1924 First Winter Olympics

Originally called "Winter Sports Week," the first Winter Olympics games were held in Chamonix, France.  The games opened on Jan. 25, 1924, and closed on Feb. 5, 1924.  The participating countries were France, Belgium, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Canada and the United States.

Canada dominated in ice hockey, scoring 85 unanswered goals and winning the gold medal (this medal was, however, the only one won by Canada at the 1924 games).  Other sports events at the first Winter Olympics were biathlon, bobsleigh, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating.

1961 First Televised Presidential Press Conference

President John F. Kennedy held the first live broadcast of a presidential news conference from the State Department.  In the news conference, JFK talked about the release of an Air Force crew held by the Soviet Union, famine in the Congo, U2 spy plane policy, and a delay of the Geneva negotiations.

1972 Shirley Chisholm's Presidential Bid

The first African American congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, announced her candidacy for president.  Chisholm was the first woman to run for the Democratic nomination for president, but she lost the bid to George McGovern.

1998 Pope John Paul II Visits Cuba

The pope visited Cuba to promote religious freedom and to challenge Castro to change.  Fidel Castro, along with quarter of a million people, attended the pope's mass in Revolution Square.

Famous Birthdays

1882 Virginia Woolf

1938 Etta James

1943 Tobe Hooper

1957 Jenifer Lewis

1970 Stephen Chbosky

1971 Ana Ortiz

1975 Mia Kirshner

1979 Christine Lakin

1981 Alicia Keys

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