Replies

During one Four Horseman performance, Chaney, who normally flew in the number three position but was taking the lead that day, lost an outboard engine. He and his crew went through the engine shutdown procedure without losing their place in formation, then simply went on with the show (let's see the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels try that one!).

The most difficult position to fly in the formation was number three, because the aircraft commander was on the opposite side of the airplane from the rest of the formation and had to constantly be turning his head to the right. As the chief of the Horsemen, Chaney usually occupied that spot, while Moore usually flew the lead. The co-pilot in the right seat helped his boss maintain the tight formation that had become the team's trademark. All the pilots were highly qualified veterans, with an average of 4,000 hours of total flying time and 1,500 hours in C-130s by late 1959, when the Aviation Week journalist rode with them. Co-pilots were drawn from the ranks of aircraft commanders in the squadron, and quite often those men were instructor pilots as well.

When the 774th was deployed, the Four Horsemen went right along with their squadron mates, airlifting men and equipment to Lebanon in one instance and to Formosa in another. They practiced their Horsemen routine whenever they could, but that was often less than 10 hours a month. The pilots maintained their proficiency the same way other troop carrier pilots did--flying training missions that included close formation flying, though not as close as the Horsemen generally flew in a performance. The men themselves wore no distinctive uniforms other than a small patch on their flight suits with a horse's head and a Roman numeral IV. They also wore scarves to dress up a bit for the shows.

The C-130 ordinarily called for a five-man crew, but the Horsemen flew with only four--two pilots, a flight engineer and a scanner. The navigator's seat sat empty during the shows. The crews came from within the squadron, and the Horsemen pilots tried to fly with the same flight mechanics when possible. There was great esprit de corps among the flight mechanics, who debated which pilot was best, which position was most difficult to fly and so on. In the air, the mechanics soon learned the torque settings needed at a particular point in a maneuver and the proper time for call-outs of instrument readings. The scanners came from maintenance and were just as proud to be part of the Four Horsemen as the pilots and flight mechanics. Hatfield remembered that the scanners ordinarily did not fly during performances, but were there to help get the airplanes off the ground.

The four veteran aircraft commanders of the Horsemen team had been with the C-130 since it was first assigned to the 463rd at Ardmore in December 1956. Chaney, along with Captain Richard "Stumpy" Coleman, had picked up the first airplane to be delivered at the factory in Marietta, Ga., and flown it to Ardmore. A year after the first Hercules arrived at Ardmore, the 463rd left Oklahoma when the base closed, moving to Tennessee to join the 314th. The Horsemen continued to stage their performances from their new base.

By early 1960 the C-130 had been in service with the Air Force for more than two years. Lockheed had developed a new model of the Hercules, the C-130B, and the 463rd and 314th began converting to the new version as the older A-models transferred to overseas squadrons. As the oldest C-130 pilots in the Air Force (in terms of time in the airplane), the Four Horsemen were ripe for deployment overseas. In a recent interview Hatfield speculated that they could probably have remained at Sewart and continued the team if someone had pushed for it, but it didn't happen that way. Three of the four received overseas orders, while the fourth, Moore, left the service and returned to Texas. Chaney got orders to Wiesbaden, West Germany. Aiken went to Tachikawa, Japan, and Hatfield ended up a few miles away, in Yokota. Except for Moore, they would all remain in close contact with one another over the years. Chaney and Moore died several years ago. Hatfield and Aiken still remain in touch today.

Although the career of the Four Horsemen came to an end in the spring of 1960, they left behind a remarkable legacy. In honor of the team, the official patch of the 774th Troop Carrier Squadron was modified to include a red lightning bolt, reminiscent of the team's effect on the squadron.

During the remainder of their careers, the four pilots remained associated with the C-130, as did many others who had flown with the team as backup aircraft commanders and co-pilots. Hatfield went on to pilot the reconnaissance version of the C-130B, with the super-secret 6091st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota, then returned to the United States to join the Lockheed C-141 program at Charleston Air Force Base, in South Carolina. He subsequently was placed in command of a rescue squadron equipped with HC-130Hs in California. Chaney returned to the 463rd after the wing moved from Langley Air Force Base, in Virginia (where it had gone from Sewart in 1963), to Clark Field in the Philippines.

