent and Nicki Minaj. Those artists are just not reputable and/or exciting enough to keep things going there, even if they were willing to try. They just won't fill that venue, and they frankly do not command the respect and admiration of other artists.
Because of this failure - and let's not call it by any other word, since it is obviously a failure - means that once again, Trump has failed at yet another business which he, in all of his brilliance, took over.
It will be closed for two years. Officially, it's for renovations.
And surprise, surprise, the bulldozers have moved in. Trump insists that he is not tearing this down literally, as he did figuratively.
You can bet that whatever replaces it will be an abomination, because it will be designed by Trump, for Trump.
And that means it will be bound to fail, until it can be liberated from Trump.
Kennedy Center to close for two-year renovation, says Trump by Lara Spirit, Washington Monday February 02 2026.
Family of the late president and building’s namesake say the closure is a result of artist cancellations, not refurbishment Lara Spirit, Washington Monday February 02 2026, 8.02pm GMT, The Timess Fo
https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/kennedy-center-closing-2-years-trump-mv8qcpwc0
Trump - Backed USA 250 Patch Will Be On Every Uniform in the Super Bowl
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the thirteen colonies declaring their independence from King George III and Great Britain, and ultimately beginning the process of what would in time become the United States.
It should be a year to celebrate and reflect on the relative success of our experiment with democracy.
But right now, we have a dictator in the White House. Let's call a spade a spade: a dictator is what he is. Hell, he does not even back away from that description anymore. Instead, he says that is what "a lot of people want" and seems to suggest that enough Americans want him to be one that it justifies him becoming one.
Our American democracy has never looked so fragile.
Meanwhile, Trump has become a national embarrassment on a regular basis. Almost every headline is cringeworthy. He starts an economic war with the entire rest of the world early on, then he starts pulling those back when the economy goes into a tailspin. Then he starts pushing his tariffs again, and again backs off when the economy predictably sags. Over and over again, we see that having become a recurring theme.
Even more unsettling for the world is his apparent appetite for Empire building. He says that he intends to use the military to take over Panama, Gaza and of course, Greenland. He outright uses the military for an illegal invasion of Venezuela, then immediately suggests that Colombia might be next, and Cuba is also ready to go. He repeatedly and relentlessly (and pointlessly) makes a point of undermining the independent status of Canada, undermining it's sovereignty and referring to it as the "51st State" and then Prime Minister Trudeau as "Governor Trudeau."
Then he acts shocked - SHOCKED! - when there is backlash. Europe pools together and apparently threatens to collect the somewhere between $8-12 trillion in debt that the United States owes it, and he whines and backs off apparent plans to take over Greenland. Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a speech during all of this saying that perhaps Canada and other middle power countries have indeed grown too reliant on the United States (something that Trump himself pointed out) and says that they will try to open up new trade routes with other countries. The White House balks and claims that Carney's speech is outrageous.
What is outrageous is to repeatedly "joke" about Canada being the "51st state." Seriously, how do Americans not see that this kind of behavior from an elected head of state is not okay? That the rest of the world does not view it as a "joke," especially after the invasion of Venezuela and Trump referring to himself as the "President of Venezuela."
Remember, Trump "jokes" about a lot of things that he actually wants to happen, like the United States having a "president for life" or running for a third term or becoming a dictator. He teases ideas and makes it seem like he is not being serious, when in fact it sure seems like he is testing the water and gauging the reaction.
And you know the mindless MAGA Moron cult will support their pedophile president no matter what, facts be damned.
So frankly, it hardly feels like there is too much to celebrate about this country right now. Trump and his supporters keep reminding us that it's not so bad, yet they are the ones who have and who continue to make things actively worse. With them in power, we can almost trust that they will in fact make things worse.
Personally, I am not going to be celebrating all that hard about the United States, when some of the faces and voices of the mindless patriotism (which is actually an ugly and narcissistic nationalism with these people) are Donald Trump and Kid Rock.
Somehow, despite the obvious damage that King Con Don and his MAGA minions are doing, people keep bending the knee to him. Whether it's national, with Congress continually giving him what he wants, or poll numbers which are not good, but nowhere near as disastrous as this particular president and his criminal administration deserve. Even internationally, people keep bending the knee to him, like FIFA and the Nobel Peace Prize winner giving her physical award to Trump.
The latest example of someone bending the knee is apparently the NFL in this year's Super Bowl. Trump apparently wanted a particular patch put on every uniform, and he got it.
Why? Why does everyone keep bending the knee to this failure of a man, and even worse failure as an alleged leader?
Frankly, why does Trump get involved in the minutiae of these kinds of things? Whether it's his grandiose Dance Hall which will dwarf the actual White House, or the huge arch which he wants to be the biggest in the world (of course he does) which is to be in his honor (of course) or whether it's wanting to control the Kennedy Center (which has since been renamed in his honor (of course) and which has closed like so many Trump run businesses before it, why does everyone bend their freaking knees to this guy?
Shame.
What absurd times we live in.
USA 250 patch to debut at the Super Bowl and be on uniforms in several sports leagues by the Associated Press, Updated 4:00 PM EST, January 30, 2026:
https://apnews.com/article/usa-250-super-bowl-patch-d7d6201dcbda91243ab7f445d86bfeee
USA 250 patch to debut at the Super Bowl and be on uniforms in several sports leagues | AP News
Gaudy Trump-backed patch to be on every Super Bowl jersey Story by Alex Simon • January 29, 2026:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/gaudy-trump-backed-patch-to-be-on-every-super-bowl-jersey/ar-AA1VgVNj?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=697c839b3be2471191e760b2a593e4e5&ei=28
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