Jan. 31: Moscow's First McDonald's 1990
1990 Soviet Union's First McDonald's
In 1990, the American fast food icon opened its first restaurant in the Soviet Union. Thirty thousand people visited Moscow's first McDonald's on opening day.
2000 Alaska Airlines Plane Crash
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was bound from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Seattle - making a stop in San Francisco. The pilots radioed in a mechanical problem en route to San Francisco and planned to divert to Los Angeles. The plane went down in the Pacific ocean off California's coast. There were no survivors.
2001 Lockerbie Verdict
Libyan Al-Megrahi was found guilty 12 years after the Pan Am 103 bombing. Al-Megrahi was a Libyan intelligence agent.
2005 Michael Jackson Trial Begins
On Jan. 31, 2005, jury selection began in the trial of pop star Michael Jackson. Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old at his Neverland Ranch. In June 2005, Michael Jackson was found not guilty on all charges.
Famous Birthdays
1937 Philip Glass
1941 Richard A. Gephardt
1941 Jessica Walter
1947 Nolan Ryan
1970 Minnie Driver
1973 Portia de Rossi
1975 Preity Zinta
1977 Kerry Washington
1981 Justin Timberlake
1996 Joel Courtney
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