How We Create The Date-A-Base Book

You might be wondering how we create The Date-A-Base Book series. It’s a heck of a lot of work, as you’ll see below. But it’s great fun, we learn a lot, and we’ve been doing it for twenty years now, so we’ve got the process pretty well nailed down. But, as you’ll also see, there’s still plenty of room for improvement – when the technology allows.

Step 1: Data collection

We create the books in a five-year cycle, as we’ll explain below.

Every five years we visit fifteen or so websites that list historical anniversaries, including Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, History.com, and several more. None of them are as accurate as we would like, but we deal with that later. We copy the information we need from each site and paste it into a massive text file.

Processing time: about a month.

Step 2: Data processing

The anniversaries are in different date formats, and they all need to be the same. So we do lots of searching, replacing, sorting and manual corrections to fix it.

We then run the file through a piece of software (written by Dave) that:

  • splits the dates into day, month, and year
  • sorts them into years ending 0 and 5, 1 and 6, 2 and 7, 3 and 8, and 4 and 9
  • puts these years into five separate text files

This gives us the raw data for the next five editions of The Date-A-Base Book.

We import the five text files into Microsoft Excel and insert two new columns: the year we’re interested in (for example 2024) and the anniversary (2024 minus the year of the event). We then sort the spreadsheet by anniversary, month, and day of the month.

At this stage we usually have around 36,000 entries for each month.

Processing time: another month.

Step 3: Delete if not a significant year

We now delete the anniversaries we aren’t interested in. For example, we keep the 70th, 75th and 80th anniversaries, but delete the 71st – 74th and the 76th – 79th.

Processing time: one day.

Step 4: Delete the duplicates

Many of the websites we harvested the anniversaries from list the same anniversaries, and we only need them once. So we go through them one by one and delete the duplicates.

Processing time: one week for each of the five files, or about a month in total.

Step 5. Delete if not notable

This is where we put our general knowledge and memories to good use. We have to decide whether each anniversary is newsworthy and notable enough to be included in the book. We go through them several times, using the following criteria, gradually whittling them down:

  • Have we heard of the person or event?
  • Is there an entry in Encyclopaedia Britannica, or an image and a comprehensive entry in Wikipedia?
  • Do we think the person or event is important enough to include in the book?

By the end, around 4,000 anniversaries will remain, but we’ll lose several hundred of them in the next stage.

Processing time: one month for each edition.

Step 6: Cross-checking

After importing the file into Microsoft Word, we go through each anniversary in detail. We check it in Encyclopaedia Britannica again, and on any official websites we can find. We also follow the references in Wikipedia, and make heavy use of Google.

Where there is any disagreement (which there frequently is) we search for obituaries, photos of graves, birth certificates, patent applications, official plaques, and so on.

Quite often, we find that the date given for an anniversary is wrong. Sometimes we can simply correct it or move it to a different month. But hundreds of them will be so completely wrong that they have to be removed.

If we can’t find any official confirmation of the dates or facts, we have to decide whether to include it in the book with a question mark or footnote, or delete it.

As each anniversary is confirmed, we rewrite the description to make it as clear as possible and to conform to our style guide.

We’ll end up with around 3,000 anniversaries that will appear in the book.

Processing time: two to three months for each edition.

Step 7: Layout 1

The Date-A-Base Book is laid out in a grid format, with columns for the anniversary, the date, and the description.

The grid is created in Serif PagePlus X9 (which has been discontinued). We’re hoping to migrate to Affinity Publisher soon, but it doesn’t yet have the Book Plus feature we need.

This stage simply involves lots of copying and pasting.

We also update the title pages and Introduction in each edition, and check that the Table of Contents shows the correct page numbers.

Processing time: about a week.

Step 8: Proofreading

We print a copy of the book and go through it with a red pen, checking date formats, spellings, hyphenation, line breaks, superscripts, and so on. We then make the corrections in PagePlus.

Processing time: about a week.

Step 9: Layout 2

We surveyed readers of The Date-A-Base Book a few years ago and asked which format they preferred – chronological or sorted by date. Half said they wanted chronological and half said they wanted sorted by date. So we publish both versions every year.

For this stage, we go through the chronological version and pick out all the anniversaries dated 1st January and move them to Page 1. Then we go through the anniversaries again, pick out the 2nd January anniversaries and put them after the 1st January entries. And so on for every day of the year. We haven’t found an automated way of doing it (yet).

After a quick proofread to check the line breaks, word wrapping and hyphenation, the British edition is finished.

Processing time: about a week.

Step 10: The USA edition

We surveyed our American readers a few years ago, asking if they were happy to receive the British version. No, they were not. So we create versions for them too.

First, we take the British chronological version, change the Page Size from A4 to Letter, and alter the margins and headers.

We haven’t found any shortcut way of changing the date format from British to American (and believe me we’ve tried) so we have to change them all manually.

Then we change the spellings and punctuation in the descriptions, update the Table of Contents, and give it a brief proofread. The U.S. chronological version is now complete.

We create the U.S. sorted by date version in exactly the same way that we created the British version.

Processing time: two weeks for each edition.

Step 11: The cover

We have a standard cover template, created in Adobe Photoshop, that we use every year.

We change:

  • the year
  • the edition number
  • the number of anniversaries in the book
  • the three images at the bottom of the front cover
  • the spine width – depending on the number of pages

The images illustrate anniversaries from 150, 100, and 50 years ago. We choose anniversaries that are known worldwide, and images that are instantly recognisable (and free to use).

Processing time: about half a day.

Step 12: Publishing

The final step. We create PDF versions of the covers and contents and upload them to Amazon, which prints copies one at a time as customers order them.

We upload the same files to our e-book distributor, Payhip.

Once Amazon has approved the book and given us a link we can send buyers to, we add it to the ideas4writers website.

And then we announce it to the world via our blog, Facebook, Twitter, our mailing list of previous buyers, and so on.

Processing time: two days.

Summary

It takes around seven months to create the first edition in a five-year cycle, and about five months for the following four editions.

We work five years ahead, and as I write this at the end of 2022, we’re about to start work on the 2028 edition, which will be released in the spring of 2023. This will be the fifth and last edition in the current five-year cycle. The 2029 edition will be the first in the next cycle, so we’ll need to start work two months earlier next year.