Billie Mills, a veteran 774th pilot who often flew with the Four Horsemen, also served with the 463rd at Clark. On May 12, 1968, Mills was one of a handful of C-130 pilots who braved devastating enemy fire to rescue allied troops surrounded by a larger enemy force at a Special Forces camp at Kham Duc, South Vietnam.

Today the memory of the Four Horsemen lives on in the 16mm film Lockheed produced. To make that 15-minute movie, a motion picture company hired by Lockheed shot thousands of feet of film of the quartet in action. The Horsemen themselves were not especially happy with the finished product once it was edited down. The voices of actors were dubbed into the film, including one with a nasal northern voice who claimed to be the "chief" of the Horsemen. In reality, all the Horsemen were Southerners--Chaney and Moore from Texas, Aiken from Tennessee and Hatfield from Mississippi.

With the advent of the VCR, The Four Horsemen Story has been circulated through the C-130 community, though the VHS version leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to the film that inspired me back in early 1964. Airlift tactics have changed considerably since 1960, as the Tactical Air Command troop carrier squadrons became tactical airlift, then were transferred out of TAC to the Military Airlift Command after the end of the Vietnam War. By that time, close formation flying by troop carrier aircraft had already ceased, with TAC adopting the "in-trail" formation as the standard for C-130s.

The Four Horsemen have been out of business for more than 40 years now. But the men who came up with a way to showcase the Hercules' excellent performance and their remarkable aerial demonstrations are not forgotten, thanks largely to one short film and the lasting memories they gave everyone who witnessed firsthand their precision maneuvers in transport aircraft.

One of the most interesting stories in C-130 lore is that of The Four Horsemen, a Tactical Air Command aerial demonstration team that came into being during the first years of C-130 operations. The team performed public demonstrations at military air bases throughout the world in the 1950s, demonstrating the tremendous manueverability of the new tactical transport they flew. Their performances were so impressive that they often stole the show from other teams, particularly the Air Force's own Thunderbirds.

Prior to the advent of the C-130, military transports had a reputation for being slow and sluggish. The reciprocating engine powered airplanes from which the first C-130 crews came were just that, and the transistion into the Jet Age brought the crews into a new realm where they not only had a powerful airplane capable of speeds in the fighter range, its hydraulically boosted flight controls allowed manuevers that were previously thought impossible in a transport. The crews of the 463rd Troop Carrier Wing at Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma talked among themselves about how manueverable the airplane was, and what possibilities it afforded. At the time, TAC C-130s were a common sight at Campbell Army Air Field, where the 101st Airborne Division was stationed. One day the scheduled airdrops were cancelled because of high winds on the drop zone, but four crews from the 774th Troop Carrier Squadron decided to use their training time for some intricate formation flying.

Close formation flying was the order of the day in troop carrier squadrons from World War II into the early 1960s, when the in-trail formation was adopted. The four 774th pilots, Captains Gene Chaney, Jim Akin, David Moore and William Hatfield, were all veteran transport pilots, and very proficient in close formation work. They decided to do some experimenting - they took off at 5-second intervals then joined up for several low-altitude passes down the Fort Campbell runway. Those who witnessed the manuevers from the ground were very impressed. Another stand-down a few days later allowed them another opportunity to practice.

