Birthdays

January 17, 1899 - Al Capone
Gangster Alphonse ("Scarface") Capone was born this date at Brooklyn, NY, to immigrants from Naples, Italy. Capone dominated organized crime in Chicago throughout Prohibition. Targeted by the "Untouchables" after 1929's St. Valentine's Day Massacre (which he allegedly ordered), Capone was finally imprisoned on tax evasion charges. He died Jan 25, 1947, at Miami, FL, after suffering from syphilis.

January 18, 1782 - Daniel Webster
American statesman and orator who said, on April 6, 1830, "The people's government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people".  Born at Salisbury, New Hampshire.  

January 19, 1807 - Robert E. Lee
Greatest military leader of the Confederacy, son of Revolutionary War general Henry (Light-Horse Harry) Lee. His surrender Apr 9, 1865, to Union general Ulysses S. Grant brought an end to the Civil War. Born at Westmoreland County, VA, he died at Lexington, VA, Oct 12, 1870. His birthday is observed in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee. Observed on third Monday in January in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi.


Events

January 16, 1991 - Gulf War Begins
Allied forces launched a major air offensive against Iraq to begin the Gulf War. The strike was designed to destroy Iraqi air defenses and command, control and communication centers. As Desert Shield become Desert Storm, the world was able to see and hear for the first time an initial engagement of war as CNN broadcasters, stationed at Baghdad, covered the attack live.

January 20, 1783 - U.S. Revolutionary War - Cessation of Hostilities
The British and American commissioners signed a preliminary cessation of hostilities, which was later ratified by England's King George III, and led to the treaties of Paris and Versailles, and the ending of the Revolutionary War.

January 20, 1982 - Camcorder Developed
Five companies - Hitachi, JVC, Phillips, Matsushita and Sony) agreed to cooperate on the construction of a camera with a built-in videocassette recorder, and so the camcorder began it's relatively short-lived history. 
30 years later, the camcorder life cycle is all but over, as videos of similar clarity can now be recorded on phones that we carry in our pockets.   

 

January 21, 1976 - First Concorde Flight
The supersonic Concorde airplane was put into service by Britain and France.  The Concorde had it's last flight on October 24, 2003, bringing to an end - at least for now - supersonic air travel.