January 6th Events & Birthdays

1066 – The last Anglo-Saxon king of England – Harold Godwinson – began his reign on this date. It lasted until October when he was killed during the Battle of Hastings.

1540 – Anne of Cleves becomes the fourth wife to King Henry VIII of England.

1853 – Near Andover, MA, 14th US President Franklin Pierce loses his son due to a train accident involving a railcar that the entire family was on.

1912 – Alfred Wegener, a German geophysicist, officially presented his continentalMother-Teresa-sm drift theory.

1929 – Mother Theresa begins working in Calcutta to help comfort and care for India’s sick and poorest people.

1931 – After being granted more than 2300 patents, Thomas Edison submits an application for what would be his last patent.US-Patent-Logo-sm

1941 – Richard Widmark, who would go on to be a renowned Broadway actor and film star, made his debut on the radio on this date in the program “The Home of the Brave.”

1945 – The Battle of the Bulge, one of the major battles in World War II, ended on this date with combined casualties on both sides reaching more than 200,000 soldiers.

1976 Peter-Frampton-smMusician Peter Frampton releases his bestselling breakthrough album – “Frampton Comes Alive” – which has sold more than 6 million copies to date.

1999 – Impeachment proceedings are set by the US Congress for then-President Bill Clinton.The trial was to begin the next day – January 7.

Famous Birthdays

1412 – Joan of Arc, Roman Catholic saintJoan-of-Arc-am
1878 – Carl Sandburg, American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and editor
1937 – Alan Watts, British hilosopher and writer
1937 – Paolo Conte, Italian singer, pianist, and composer
1937 Lou-Holtz-smLou Holtz, retired American football coach
1938 – Adriano Celentano, Italian musician, director, and TV host
1944 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress (One Day at a Time)
1946 – Syd Barrett, English singer and musician, founding member of Pink Floyd
1955 Rowan-Atkinson-smRowan Atkinson, British comedian and actor (Mr. Bean, Johnny English, Blackadder)
1966 – A. R. Rahman, Indian composer and musician
1986 – Petter Northug, Norwegian Olympic champion in skiing