The 774th's experiments were just before the 314th Troop CarrierWing at Sewart AFB, Tennessee was scheduled to begin replacing its C-119s and C-123s with the new Hercules. Word of the intricate formation flying had reached Tactical Air Command Headquarters, so the four crews - who were now calling themselves "The Four Horsemen" - were sent to Sewart to put on a demonstration of the new airplane to the crews who would soon be flying the airplane. It was an impressive performance. As a result of the Sewart demonstration, the Horsemen were sent to other USAF bases throughout the United States, as well as Europe and the Far East, to demonstrate the capabilities of the new C-130 that was beginning to make its appearance throughout the world. Their routine consisted of a formation take-off in a diamond formation, followed by a steep climb that would put them at 1,500 feet at the end of a 10,000-foot runway. In the diamond, the two wingmen maintained a close formation with their noses slightly above and even with a row of rivets on the lead airplane's wings. Slot-man Bill Hatfield kept the upper third of the lead airplane's tail fin in his windshield, thus putting him above and out of the propwash. From the diamond, the team would go into the "arrow," the in-trail formation seen above. From the arrow they would go into "arrowhead" as the trailing airplanes came up alongside each other to make the "feathers" at the end of the leading airplanes' shaft. The 20-minute show ended witht the diamond coming over the airport and executing a bomb burst (below) followed by a reforming of the diamond for a pass down the runway. They would turn into the traffic pattern and move into echelon, with each airplane landing right behind the other - the lead airplane would still be on the runway when the slot man touched down.

While the team's manuevers were impressive, they were not "aerobatics" in the technical sense, but were rather examples of tight formation flying and changes of position, all done at low altitudes. This is not to say that the Hercules has never been flown through aerobatic manuevers; it most certainly has. The Horsemen refrained from true aerobatics in their demonstrations because the propellers tended to react when the airplane was coming down the backside of a loop or during recovery from a roll. So, they concentrated on flying various tight formations, sometimes at wing-tip to wing-tip. The team applied for official designation as a USAF aerial demonstration team, but the application was denied because of mission requirements. Unlike fighter squadrons, whose peacetime mission is confined to training, troop carrier squadrons in the 1950s and 1960s were quite often used on operational missions and there just were not enough airplanes to spare.

The era of the Horsemen was in the late 1950s, and the pilots were then men in their thirties. Of the four aircraft commanders, Gene Chaney and David Moore have passed away. Jim Akin and Bill Hatfield are still around. All four men went on in their Air Force careers and became field grade officers before retirement. Gene Chaney was still flying C-130Bs in the Philippines with the 463rd when I knew him in 1969-70. Bill Hatfield left C-130s and went to Charleston to become a MATS weanie as a squadron commander of one of the first squadrons to fly C-141s. (He could no longer sing his favorite song "I'd Rather Have a Sister in a Whorehouse, Then to Have a Brother in MATS"!) He commanded an Air Rescue HC-130 squadron in Vietnam and in the US. Many of the other crewmembers also remained in the Air Force. Billie Mills, who was a copilot on a Horsemen crew, was a major in the 463rd Stan/Eval at Clark in 1968. He was one of the AC's who put the capabilities of the C-130 to the test when he landed his B-model at Kham Duc and brought out a load of refugees on what was one of the most dramatic days in airlift history.

Kham Duc under attack

The legacy of the Horsemen was memoralized in the squadron patch for the 774th TCS. In addition to the squadron's original green weasel (which led to the Horsemen calling themselves the "Thunderweasels," a red lightning bolt was added to signify the Horsemen's legacy with the squadron. A film about the Horsemen was made during the 1950s; copies are still around in the hands of people who love the Herk.

Additional Sources:

www.wpafb.af.mil
members.aol.com/samc130
www.spectrumwd.com
www.stinsonflyer.com
www.sgtmacsbar.com
www.homeofheroes.com

Text of letter written by Bob Means, an enlisted man who made flights into Kham Duc that day in 1968:

Entering Kham Duc airspace in a flight of 4 Boxcars I heard from someone over the radio "Boxcars, this is a no sweat operation". I took this to be a command officer with a lot of altitude, in a huey, looking down at the airstrip. I want to emphasis I remember to this day-very clearly, though not the entire conversation, that officer's words "no sweat operation".

