January 20 in Pop Culture History

January 20th Facts, Fun Trivia and History

January 20th History Highlights

  • 1887 – The United States Senate permitted the American Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
  • 1929 – The first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, In Old Arizona, was released.
  • January 20, 1933 Birthday (fictional) Hannibal Lecter, Movies
  • 1981 – 52 American hostages were released after 444 days in captivity in Iran.
  • If you were born on January 20th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… April 29th (prior year)

January 20th is…

Camcorder Day
International Day of Acceptance
National Buttercrunch Day
National Cheese Lovers Day
National Disc Jockey Day
Penguin Awareness Day
Take A Walk Outdoors Day

National Disc Jockey Day

National Disc Jockey (DJ)  Day to celebrate the music careers of DJs and their contributions in shaping the music industry today. As we all know, there are many types of DJ these days but one of the earliest was Alan “Moondog” Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965), and the day was selected in honor of his passing. Moondog was an influential disc jockey during the 1950s with his innovative style of playing rock ‘n’ roll records before releasing them to mainstream audiences along with editing tape recordings for radio broadcast use. He actually coined the term “rock and roll”.

In 1959, Alan Freed was caught up in a broadcasting “payola” scandal. The scandal led to his dismissal from his television and radio jobs. Payola is a form of bribery in which someone pays another person money or goods for influencing them to do something they wouldn’t otherwise have done.

January 20th Birthday Quotes

The financial reward is great and I love the life I have, but all money makes possible is for you to stop worrying about money.
– Paul Stanley

I don’t understand politics. I don’t understand the concept of two sides. And I think that probably there’s good on both sides, bad on both sides, and there’s a middle ground. But it never seems to come to the middle ground. And it’s very frustrating watching it, and seemingly we’re not moving forward.
– David Lynch

Smiling just to see the smile upon your face. These are the moments I thank God that I’m alive.
– Edwin McCain

What is an artist? A provincial who finds himself somewhere between a physical reality and a metaphysical one… It’s this in-between that I’m calling a province, this frontier country between the tangible world and the intangible one- which is really the realm of the artist.
– Federico Fellini

We need more people speaking out. This country is not overrun with rebels and free thinkers. It’s overrun with sheep and conformists.
– Bill Mahar

I love child things because there’s so much mystery when you’re a child. When you’re a child, something as simple as a tree doesn’t make sense. You see it in the distance and it looks small, but as you go closer, it seems to grow- you haven’t got a handle on the rules when you’re a child. We think we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination.
– David Lynch

All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.
– Federico Fellini

The only mofos in my circle are people that I can learn from.
– Questlove

Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. I am the first man to piss his pants on the moon.
– Buzz Aldrin

January 20th Birthdays

1732 – Richard Henry Lee, American lawyer and politician, 12th President of the Continental Congress (died in 1794)
1889 – Huddie ‘Leadbelly’ Ledbetter, American musician (died in 1949)
1894 – Harold Gray, creator of Little Orphan Annie (died in 1968)
1896 – George Burns, American actor and comedian (died in 1996)
1900 – Colin Clive, English actor (died in 1937)
1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (died in 1975)
1920 – Federico Fellini, Italian director and screenwriter (died in 1993)
1920 – DeForest Kelley, American actor (died in 1999)
1922 – Ray Anthony, American trumpet player, composer, bandleader, and actor
1929 – Arte Johnson, American actor and comedian (died in 2019)
1930 – Buzz Aldrin (Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr), American astronaut
1934 – Tom Baker, English actor
1946 – David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1952 – Paul Stanley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist
1953 – Jeffrey Epstein, American financier and convicted sex offender (died in 2019)
1956 – Bill Maher, American comedian, political commentator, media critic and television host
1958 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor
1964 – Fareed Zakaria, Indian-American journalist and author
1965 – John Michael Montgomery, American singer-songwriter
1966 – Rainn Wilson, American actor
1967 – Stacey Dash, American actress
1967 – Kellyanne Conway, American political strategist and pundit
1970 – Edwin McCain, American singer-songwriter
1970 – Skeet Ulrich, American actor
1971 – Questlove, American drummer, DJ, and producer
1972 – Nikki Haley, American politician
1989 – Nick Foles, American football player

January 20th History

January 20, 1992 was a Good Day for rapper Ice Cube.

1295 – King Edward I called the first English Parliament into session. The Earl of Leicester, Simon De Montfort, was an English nobleman who played a significant role in the political history of England in the 13th century. He is best known for his role in the development of the English Parliament, which he helped to shape and reform. The first English Parliament, called the Model Parliament, was called into session by King Edward I in 1295. It was a significant moment in the history of England, as it marked the beginning of the parliamentary system that would evolve over the following centuries.

1835 (Volcano Eruption) Cosigüina

1920 – American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded.

1929 – The first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors in Old Arizona was released.

1930 – The first radio broadcast of The Lone Ranger took place in Detroit (WXYZ)

January 20, 1933 Birthday (fictional) Hannibal Lecter, cannibal, Books/Movies

1965 – The Beatles appeared on ABC’s Shindig.

1968 – #1 Hit January 20, 1968 – February 2, 1968: John Fred & His Playboy Band – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)

1981 – Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, Iran released 52 American hostages.

1981 – President Regan’s first inauguration (Jan 20, 1981) was the warmest on record at 55°F, while his second inauguration (Jan 21, 1985) was the coldest on record at 7°F

1989 – Ronald Reagan became the 1st President elected in a ‘0’ year (1980) since 1840, to leave office as President while still alive.

1990 – #1 Hit January 20, 1990 – February 9, 1990: Michael Bolton – How Am I Supposed to Live Without You

1998- Dawson’s Creek premiered on The WB

2000 – SoapNet debuted

January 20, 2006High School Musical aired on The Disney Channel

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Most of us don’t like the buzzing sound that wasps and the like make, and even react with fear. But imagine if they were silent…

Did the Spice Girls ever get to zigga-zig-ahh?

“An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have.” – Andy Warhol

Cute animals probably think all humans have high-pitched voices.

TV Quotes… “Here’s Johnny!” (Ed McMahon) on “The Tonight Show”

Phillip J. Fry from Futurama was named for comedian Phil Hartman, who at the time of his death was preparing to voice Zapp Brannigan, a character written specifically for him.

“La-dee-da, la-dee-da.” – Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) in Annie Hall, 1977

An inch of rain water is equivalent to 15 inches of dry, powdery snow.

“You must passionately pursue all your dreams.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

Alice B. Toklas – a 77-year-old woman who was a “bestie” of Picasso published the first recipe for pot brownies.

It’s impossible to hum while holding your nose. #tryit

Twitter has to be the greenest app because 99% of it is recycled content. #isawthispostbefore

Chico Marx – Real Name: Leonard Marx

Mister Six danced to Vengaboys’ “We Like to Party” for the Six Parks’ amusement parks.

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