Although it takes us five to seven months to create each edition, you can buy it for just £12.95 (about $14.99 in the USA).

Here are our current editions.

30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in April 2023

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in April 2023 (so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features, biographies and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, and editors and producers love them. They’re easy to research too. And you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, TV/radio features, films, documentaries, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, which features more than 3,000 anniversaries. . The 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

1 Apr 1948 – 75 years ago
The Big Bang theory was first proposed in a paper by the Russian-born American theoretical physicist and cosmologist George Gamow and his associates. It was published in the magazine Physical Review.

2 Apr 1963 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union launched its Luna 4 spacecraft on a mission to the Moon. It missed the Moon by over 5,000 miles after failing to make a mid-course correction.

3 Apr 1948 – 75 years ago
The USA’s Marshall Plan for European recovery after WWII went into effect.

4 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of John Venn, British logician and philosopher. Best known for inventing the Venn diagram.

5 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, British aristocrat and Egyptologist who financed the search/excavation of Tutankhamen’s Tomb.

6 Apr 1993 – 30 years ago
Tomsk-7 nuclear accident, Seversk, Russia. A tank at a nuclear waste reprocessing facility exploded while being cleaned, releasing a cloud of highly radioactive gas. Several villages became permanently uninhabitable as a result.

7 Apr 1933 – 90 years ago
Prohibition in the USA: the Cullen–Harrison Act came into effect, legalising the sale of low alcohol beer and wine (up to 3.2% alcohol by weight) for the first time since 1920.

8 Apr 1973 – 50 years ago
Death of Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist. Co-founder of the Cubism movement. One of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

9 Apr 1963 – 60 years ago
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was proclaimed the first Honorary Citizen of the United States.

10 Apr 1998 – 25 years ago
The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland.

11 Apr 1958 – 65 years ago
Birth of Stuart Adamson, Scottish punk/rock/new wave singer, guitarist and songwriter (Skids, Big Country). (Died 2001.)

12 Apr 1898 – 125 years ago
Birth of Lily Pons, French-born American operatic soprano.

13 Apr 1873 – 150 years ago
The Colfax Massacre, Louisiana, USA. More than 60 black men (some sources say 150) were killed by a white Southern militia in a racially motivated attack.

14 Apr 2003 – 20 years ago
The Human Genome Project was successfully completed, with over 99% of the human genome sequenced and mapped, including all of the genes.

15 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Insulin became generally available for the treatment of diabetes.

16 Apr 1943 – 80 years ago
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first discovered the hallucinogenic effects of LSD after accidentally absorbing some through his fingertips during an experiment at the Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory. On 19th April he deliberately took the drug to determine its true effects, but underestimated its potency and experienced an intense psychotic reaction.

17 Apr 1973 – 50 years ago
FedEx, the courier service, began operating (as Federal Express).

18 Apr 1973 – 50 years ago
The première of the dystopian thriller film Soylent Green in Los Angeles, California, USA. (New York première: 19th April, released: 9th May. UK: June 1973.)

19 Apr 1943 to 16 May – 80 years ago
Holocaust: the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Poland. The Jewish resistance revolted against Nazi Germany’s efforts to transport those who remained in the ghetto to Treblinka extermination camp.

20 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Tito Puente, American Latin jazz/mambo musician, songwriter and record producer. He helped popularise Latin dance music and jazz in the USA.

21 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Sir John Mortimer, British barrister, playwright, novelist, screenwriter and short story writer. Best known for creating Rumpole of the Bailey, and for the stage play A Voyage Round My Father. (Died 2009.)

22 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Aaron Spelling, American television and film producer (Charlie’s Angels, T. J. Hooker, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, Beverly Hills 90210 and many more). (Died 2006.)

23 Apr 1998 – 25 years ago
Death of James Earl Ray, American criminal convicted of assassinating the civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

24 Apr 1993 – 30 years ago
An IRA truck bomb exploded in the Bishopsgate financial district in London. One person was killed (a press photographer) and 44 injured. It was the last major IRA bombing in England. Reconstruction cost £350 million.

25 Apr 1873 – 150 years ago
Birth of Walter de la Mare, British poet, children’s writer, short story writer and novelist.

26 Apr 1933 – 90 years ago
The Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s secret police force, was established.

27 Apr 1848 – 175 years ago
Slavery was abolished in the French colonies.

28 Apr 1923 – 100 years ago
Wembley Stadium in London opened (as the British Empire Exhibition Stadium, commonly known as the Empire Stadium). It was demolished in 2003. The new Wembley Stadium opened on the same site in March 2007.

29 Apr 1993 – 30 years ago
Queen Elizabeth II announced that Buckingham Palace would open to the public for the first time, to raise funds to repair fire damage at Windsor Castle.

30 Apr 1948 – 75 years ago
The Land Rover, a British all-terrain vehicle, was officially launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in the Netherlands.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2028 edition will be available from April 2023. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in April 2023 (U.S. Edition)

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in April 2023 (so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features, biographies and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, and editors and producers love them. They’re easy to research too. And you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, TV/radio features, films, documentaries, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, which features more than 3,000 anniversaries. . The 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

Apr 1, 1948 – 75 years ago
The Big Bang theory was first proposed in a paper by the Russian-born American theoretical physicist and cosmologist George Gamow and his associates. It was published in the magazine Physical Review.

Apr 2, 1963 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union launched its Luna 4 spacecraft on a mission to the Moon. It missed the Moon by over 5,000 miles after failing to make a mid-course correction.

Apr 3, 1948 – 75 years ago
The USA’s Marshall Plan for European recovery after WWII went into effect.

Apr 4, 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of John Venn, British logician and philosopher. Best known for inventing the Venn diagram.

Apr 5, 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, British aristocrat and Egyptologist who financed the search/excavation of Tutankhamen’s Tomb.

Apr 6, 1993 – 30 years ago
Tomsk-7 nuclear accident, Seversk, Russia. A tank at a nuclear waste reprocessing facility exploded while being cleaned, releasing a cloud of highly radioactive gas. Several villages became permanently uninhabitable as a result.