In we go to make this extraction. Very heavy fire being taken. I see our lead ship hit, smoking and going into the runway hard. #2 ship follows in with #3, #4 breaking off. Last I see is two "Hooks" down, one I know is disabled, #2 I figure is the same.

We return to Chu Lai knowing were going back (hopefully to get our guys) I'm looking for more firepower. Well Dick, you were idle that day (due to maintenance or ??) and without hesitation you signed on as ramp gunner. I also remember grabbing a "shit load" of extra 7.62 boxes for the M-60's.

As you know, we headed back out to Kham Duc to save all those poor guys who were stuck. We knew they were catching hell from the NVA who had all the high ground. I also wanted to find our 178th guys safe and bring them out as I'm sure so did all others.

I recall being cold due to the unusually high altitude we were flying to avoid enemy fire. I recall watching rotary wing gunships, A-1E's, and A-4's strafing and bombing - more intense and concentrated than anything - I had seen prior. I watched a C-130 take off, bank left, never recover and fly directly into the mountain. Knowing it was loaded w/personnel, I remember feeling especially bad realizing the loss of life. Over the years I have questioned myself as to seeing an A-1E shot down. Recently I've seen stats showing - one was in fact lost that day, so I know I saw it!

It seems we were in a holding pattern for a long time prior to going in and become all too aware getting in and out safely was going to be a real luck situation. Of course during this time, amidst witnessing all this mayhem, I was continually looking at two of our ships already shot down and abandoned on the ground!

Well its time and in we go. We make it thru to this strip, set down, taxi a bit and wait. I asked our A/C "sir, where are they?" (our G.I. evacuees). Next, to our r/side, I see helmets pop from a ditch, standing outside with the ramp down, as the guys run toward us the mortar rounds start walking toward our ship. Do you remember me saying "help em on Dick"? The mortar rounds had us dead center as they closed and I just sort of accepted the fact we were going to be done.

Next thing I know, the mortar rounds stop (later I figured charlie must have run out and had to break out more rounds from ???) And all our pax are on board. Trying to sound calm I said "Ramps up, ready to go whenever you are sir". During our stay on the ground our pilots had some verbal discussion - seems one wanted to go and one wanted to stay. Wanted to stay had the strongest arm - wanted to go couldn't pull pitch!!

460 on the go with guns firing. I'm shooting a grenade launcher fast as I can out the r/ramp porthole. We gain altitude and were out of the hot zone as I look aft with a smile of relief I see Dick Janousek trying to pull himself up the ramp I never raised completely. Dick, without the "monkey strap" you were wearing I fear we might have lost you. Don't know if I ever apologized properly to you!

So we land at some base camp and are all happy we saved some grunts and ourselves. I bump into my friends Baker and Schwiezer (F/E & crew ch) who had gone down on #469. Baker had been crew ch. on my ship(s) prior and I was happier than shit he and Sam (Schwiezer) weren't dead. Baker said he had shot a "gook" coming at him as he got off his ship. We both agreed that was the right thing to do!

So much for reunions - our crew is ordered back to Kham Duc to pick up the last of the G.I.'s. I'll never forget how hopeless I felt our situation had become. Knowing the intensity of enemy fire I was sure our chances of making it in and/or out twice in one day were about zero. During my 21 years as a fireman I often reflect on this particular event and say to myself "sometimes you gotta do shit you don't want to do". It's a good way to find out what you're really made of. Well, prior to our arrival at Kham Duc, another aircraft got our guys out - we were returned to somewhere safe - I know I breathed easier. Guess that was a real emotional roller coaster for most of us.

Anyway I know the 178th preformed well and I'm sure we all matured a bit. We lost 2 aircraft but brought all our guys and a bunch of others home.

Whenever I recall Kham Duc I can still feel the emotion, excitement and controlled fear of 25 years ago. Few people ever get to experience this kind of stuff. I know that I did. I know what we did. I've always been proud of that day.

