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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