Apr 7, 1933 – 90 years ago
Prohibition in the USA: the Cullen–Harrison Act came into effect, legalizing the sale of low alcohol beer and wine (up to 3.2% alcohol by weight) for the first time since 1920.

Apr 8, 1973 – 50 years ago
Death of Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist. Co-founder of the Cubism movement. One of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Apr 9, 1963 – 60 years ago
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was proclaimed the first Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Apr 10, 1998 – 25 years ago
The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland.

Apr 11, 1958 – 65 years ago
Birth of Stuart Adamson, Scottish punk/rock/new wave singer, guitarist and songwriter (Skids, Big Country). (Died 2001.)

Apr 12, 1898 – 125 years ago
Birth of Lily Pons, French-born American operatic soprano.

Apr 13, 1873 – 150 years ago
The Colfax Massacre, Louisiana, USA. More than 60 black men (some sources say 150) were killed by a white Southern militia in a racially motivated attack.

Apr 14, 2003 – 20 years ago
The Human Genome Project was successfully completed, with over 99% of the human genome sequenced and mapped, including all of the genes.

Apr 15, 1923 – 100 years ago
Insulin became generally available for the treatment of diabetes.

Apr 16, 1943 – 80 years ago
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first discovered the hallucinogenic effects of LSD after accidentally absorbing some through his fingertips during an experiment at the Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory. On April 19th he deliberately took the drug to determine its true effects, but underestimated its potency and experienced an intense psychotic reaction.

Apr 17, 1973 – 50 years ago
FedEx, the courier service, began operating (as Federal Express).

Apr 18, 1973 – 50 years ago
The premiere of the dystopian thriller movie Soylent Green in Los Angeles, California, USA. (New York premiere: April 19th, released: May 9th. UK: June 1973.)

Apr 19 to May 16, 1943 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Poland. The Jewish resistance revolted against Nazi Germany’s efforts to transport those who remained in the ghetto to Treblinka extermination camp.

Apr 20, 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Tito Puente, American Latin jazz/mambo musician, songwriter and record producer. He helped popularize Latin dance music and jazz in the USA.

Apr 21, 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Sir John Mortimer, British barrister, playwright, novelist, screenwriter and short story writer. Best known for creating Rumpole of the Bailey, and for the stage play A Voyage Round My Father. (Died 2009.)

Apr 22, 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Aaron Spelling, American television and film producer (Charlie’s Angels, T. J. Hooker, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, Beverly Hills 90210 and many more). (Died 2006.)

Apr 23, 1998 – 25 years ago
Death of James Earl Ray, American criminal convicted of assassinating the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Apr 24, 1993 – 30 years ago
An IRA truck bomb exploded in the Bishopsgate financial district in London. One person was killed (a press photographer) and 44 injured. It was the last major IRA bombing in England. Reconstruction cost over $400 million.

Apr 25, 1873 – 150 years ago
Birth of Walter de la Mare, British poet, children’s writer, short story writer and novelist.

Apr 26, 1933 – 90 years ago
The Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s secret police force, was established.

Apr 27, 1848 – 175 years ago
Slavery was abolished in the French colonies.

Apr 28, 1923 – 100 years ago
Wembley Stadium in London opened (as the British Empire Exhibition Stadium, commonly known as the Empire Stadium). It was demolished in 2003. The new Wembley Stadium opened on the same site in March 2007.

Apr 29, 1993 – 30 years ago
Queen Elizabeth II announced that Buckingham Palace would open to the public for the first time, to raise funds to repair fire damage at Windsor Castle.

Apr 30, 1948 – 75 years ago
The Land Rover, a British all-terrain vehicle, was officially launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in the Netherlands.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2028 edition will be available from April 2023. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in March 2023

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in March 2023 (so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features, biographies and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, and editors and producers love them. They’re easy to research too. And you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, TV/radio features, films, documentaries, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, which features more than 3,000 anniversaries. . The 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

1 Mar 1873 – 150 years ago
Remington began producing the first practical typewriter – the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, also known as the Remington No. 1. It went on sale on 1st July 1874.

2 Mar 1933 – 90 years ago
The première of the film King Kong, in New York City, USA. (Released 7th April.)

3 Mar 1923 – 100 years ago
The first issue of Time magazine was published in the USA.

4 Mar 1933 – 90 years ago
Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd President of the United States.

5 Mar 1623 – 400 years ago
The first American temperance law came into effect in the Colony of Virginia in an effort to control the consumption of alcohol.

6 Mar 1973 – 50 years ago
Death of Pearl S. Buck, American writer. The first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1938).

7 Mar 1848 – 175 years ago
The Great Mahele, Hawaii. The land of Hawaii was divided to protect it from foreign ownership. 1/3 was given to the Crown, 1/3 to the chiefs and managers, and 1/3 to the common people. The law required people to claim their land within two years. Many did not make a claim and the land was sold.

8 Mar 1723 – 300 years ago
Death of Sir Christopher Wren, English architect. Best known for designing St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

9 Mar 1993 – 30 years ago
Death of C. Northcote Parkinson, British historian and writer. Noted for his books on naval history and for formulating Parkinson’s Law (work expands to fill the time available for its completion).

10 Mar 1933 – 90 years ago
The Long Beach earthquake, California, USA. 120 people were killed.

11 Mar 1948 – 75 years ago
Reginald Weir became the first African American to play in an official United States Lawn Tennis Association event, after several years of lobbying to be accepted. His acceptance paved the way for Althea Gibson to take part the following year.

12 Mar 1933 – 90 years ago
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first of his ‘fireside chats’ – a radio address to the nation. His first chat was about the banking crisis.

13 Mar 1933 – 90 years ago
Joseph Goebbels became the German Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

14 Mar 1983 – 40 years ago
OPEC agreed to cut oil prices for first time since it was founded in 1961.

15 Mar 1998 – 25 years ago
Death of Dr Benjamin Spock, American paediatrician and writer. Known for his best-selling book Baby and Child Care.

16 Mar 1898 – 125 years ago
Death of Aubrey Beardsley, British illustrator. His black ink drawings, influenced by Japanese woodcuts, contributed to the development of Art Nouveau.