On this Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on January 31:
1601 Pieter de Bloot Dutch landscape painter
1623 François-Xavier de Laval Montmorency, consecrated the first bishop of Québec Canada in 1674
1734 Robert Morris merchant (signed Declaration of Independence)
1797 Franz Peter Schubert Lichtenthal Austria, composer (Unfinished Symphony)
1810 Daniel Ruggles Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1897
1812 John Randolph Tucker Capt (Confederate Navy), died in 1883
1817 Antony Winkler Prins Dutch writer (Groiler Encyclopaedia)
1818 William Raine Peck Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1871
1868 Theodore William Richards chemist (atomic weights, Nobel-1914)
1872 Zane Grey American West novelist (Riders of the Purple Sage, Spirit of the Border)
1881 Irving Langmuir physical chemist/colloid researcher/inventor (tungsten filament lamp/Nobel 1932)
1886 Alfonso Lopez Colombia, statesman (President UN security council-1948)
1892 Eddie Cantor New York City NY, comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater)
1903 Gardner Cowles Iowa, publisher/founder (Look Magazine)
1903 Tallulah Bankhead Huntsville AL, actress (Lifeboat, Die Die Darling)
1905 John Henry O'Hara Pottsville PA, novelist (Butterfield 8, Pal Joey, Appointment at Samarra)
1914 "Jersey" Joe Walcott heavyweight boxing champ (1951-52)
1915 Thomas Merton France, Trappist monk/poet/essayist (7 Storey Mt)
1915 Garry Moore [Thomas Garrison Morfit], Baltimore MD, TV host (Garry Moore Show, I've Got a Secret)
1919 Jackie Robinson Georgia, 1st black major league baseball player (Dodgers)
1920 Stewart L Udall St Johns AZ, US Secretary of Interior (1961-69)
1921 Carol Channing Seattle WA, actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Hello Dolly)
1921 John Agar Chicago IL, actor (Fort Apache, Sands of Iwo Jima)
1921 Mario Lanza Philadelphia PA, actor/singer (Great Caruso, Toast of New Orleans)
1923 Norman Mailer New Jersey, New York City NY mayoral candidate/novelist (Naked & the Dead)
1925 Benjamin Hooks civil rights leader
1931 Ernie "Mr Cubs" Banks Chicago Cubs, Hall-of-Famer (1st baseman)
1937 Philip Glass Baltimore MD, composer (Einstein on the Beach)
1937 Steve Karmen Bronx NY, jingle writer (I Love NY, This Bud's for You)
1937 Suzanne Pleshette New York City NY, actress (The Birds, Emily-Bob Newhart Show)
1938 Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard queen of Netherlands (1980- )
1938 James G Watt Colorado, US Secretary of Interior (1981-83)
1940 Stuart Margolin Davenport IA, actor (Pockford Files, Love American Style)
1941 Richard A Gephardt (Representative-D-MO, 1977- )
1944 Charley Musselwhite blues musician (Stand Back, Louisiana Fog)
1947 Nolan Ryan pitcher (Mets, Angels, Astros) (7 no-hitters, 5,714 Ks)
1951 Phil Manzanera rock guitarist (The Doors)
1956 Johnny Rotten [John Lydon], rocker (Sex Pistols-God Save the Queen)
1971 Brandi Sherwood Miss Idaho-USA (1997, 2nd, succeeded Brook Lee)

Deaths which occurred on January 31:
1606 Guy Fawkes convicted in the "Gunpowder Plot", executed at 35
1788 [Bonnie Prince] Charles E Stuart English pretender, dies at 67
1864 Hamilton Rowan Gamble US judge/Governor of Missouri (1861-64), dies
1891 Ernest Meissonier French painter/etcher/sculptor, dies at 75
1900 Sir John Sholto Douglas (56), 8th Marquis of Queensberry, died. He supervised the formulation by John Graham chambers of the rules of boxing, which became known as the Queensberry Rules
1945 Eddie Slovik 1st US soldier executed for desertion since Civil War at 25
1954 Edwin H Armstrong US radio inventor (FM), commits suicide at 63
1955 John R Mott US theologist/founder (YMCA, Nobel 1946), dies at 89
1967 Chief Thundercloud actor (Ambush, Colt 45, Typhoon), dies at 100
1972 Bir Bikram Shah Deva Mahendra king of Nepal (1955-72), dies at 51
1974 Samuel Goldwyn Polish/English/US film magnate (MGM), dies at 91
1989 Jack Douglas humorist (My Brother Was an Only Child), dies at 80
1995 George Abbott playwright/actor/producer (Damn Yankees), dies at 105

