January 31 Birthday
On January 31, 1958, Explorer 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral on a Jupiter-C rocket, becoming the first American satellite in orbit. The Soviet Union had launched Sputnik four months earlier, and the United States had attempted to launch a satellite on its Vanguard rocket in December 1957 — it rose four feet and exploded on the pad. Explorer 1 was a backup plan, built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. It discovered the Van Allen radiation belts, bands of charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field — the first major scientific discovery of the Space Age. The satellite was thirty inches long and weighed thirty pounds. It transmitted data for 111 days and remained in orbit until 1970. In 1917, Germany announced the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare — German U-boats would sink any ship, neutral or belligerent, in British waters without warning. The policy was calculated to starve Britain into submission within six months. It also guaranteed American entry into the war. Kaiser Wilhelm knew this; his military staff assured him they could win before American forces arrived in significant numbers. They were wrong. The first American troops reached France in June 1917. The war ended in November 1918, and the terms of the peace helped guarantee the next war. The Gunpowder Plot conspirators were executed on January 31, 1606. Guy Fawkes, the most famous, was the last to die. He was to be hanged, drawn, and quartered — the punishment for treason. He jumped from the gallows, breaking his neck and avoiding the drawing and quartering. The others were not so fortunate. The plot had been penetrated by the government from the inside; the anonymous letter that warned Lord Monteagle to stay away from Parliament was almost certainly written by one of the conspirators' relatives. The failure of the plot led to anti-Catholic legislation that persisted for over two centuries. Jackie Robinson, born this day in 1919, was not the best player in the Negro Leagues — many considered that to be Josh Gibson or Satchel Paige. He was chosen by Branch Rickey because he could hit, field, run, and — most importantly — endure the abuse that would come with breaking the color barrier without retaliating. Robinson's first season in 1947 was a nightmare of racial slurs, death threats, and spikes aimed at his legs. He was Rookie of the Year. He was MVP in 1949. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. He died at fifty-three, essentially of a stress-related heart condition. His body was gray-haired before he was forty. People born on January 31 fall under the zodiac sign of Aquarius. The birthstone is Garnet and the birth flower is Carnation. Historical events on January 31 include 1606: Gunpowder Plot conspirators executed in London, 1917: Germany announces resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, 1958: Explorer 1 becomes first US satellite launched into orbit. Famous people born on January 31 include Jackie Robinson (1919), Carol Channing (1921), Justin Timberlake (1981).