17 Mar 1973 – 50 years ago
The new London Bridge opened in the UK.

18 Mar 1963 – 60 years ago
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Miranda decision: states must provide defendants in criminal cases with a lawyer if they are unable to afford their own. This led to the creation of the public defender system.

19 Mar 1848 – 175 years ago
Birth of Wyatt Earp, legendary American lawman, gambler and gunfighter of the Old West. Noted for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881.

20 Mar 1993 – 30 years ago
An IRA bomb exploded at a shopping mall in Warrington, England. Two children were killed and more than 50 people were injured.

21 Mar 1963 – 60 years ago
The U.S. Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California, closed.

22 Mar 1933 – 90 years ago
The first Nazi concentration camp opened in Dachau, Germany. The Nazis eventually established over 1,000 concentration camps throughout occupied Europe.

23 Mar 1983 – 40 years ago
U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (’Star Wars’) system, which would use satellites to detect and destroy enemy missiles.

24 Mar 1953 – 70 years ago
Death of Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, (Mary of Teck), Queen Consort of King George V. Mother of King Edward VIII and King George VI. Grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

25 Mar 1948 – 75 years ago
The first official tornado forecast/warning. U.S. Air Force Captain Robert C. Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush predicted a high risk of a tornado strike at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Two large tornadoes struck the base that evening, damaging or destroying aircraft and buildings.

26 Mar 1923 – 100 years ago
BBC radio began broadcasting a daily weather forecast.

27 Mar 1963 – 60 years ago
Dr Richard Beeching, the chairman of British Railways, issued a report (The Reshaping of British Railways) which led to the closure of thousands of miles of railway lines and stations across the country – about a third of the rail network.

28 Mar 1963 – 60 years ago
The première of Alfred Hitchcock’s horror-thriller film The Birds, in New York City, USA. (Released: 29th March. UK première: 10th September, released 12th September.)

29 Mar 1948 – 75 years ago
Death of Harry Price, British psychic investigator. Best known for his investigation of the supposedly haunted Borley Rectory in Essex.

30 Mar 1953 – 70 years ago
Albert Einstein’s equations for a revised Unified Field Theory were published. They represented the relationship between the forces of gravity and electromagnetism, and their relationship to space, time and physical forces.

31 Mar 1973 – 50 years ago
The racehorse Red Rum won Britain’s Grand National steeplechase for the first time. The tightly fought battle for the finish is considered one of the greatest sporting moments. It was also a record-breaking time.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2028 edition will be available from April 2023. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in March 2023 (U.S. edition)

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in March 2023 (so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features, biographies and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, and editors and producers love them. They’re easy to research too. And you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, TV/radio features, films, documentaries, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023, which features more than 3,000 anniversaries. . The 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

Mar 1, 1873 – 150 years ago
Remington began producing the first practical typewriter – the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, also known as the Remington No. 1. It went on sale on July 1, 1874.

Mar 2, 1933 – 90 years ago
The premiere of the movie King Kong, in New York City, USA. (Released April 7th.)

Mar 3, 1923 – 100 years ago
The first issue of Time magazine was published in the USA.

Mar 4, 1933 – 90 years ago
Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd President of the United States.

Mar 5, 1623 – 400 years ago
The first American temperance law came into effect in the Colony of Virginia in an effort to control the consumption of alcohol.

Mar 6, 1973 – 50 years ago
Death of Pearl S. Buck, American writer. The first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1938).

Mar 7, 1848 – 175 years ago
The Great Mahele, Hawaii. The land of Hawaii was divided to protect it from foreign ownership. 1/3 was given to the Crown, 1/3 to the chiefs and managers, and 1/3 to the common people. The law required people to claim their land within two years. Many did not make a claim and the land was sold.

Mar 8, 1723 – 300 years ago
Death of Sir Christopher Wren, English architect. Best known for designing St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Mar 9, 1993 – 30 years ago
Death of C. Northcote Parkinson, British historian and writer. Noted for his books on naval history and for formulating Parkinson’s Law (work expands to fill the time available for its completion).

Mar 10, 1933 – 90 years ago
The Long Beach earthquake, California, USA. 120 people were killed.

Mar 11, 1948 – 75 years ago
Reginald Weir became the first African American to play in an official United States Lawn Tennis Association event, after several years of lobbying to be accepted. His acceptance paved the way for Althea Gibson to take part the following year.

Mar 12, 1933 – 90 years ago
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first of his “fireside chats” – a radio address to the nation. His first chat was about the banking crisis.

Mar 13, 1933 – 90 years ago
Joseph Goebbels became the German Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

Mar 14, 1983 – 40 years ago
OPEC agreed to cut oil prices for first time since it was founded in 1961.

Mar 15, 1998 – 25 years ago
Death of Dr Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and writer. Known for his best-selling book Baby and Child Care.

Mar 16, 1898 – 125 years ago
Death of Aubrey Beardsley, British illustrator. His black ink drawings, influenced by Japanese woodcuts, contributed to the development of Art Nouveau.

Mar 17, 1973 – 50 years ago
The new London Bridge opened in the UK.

Mar 18, 1963 – 60 years ago
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Miranda decision: states must provide defendants in criminal cases with a lawyer if they are unable to afford their own. This led to the creation of the public defender system.

Mar 19, 1848 – 175 years ago
Birth of Wyatt Earp, legendary American lawman, gambler and gunfighter of the Old West. Noted for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881.

Mar 20, 1993 – 30 years ago
An IRA bomb exploded at a shopping mall in Warrington, England. Two children were killed and more than 50 people were injured.

Mar 21, 1963 – 60 years ago
The U.S. Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California, closed.

Mar 22, 1933 – 90 years ago
The first Nazi concentration camp opened in Dachau, Germany. The Nazis eventually established over 1,000 concentration camps throughout occupied Europe.

Mar 23, 1983 – 40 years ago
U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”) system, which would use satellites to detect and destroy enemy missiles.

Mar 24, 1953 – 70 years ago
Death of Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, (Mary of Teck), Queen Consort of King George V. Mother of King Edward VIII and King George VI. Grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Mar 25, 1948 – 75 years ago
The first official tornado forecast/warning. U.S. Air Force Captain Robert C. Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush predicted a high risk of a tornado strike at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Two large tornadoes struck the base that evening, damaging or destroying aircraft and buildings.