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 HAMILTON EUGENE DAVID---PEPPERALL AL.
1967 BARDEN HOWARD L.---CAYAHOGA FALLS OH.
[CRASH SURVIV POSS BUT NO SIGN]
1967 BULLOCK LARRY A.---SOMERSET KY.
1967 KUBLEY ROY R.---GLIDDEN WI
[CRASH SURVIV POSS BUT NO SIGN]
1967 MIYAZAKI RONALD K.---WAIALUA HI.
[CRASH SURVIV POSS BUT NO SIGN]
1967 MULHAUSER HARVEY---CHARLOTTESVILLE VA
[CRASH SURVIV POSS BUT NO SIGN]
1967 WALKER LLOYD F.---MT ANGEL OR.
[CRASH SURVIV POSS BUT NO SIGN]
1968 BADUA CANDIDO C.---PHILIPPINES
[RELEASED MARCH 1973 NOT ON DIA LIST]
1968 COCHEO RICHARD N.
1968 KJOME MICHAEL
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG INJURED, 1986 DECEASED]
1968 LACEY RICHARD J.---PITTSBURGH PA.
1968 YOUNG JOHN A.---CHICAGO IL.
03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG]
1971 CARTWRIGHT PATRICK G.---RENO NV.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0314 St Silvester I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1504 By treaty of Lyons, French cede Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon
1578 Battle of Gembloers
1620 Virginia colony leaders wrote to the Virginia Company in England, asking for more orphaned apprentices for employment
1627 Spanish government goes bankrupt
1675 Cornelia/Dina Olfaarts found not guilty of witchcraft
1696 Revolt of undertakers after funeral reforms (Amsterdam)
1779 Charles Messier adds M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra) to his catalog
1842 John Tyler's daughter Elizabeth marries in the White House
1849 Corn Laws abolished in Britain
1851 San Francisco Orphan's Asylum, 1st in California founded
1851 Gail Borden announces invention of evaporated milk
1861 State of Louisiana takes over US Mint at New Orleans
1862 Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius
1863 1st black Civil War regiment, SC Volunteers, mustered into US army

1865 Congress passes 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in America (121-24)

1871 Millions of birds fly over western San Francisco, darken the sky
1874 Jesse James gang robs train at Gads Hill MO
1895 José Martí & others leave New York City NY for invasion of Spanish Cuba
1901 Boer General John Smuts & De la Rey conqueror Mud river Transvaal

