JANUARY 25 | Birthdays and Events
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Notable Birthdays for January 25
William Colgate (1783-1857) - Founder of Colgate-Palmolive.
J. Marion Sims (1813-1883) - Physician and surgical pioneer of the vesicovaginal operation, who experimented on enslaved women.
Charles Curtis (1860-1936) - The 31st Vice President of the U.S.
Donalee Tabern (1900-1974) - Inventor of the anesthetic "Pentothal".
Shirley Mason (1923-1998) - Psychiatric patient commonly known as "Sybil".
Dean Jones (1931-2015) - Actor best known for his role as Jim Douglas in Disney's Herbie franchise.
Etta James (1938-2012) - Singer known for her powerful and sensual voice.
Sheila Johnson (1949-Still Living) - The first female Black American billionaire.
Alicia Keys (1981-Still Living) - Contemporary R&B singer.
Memorable Events for January 25
1799 - Eliakim Spooner files the first patent for a seeding machine.
1819 - University of Virginia chartered by Commonwealth of Virginia.
1825 - The first engineering college opens (Rensselaer Polytechnic) in Troy, NY.
1875 - Anti-slavery society is formed in NY.
1877 - Congress establishes the Electoral Commission to determine the disputed presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden.
1881 - Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
1890 - Timothy Thomas Fortune founds The National Afro-American League in Chicago.
1890 - The United Mine Workers of America forms.
1915 - Alexander Graham Bell speaks to Thomas Watson in San Francisco from New York.
1937 - The Guiding Light debuts on NBC radio.
1939 - Joe Louis knocks out John Henry Lewis in one round for the World Heavyweight Champion at Madison Square Garden.
1945 - Grand Rapids, Michigan, becomes first city to fluoridate its water.
1947 - Thomas Goldsmith Jr. files a patent for the first ever electronic game (Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device).
1949 - The first Emmy Awards are presented in the U.S.
1960 - Rookie Wilt Chamberlain scores 58 points to help the Philadelphia Warriors beat Detroit Pistons.
1961 -President John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.
1961 - Walt Disney releases the animated feature One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
1971 - Charles Manson and four "Family" members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.
1979 - First documented case of a robot killing a human in the U.S. is recorded.
1989 - Michael Jordan scores his 10,000th point in his 5th season of the NBA.
1993 - Sears announces it is closing its catalog sales department after 97 years.