Mar 26, 1923 – 100 years ago
BBC radio began broadcasting a daily weather forecast.

Mar 27, 1963 – 60 years ago
Dr. Richard Beeching, the chairman of British Railways, issued a report (The Reshaping of British Railways) which led to the closure of thousands of miles of railroad lines and stations across the country – about a third of the railroad network.

Mar 28, 1963 – 60 years ago
The premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s horror-thriller movie The Birds, in New York City, USA. (Released: March 29th. UK premiere: September 10th, released September 12th.)

Mar 29, 1948 – 75 years ago
Death of Harry Price, British psychic investigator. Best known for his investigation of the supposedly haunted Borley Rectory in Essex.

Mar 30, 1953 – 70 years ago
Albert Einstein’s equations for a revised Unified Field Theory were published. They represented the relationship between the forces of gravity and electromagnetism, and their relationship to space, time and physical forces.

Mar 31, 1973 – 50 years ago
The racehorse Red Rum won Britain’s Grand National steeplechase for the first time. The tightly fought battle for the finish is considered one of the greatest sporting moments. It was also a record-breaking time.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 and 2027 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2028 edition will be available from April 2023. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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Historical Anniversaries in 2023 to 2027 – available now

Newsworthy, notable and fact-checked!

Great ideas for articles, TV, radio, films, documentaries, events, exhibitions, and more

Historical anniversaries in 2023 to 2027 - The Date-A-Base Book series from ideas4writers

Now available: all of these, including the brand new 2027 edition.

£12.95 / $15.99 each.
Available as e-books (PDF) or printed paperbacks in British and American editions.

Order yours at ideas4writers.com

These specially selected newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in 2023 to 2027 are the perfect ideas source for:

“On this day in history” articles
TV/radio features
films and documentaries
events and exhibitions
and more

The ideal reference book and ideas source for:

Writers and journalists
● TV/radio producers and broadcasters
Production companies
● Exhibition planners
Researchers
Bloggers, podcasters and more

Whether you’re a writer or journalist writing for the year ahead, a producer or director working on shows that will be broadcast in the next two or three years, or a production company working on productions four or five years ahead, we’ve got you covered.

Newsworthy, notable, relevant and accurate

We’ve selected only the relevant anniversaries for each year – for example those that are 25, 50, 75 and 100 years old* not those that are 22, 71 or 96 years old. We’ve also selected people and events that are newsworthy, notable and well worth writing about.

And of course every anniversary has been cross-checked with official sources for complete accuracy.

(*We cover a much wider range of dates that this, ranging from 10 years ago to more than 1,000 years ago.)

Find out more . . .

Find out more, see some sample pages, and download last year’s edition for free at ideas4writers.com

BONUS!

If you buy more than one edition of the ebook version at the same time, you’ll receive a discount!
(Example: add the 2023 edition to your shopping cart and you’ll be offered 20% off each of the later editions.)

(The discount does not apply to the printed version.)

29 newsworthy historical anniversaries in February 2023

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 29 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in February 2023 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2027 edition will be available from 8th August 2022 and the 2028 edition from April 2023.

1 Feb 1948 – 75 years ago
The Federation of Malaya was established.

2 Feb 1923 – 100 years ago
Ethyl gasoline (leaded petrol) was first sold, in Dayton, Ohio, USA.

3 Feb 1943 – 80 years ago
World War II – the Four Chaplains incident (also known as the Immortal Chaplains). The U.S. Army transport ship SS Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo in the North Atlantic and began to sink. There were not enough life jackets for all on board. Four U.S. Army chaplains removed theirs, handed them to soldiers, and went down with the ship.

4 Feb 1983 – 40 years ago
Death of Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters). (Anorexia, aged 32.)

5 Feb 1953 – 70 years ago
Walt Disney’s animated movie Peter Pan was released in the USA. (UK première: 17th April, released 27th July.)

6 Feb 1958 – 65 years ago
The Munich air disaster, Germany. A plane carrying the Manchester United football team (the ‘Busby Babes’), plus support staff and journalists, crashed while attempting to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich–Riem Airport. 23 people were killed, including 8 players.

7 Feb 1823 – 200 years ago
Death of Ann Radcliffe, British novelist. A pioneer of Gothic fiction. The most popular British writer of her era.

8 Feb 1983 – 40 years ago
The champion racehorse Shergar was kidnapped in Ireland and a £2 million ($2.75 million) ransom demanded. The horse’s fate remains unknown.

9 Feb 1773 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (for one month in 1841). He died 31 days into his term and remains the shortest-serving U.S. President. He was also the first U.S. President to die in office.

10 Feb 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist. Winner of the first Nobel Prize in Physics (1901) for discovering X-rays.

11 Feb 1963 – 60 years ago
Death of Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist and short story writer who wrote about alienation, death and self-destruction. Wife of the British poet Ted Hughes. (Suicide, aged 30.)

12 Feb 1993 – 30 years ago
Two 10-year-old boys abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Liverpool, UK. His mutilated body was found on a nearby railway line two days later. They were charged with his abduction and murder on 20th February.

13 Feb 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Chuck Yeager, U.S. Air Force test pilot. The first pilot to break the sound barrier. (Died 2020.)

14 Feb 1933 – 90 years ago
The world’s first automated telephone speaking clock service was launched in France.

15 Feb 1898 – 125 years ago
The U.S. battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba during a mission to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban War of Independence. 260 people were killed. Her sinking led to the Spanish–American War, which began on 21st April 1898. The cause of the explosion is unknown. Initially a mine was suspected, but some believe gases in the coal bunker may have spontaneously ignited.

16 Feb 1923 – 100 years ago
British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the sealed doorway to Tutankhamen’s tomb in Thebes, Egypt. The following day he entered the burial chamber and discovered a wealth of treasures.

17 Feb 2003 – 20 years ago
London’s Congestion Charge scheme began.

18 Feb 1848 – 175 years ago
Birth of Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist and designer.

19 Feb 1973 – 50 years ago
The pop song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando was released. It became a worldwide hit.