1902 Tax freedom day, the day by which citizens met their financial obligations to the government.

1905 1st auto to exceed 100 mph (161 kph), A G MacDonald, Daytona Beach
1906 Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter
1915 1st (German) poison gas attack, against Russians
1917 Germany notifies US that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship
1925 Premier Ahmed Zogu (Zogu I) becomes President of Albania
1927 International allies military command in Germany disbands
1927 National League President John Heydler rules Roger Hornsby can't hold stock in the Cardinals & play for the Giants
1928 Scotch tape 1st marketed by 3-M Company
1929 Leon Trotsky expelled from Russia to Turkey
1932 US railway unions accept 10% wage reduction
1933 French government of Daladier takes power
1933 Hitler promises parliamentary democracy
1934 FDR devalues the dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce
1936 "Green Hornet" radio show is 1st heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit
1941 Anti-German demonstration in Haarlem Netherlands
1941 Joe Louis KOs Red Burman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title
1943 General Friedrich von Paul surrenders to Russian troops at Stalingrad
1944 Operation-Overlord (D-Day) postponed until June
1944 U-592 sunk off Ireland
1944 US forces invade Kwajalein Atoll
1945 Eddie Slovik, 1st American executed for desertion since Civil War
1946 Yugoslavia adopts new constitution, becomes a federal republic
1948 Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
1949 1st daytime soap on TV "These Are My Children" (NBC in Chicago)
1950 President Truman reveals that he ordered the Atomic Energy Commission to develop the hydrogen bomb
1953 Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands drowning nearly 2,000
1955 RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer
1957 Liz Taylor's 2nd divorce (Michael Wilding)
1957 Trans-Iranian oil pipe line finished
1958 "Jackpot Bowling" premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host
1958 James van Allen discovers radiation belt
1958 US launches their 1st artificial satellite, Explorer 1
1961 Ham is 1st primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2
1961 USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights
1961 David Ben-Gurion resigns as premier of Israel
1961 Houston voters approve bond to finance luxury domed stadium
1964 US report "Smoking & Health" connects smoking to lung cancer
1968 Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32"), at Agata, USSR

1968 Jan 31, In Vietnam, the Tet Offensive began as Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers attacked strategic and civilian locations throughout South Vietnam. The Viet Cong seized part of the US embassy in Saigon for 6 hours. During the Tet Offensive, the Communist troops who took control of the ancient capital of Hue killed an estimated 6,000 civilians before they again lost control of the city. It was completely overshadowed by a similar but much smaller atrocity committed by U.S. troops at My Lai. Today, the village of My Lai has a memorial to the victims and a museum. The victims of Hue are largely forgotten.

1970 Grateful Dead members busted on LSD charges(SHOCKING NEWS!)
1971 Apollo 14 launched, 1st landing in lunar highlands
1974 McDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys San Diego Padres
1975 Barry Manilow's "Mandy" goes gold
1978 Israel turns 3 military outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements
1981 38th Golden Globes Ordinary People, Coal Miner's Daughter
1982 10 Arabian oryx (extinct except in zoos) released in Oman
1985 South African President PW Botha offers to free Mandela if he denounces violence
1990 1st McDonald's in Russia opens in Moscow, world's biggest McDonald's
1992 Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires
1999 Kofi Annan called on large corporations to enact and uphold standards of conduct for themselves and sub-contractors for investments and operations in poor countries.
2002 Israeli PM Ariel Sharon said that he regrets that Israel failed to take the opportunity to kill Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat in Lebanon 20 years ago
2004 The Mars rover Opportunity rolled off its landing pad onto the surface of Mars

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Lerwick, Shetland Islands : Up-Helly-Aa/Norse fire festival
Nauru : Independence Day (1968)
Surrey England : Dicing for Maid's Money Day
US : Westerns Are Wonderful Day
USA] Meat Week Ends
Wheat Bread Month

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic:Feast of St Marcella
Roman Catholic:Commemoration of St Peter Nolasco, French founder
Roman Catholic:Commemoration of St Francis Xavier Bianchi, Apostle of Naples
Roman Catholic:Memorial of St John Bosco, confessor/priest

Religious History
1538 French reformer John Calvin wrote in a letter: 'I pray the Lord to keep you in His holy protection, and so to direct you that you may not go astray in that slippery path whereon you are, until He shall have manifested to you His complete deliverance.'
1752 The profession ceremony for Sister St. Martha Turpin was held at Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, LA. She was the first American-born woman to become a nun in the Catholic Church.
1839 Two months before his premature death at age 39, Church of Scotland clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'Is not a Christian's darkest hour calmer than the world's brightest?'
1911 In Falcon, NC, the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church (FBHC) and the Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) officially merged. In 1915, the Tabernacle Pentecostal Church (TPC) joined the merger. In 1975, the name of this body officially became the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC).
1949 American missionary and Auca Indian martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'One does not surrender a life in an instant Ä that which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"A cynic is a person searching for an honest man, with a stolen lantern."