Sole Focus

News, Views, Rantings & Ramblings by Carey Parrish

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Location: Georgia, United States

Saturday, February 5, 2011

This Day in History: February 5

1782 - The Spanish captured Minorca from the British.

1783 - Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.

1846 - "The Oregon Spectator", based in Oregon City, became the first newspaper published on the Pacific coast.

1861 - Samuel Goodale patented the moving picture peep show machine.

1885 - Congo State was established under Leopold II of Belgium, as a personal possession.

1881 - Phoenix, AZ, was incorporated.

1900 - The U.S. and Britain signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, which gave the U.S. the right to build a canal in Nicaragua but not the right fortify it.

1917 - Mexico's constitution was adopted.

1924 - The BBC time signals, or "pips", from Greenwich Observatory were heard for the first time. They are broadcast every hour.

1931 - Maxine Dunlap became the first woman licensed as a glider pilot.

1937 - U.S. President Roosevelt proposed enlarging the U.S. Supreme Court. The plan failed.

1940 - "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill" debuted on radio.

1953 - The Walt Disney’s film "Peter Pan" opened at the Roxy Theatre in New York City.

Disney movies, music and books

1958 - Gamel Abdel Nasser was formally nominated to become the first president of the United Arab Republic.

1961 - The first issue of the "Sunday Telegraph" was published.

1962 - French President Charles De Gaulle called for Algeria's independence.

1972 - Bob Douglas became the first black man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.

1982 - Great Britain imposed economic sanctions against Poland and Russia in protest against martial law in Poland.

1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 2,200-point for the first time. The market closed at 2201.49.

1988 - A pair of indictments were unsealed in Florida, accusing Panama's military leader, Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, of bribery and drug trafficking.

1994 - White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, MS, of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

1997 - Switzerland's "Big Three" banks announced they would create a $71 million fund for Holocaust victims and their families.

1997 - Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter.

1999 - Mike Tyson was sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting two people after a car accident on August 31, 1998. Tyson was also fined $5,000, had to serve 2 years of probation, and had to perform 200 hours of community service upon release.

2001 - It was announced the Kelly Ripa would be Regis Philbin's cohost. The show was renamed to "Live! With Regis and Kelly."

2001 - Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman announced their separation.

2003 - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence to the U.N. concerning Iraq's material breach of U.N. Resolution 1441.

Superb Saturday


One of 1981’s biggest hits, Shake It Up was also one of The Cars’ first breakthrough hits. A natural for the Top Five, it laid a claim to the charts that the band would take advantage of many times throughout the decade.

Ric Ocasek leads the group during this feel good track. It’s got a driving beat, lyrics that make it easy for fans to sing along with, and a danceable groove that still makes people move. Radio continues to have a love affair with this one, as do listeners the world over. For a punk band, The Cars really crossed over into the mainstream in an effective way without losing their signature sound, as is expertly displayed by Shake It Up.

One of the first music videos to go into heavy rotation on MTV, Shake It Up is a fun blast from the past that still sounds contemporary. Ric, Ben, and the boys were in for a nice ride at the apex of their genre and Shake It Up proves why in grand style.

Thought For Today

“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.” – John Wayne