20 Feb 1898 – 125 years ago
Birth of Enzo Ferrari, Italian racing driver and businessman. Founder of Ferrari.

21 Feb 1948 – 75 years ago
NASCAR was founded at Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.

22 Feb 1848 to 2 Dec – 175 years ago
The French Revolution of 1848, Paris, France. King Louis-Philippe was overthrown and the monarchy was abolished. The French Second Republic was established, but it collapsed in 1851.

23 Feb 1998 – 25 years ago
Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa against all Jews and Crusaders.

24 Feb 2008 – 15 years ago
The President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, resigned. He had ruled Cuba as Prime Minister (1959–76) and President (1976–2008). He was succeeded by his brother Raúl.

25 Feb 1963 – 60 years ago
British rock group the Beatles released their first single in the USA: Please Please Me.

26 Feb 1943 – 80 years ago
Death of Theodor Eicke, German Nazi SS general. One of the key figures in the establishment of concentration camps in Germany.
(Plane shot down during the Third Battle of Kharkov in WWII.)

27 Feb 1933 – 90 years ago
The German Reichstag (parliament building) in Berlin was destroyed by fire. The Nazis blamed the communists and used the opportunity to suspend civil liberties and freedom of expression (under the Reichstag Fire Decree of 28th February 1933).
Marinus van der Lubbe, a young Dutch communist, claimed responsibility, but the fire was almost certainly started by the Nazis themselves.

28 Feb 1953 – 70 years ago
British scientists Francis Crick and James D. Watson announced that they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.
(The official announcement was published in Nature magazine on 25th April.)

29 Feb 2008 – 15 years ago
Prince Harry of the United Kingdom was immediately withdrawn from active service in Afghanistan after the media revealed he was secretly serving a tour of duty with British troops there.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2027 edition will be available from 8th August 2022. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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29 newsworthy historical anniversaries in February 2023 (U.S. edition)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 29 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in February 2023 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2027 edition will be available from August 8, 2022 and the 2028 edition from April 2023.

Feb 1, 1948 – 75 years ago
The Federation of Malaya was established.

Feb 2, 1923 – 100 years ago
Ethyl gasoline (leaded gasoline) was first sold, in Dayton, Ohio, USA.

Feb 3, 1943 – 80 years ago
World War II – the Four Chaplains incident (also known as the Immortal Chaplains). The U.S. Army transport ship SS Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo in the North Atlantic and began to sink. There were not enough life jackets for all on board. Four U.S. Army chaplains removed theirs, handed them to soldiers, and went down with the ship.

Feb 4, 1983 – 40 years ago
Death of Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters). (Anorexia, aged 32.)

Feb 5, 1953 – 70 years ago
Walt Disney’s animated movie Peter Pan was released.

Feb 6, 1958 – 65 years ago
The Munich air disaster, Germany. A plane carrying the Manchester United soccer team (the “Busby Babes”) from the UK, plus support staff and journalists, crashed while attempting to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich–Riem Airport. 23 people were killed, including eight players.

Feb 7, 1823 – 200 years ago
Death of Ann Radcliffe, British novelist. A pioneer of Gothic fiction. The most popular British writer of her era.

Feb 8, 1983 – 40 years ago
The champion racehorse Shergar was kidnapped in Ireland and a $2.75 million ransom demanded. The horse’s fate remains unknown.

Feb 9, 1773 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (for one month in 1841). He died 31 days into his term and remains the shortest-serving U.S. President. He was also the first U.S. President to die in office.

Feb 10, 1923 – 100 years ago
Death of Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist. Winner of the first Nobel Prize in Physics (1901) for discovering X-rays.

Feb 11, 1963 – 60 years ago
Death of Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist and short story writer who wrote about alienation, death and self-destruction. Wife of the British poet Ted Hughes. (Suicide, aged 30.)

Feb 12, 1993 – 30 years ago
Two ten-year-old boys abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping mall in Liverpool, UK. His mutilated body was found on a nearby railway line two days later. They were charged with his abduction and murder on February 20th.

Feb 13, 1923 – 100 years ago
Birth of Chuck Yeager, U.S. Air Force test pilot. The first pilot to break the sound barrier. (Died 2020.)

Feb 14, 1933 – 90 years ago
The world’s first automated telephone speaking clock service was launched in France.

Feb 15, 1898 – 125 years ago
The U.S. battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba during a mission to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban War of Independence. 260 people were killed. Her sinking led to the Spanish–American War, which began on April 21, 1898. The cause of the explosion is unknown. Initially a mine was suspected, but some believe gases in the coal bunker may have spontaneously ignited.

Feb 16, 1923 – 100 years ago
British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the sealed doorway to Tutankhamen’s tomb in Thebes, Egypt. The following day he entered the burial chamber and discovered a wealth of treasures.

Feb 17, 2003 – 20 years ago
London’s Congestion Charge scheme began in the UK.

Feb 18, 1848 – 175 years ago
Birth of Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist and designer.

Feb 19, 1973 – 50 years ago
The pop song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando was released. It became a worldwide hit.

Feb 20, 1898 – 125 years ago
Birth of Enzo Ferrari, Italian racing driver and businessman. Founder of Ferrari.

Feb 21, 1948 – 75 years ago
NASCAR was founded at Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.

Feb 22 to Dec 2, 1848 – 175 years ago
The French Revolution of 1848, Paris, France. King Louis-Philippe was overthrown and the monarchy was abolished. The French Second Republic was established, but it collapsed in 1851.

Feb 23, 1998 – 25 years ago
The terrorist Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa against all Jews and Crusaders.

Feb 24, 2008 – 15 years ago
The President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, resigned. He had ruled Cuba as Prime Minister (1959–76) and President (1976–2008). He was succeeded by his brother Raúl.

Feb 25, 1963 – 60 years ago
British rock group the Beatles released their first single in the USA: Please Please Me.

Feb 26, 1943 – 80 years ago
Death of Theodor Eicke, German Nazi SS general. One of the key figures in the establishment of concentration camps in Germany.
(Plane shot down during the Third Battle of Kharkov in WWII.)

Feb 27, 1933 – 90 years ago
The German Reichstag (parliament building) in Berlin was destroyed by fire. The Nazis blamed the communists and used the opportunity to suspend civil liberties and freedom of expression (under the Reichstag Fire Decree of February 28, 1933).
Marinus van der Lubbe, a young Dutch communist, claimed responsibility, but the fire was almost certainly started by the Nazis themselves.

Feb 28, 1953 – 70 years ago
British scientists Francis Crick and James D. Watson announced that they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.
(The official announcement was published in Nature magazine on April 25th.)

Feb 29, 2008 – 15 years ago
Prince Harry of the United Kingdom was immediately withdrawn from active service in Afghanistan after the media revealed he was secretly serving a tour of duty with British troops there.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead. The 2027 edition will be available from August 8, 2022. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in January 2023 (US Edition)

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in January 2023 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead.
The 2027 edition will be available from August 2022 and the 2028 edition from April 2023.

Jan 1, 1898 – 125 years ago
The modern City of New York was formed when Brooklyn, the County of New York, the County of Richmond, and the western portion of the County of Queens were consolidated. Staten Island was added on January 25th.

Jan 2, 1873 – 150 years ago
Birth of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, French Carmelite nun. Also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, The Little Flower of Jesus, or The Little Flower. One of the most popular saints in the history of the Catholic Church.

Jan 3, 1983 – 40 years ago
Time magazine put a personal computer on its front cover as ‘Machine of the Year’ instead of its usual ‘Man of the Year’.

Jan 4, 1923 – 100 years ago
The first radio network in the USA was created. The ‘WEAF chain’ was created when AT&T linked WEAF (now WFAN) in New York City with WNAC (now WRKO) in Boston, Massachusetts. Only one program was transmitted from New York to Boston during this trial. A longer three-month trial began on July 1st when WEAF provided programming for WMAF in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Other networks also began operating during that summer.

Jan 5, 1948 – 75 years ago
Warner Brothers–Pathé showed the first colour newsreel. It featured the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football game, both filmed in Pasadena, California, USA on January 1st.

Jan 6, 1958 – 65 years ago
The Gibson Guitar Company launched its iconic ‘Flying V’ electric guitar.

Jan 7, 1943 – 80 years ago
Death of Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American mechanical and electrical engineer and inventor. He made many important discoveries and developments in the field of electrical power.

Jan 8, 1823 – 200 years ago
Birth of Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist, biologist and explorer. He independently conceived the theory of evolution. His work led Charles Darwin to publish On the Origin of Species.

Jan 9, 1873 –150 years ago
Death of Napoleon III, first President of France (1848–52) and last Emperor of France (1852–70). Nephew of Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte).

Jan 10, 1923 – 100 years ago
U.S. President Warren G. Harding ended the U.S. occupation of Germany following the end of WWI, and ordered the final U.S. troops stationed there to return home.

Jan 11, 1963 – 60 years ago
The first discotheque in the USA opened: the Whisky-a-Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, California.

Jan 12, 1773 – 250 years ago
The Charleston Museum was founded in South Carolina. It is regarded as the first museum in America. It opened to the public in 1824.

Jan 13, 1898 – 125 years ago
Dreyfus affair: French writer Émile Zola’s letter J’accuse…! was published in the newspaper L’Aurore. It was addressed to the President of France and accused the government of anti-Semitism and the unlawful imprisonment of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French Jew who had been falsely convicted of treason. (Zola was later convicted of libel and fled to the UK to avoid imprisonment.)

Jan 14, 1963 – 60 years ago
George C. Wallace was sworn in as the Governor of Alabama, USA. During his inauguration speech he declared: “segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!”

Jan 15, 1943 – 80 years ago
The Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia, USA was dedicated. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, and was the largest office building in the world at that time.

Jan 16, 1963 – 60 years ago
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev claimed that the USSR had a 100-megaton nuclear bomb.

Jan 17, 1953 – 70 years ago
Chevrolet displayed the first Corvette sports car at the General Motors Motorama show in New York City, USA. It was only a concept car at this stage, but proved so popular that it was put into production in June.

Jan 18, 1948 – 75 years ago
The first episode of the talent show The Original Amateur Hour was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network in the USA. It ran for 22 years.

Jan 19, 1943 – 80 years ago
Birth of Janis Joplin, American blues/rock singer. (Died 1970.)

Jan 20, 1953 – 70 years ago
Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th President of the United States. It was the first inauguration to be televised live coast to coast.

Jan 21, 1948 – 75 years ago
Quebec, Canada officially adopted its flag. The day is now celebrated annually as Quebec Flag Day.

Jan 22, 1973 – 50 years ago
Abortion was legalized in the USA. (Supreme Court ruling: Roe v. Wade.)

Jan 23, 1983 – 40 years ago
The first episode of the action-adventure television series The A-Team was broadcast on NBC TV in the USA. It ran for five seasons and became a cultural icon.

Jan 24, 1848 – 175 years ago
California Gold Rush: the first gold was discovered by construction worker James W. Marshall. He found flakes of gold in the South Fork American River while constructing Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento.

Jan 5, 1933 – 90 years ago
The University of Iowa launched the first educational television service in the USA. W9XK was a low-definition station based on a mechanical (spinning disc) TV system.

Jan 26, 1823 – 200 years ago
Death of Edward Jenner, British physician and immunologist who created the first vaccine (for smallpox).

Jan 27, 1948 – 75 years ago
IBM dedicated the Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator (SSEC) at its world headquarters in New York City, USA. It was the last large electro-mechanical computer to be built. It operated until 1952. One of its tasks was to calculate tables of Moon positions, which were later used by NASA during its Apollo missions.

Jan 28, 1953 – 70 years ago
Death of Derek Bentley, British teenager hanged for murdering a police officer after a controversial trial. (Conviction quashed in 1998.) His case was a key part of the campaign to abolish capital punishment in the UK.

Jan 29, 1963 – 60 years ago
Britain was refused entry into the European Economic Community (EEC). Its application was vetoed by French President Charles de Gaulle. (Britain eventually joined the EEC on January 1, 1973. The EEC became the European Union (EU), which Britain left in 2020.)

Jan 30, 1873 – 150 years ago
Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days was first published in its entirety. (It was serialized between October and December 1872.)

Jan 31, 1958 (Feb 1 UTC) – 65 years ago
The USA’s first satellite, Explorer I, was launched. It detected the Van Allen radiation belt. It remained in operation until May 23rd when its batteries were depleted, and it burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere in 1970.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead, and the 2027 edition will be available from August 2022.
Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in January 2023

Historical anniversaries are great for “On This Day in History” features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in January 2023 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2023. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead.
The 2027 edition will be available from August 2022 and the 2028 edition from April 2023.

1 Jan 1898 – 125 years ago
The modern City of New York was formed when Brooklyn, the County of New York, the County of Richmond, and the western portion of the County of Queens were consolidated. Staten Island was added on 25th January.

2 Jan 1873 – 150 years ago
Birth of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, French Carmelite nun. Also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, The Little Flower of Jesus, or The Little Flower. One of the most popular saints in the history of the Catholic Church.

3 Jan 1983 – 40 years ago
Time magazine put a personal computer on its front cover as ‘Machine of the Year’ instead of its usual ‘Man of the Year’.

4 Jan 1923 – 100 years ago
The first radio network in the USA was created. The ‘WEAF chain’ was created when AT&T linked WEAF (now WFAN) in New York City with WNAC (now WRKO) in Boston, Massachusetts. Only one programme was transmitted from New York to Boston during this trial. A longer three-month trial began on 1st July when WEAF provided programming for WMAF in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Other networks also began operating during that summer.

5 Jan 1948 – 75 years ago
Warner Brothers–Pathé showed the first colour newsreel. It featured the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football game, both filmed in Pasadena, California, USA on 1st January.

6 Jan 1958 – 65 years ago
The Gibson Guitar Company launched its iconic ‘Flying V’ electric guitar.

7 Jan 1943 – 80 years ago
Death of Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American mechanical and electrical engineer and inventor. He made many important discoveries and developments in the field of electrical power.

8 Jan 1823 – 200 years ago
Birth of Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist, biologist and explorer. He independently conceived the theory of evolution. His work led Charles Darwin to publish On the Origin of Species.

9 Jan 1873 –150 years ago
Death of Napoleon III, first President of France (1848–52) and last Emperor of France (1852–70). Nephew of Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte).

10 Jan 1923 – 100 years ago
U.S. President Warren G. Harding ended the U.S. occupation of Germany following the end of WWI, and ordered the final U.S. troops stationed there to return home.

11 Jan 1963 – 60 years ago
The first discotheque in the USA opened: the Whisky-a-Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, California.

12 Jan 1773 – 250 years ago
The Charleston Museum was founded in South Carolina. It is regarded as the first museum in America. It opened to the public in 1824.

13 Jan 1898 – 125 years ago
Dreyfus affair: French writer Émile Zola’s letter J’accuse…! was published in the newspaper L’Aurore. It was addressed to the President of France and accused the government of anti-Semitism and the unlawful imprisonment of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French Jew who had been falsely convicted of treason. (Zola was later convicted of libel and fled to the UK to avoid imprisonment.)

14 Jan 1963 – 60 years ago
George C. Wallace was sworn in as the Governor of Alabama, USA. During his inauguration speech he declared: ‘segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!’

15 Jan 1943 – 80 years ago
The Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia, USA was dedicated. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, and was the largest office building in the world at that time.

16 Jan 1963 – 60 years ago
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev claimed that the USSR had a 100-megaton nuclear bomb.

17 Jan 1953 – 70 years ago
Chevrolet displayed the first Corvette sports car at the General Motors Motorama show in New York City, USA. It was only a concept car at this stage, but proved so popular that it was put into production in June.

18 Jan 1948 – 75 years ago
The first episode of the talent show The Original Amateur Hour was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network in the USA. It ran for 22 years.

19 Jan 1943 – 80 years ago
Birth of Janis Joplin, American blues/rock singer. (Died 1970.)

20 Jan 1953 – 70 years ago
Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th President of the United States. It was the first inauguration to be televised live coast to coast.

21 Jan 1948 – 75 years ago
Quebec, Canada officially adopted its flag. The day is now celebrated annually as Quebec Flag Day.

22 Jan 1973 – 50 years ago
Abortion was legalised in the USA. (Supreme Court ruling: Roe v. Wade.)

23 Jan 1983 – 40 years ago
The first episode of the action-adventure television series The A-Team was broadcast on NBC TV in the USA. It ran for five seasons and became a cultural icon.

24 Jan 1848 – 175 years ago
California Gold Rush: the first gold was discovered by construction worker James W. Marshall. He found flakes of gold in the South Fork American River while constructing Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento.

25 Jan 1933 – 90 years ago
The University of Iowa launched the first educational television service in the USA. W9XK was a low-definition station based on a mechanical (spinning disc) TV system.

26 Jan 1823 – 200 years ago
Death of Edward Jenner, British physician and immunologist who created the first vaccine (for smallpox).

27 Jan 1948 – 75 years ago
IBM dedicated the Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator (SSEC) at its world headquarters in New York City, USA. It was the last large electro-mechanical computer to be built. It operated until 1952. One of its tasks was to calculate tables of Moon positions, which were later used by NASA during its Apollo missions.

28 Jan 1953 – 70 years ago
Death of Derek Bentley, British teenager hanged for murdering a police officer after a controversial trial. (Conviction quashed in 1998.) His case was a key part of the campaign to abolish capital punishment in the UK.

29 Jan 1963 – 60 years ago
Britain was refused entry into the European Economic Community (EEC). Its application was vetoed by French President Charles de Gaulle. (Britain eventually joined the EEC on 1st January 1973. The EEC became the European Union (EU), which Britain left in 2020.)

30 Jan 1873 – 150 years ago
Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days was first published in its entirety. (It was serialised between October and December 1872.)

31 Jan 1958 (1st Feb UTC) – 65 years ago
The USA’s first satellite, Explorer I, was launched. It detected the Van Allen radiation belt. It remained in operation until 23rd May when its batteries were depleted, and it burnt up in the Earth’s atmosphere in 1970.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions are also available if you work further ahead, and the 2027 edition will be available from August 2022.
Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this: