(Saturday, February 10, 1945; during World War II) — During a luncheon today at the National Press Club, Vice President Harry Truman sat down at the piano to play the “Missouri Waltz” when suddenly 20-year-old actress Lauren Bacall perched herself on top of the piano for some publicity portraits, showing a rather daring amount of leg by 1945 standards (click here for a relevant clip from “American Experience: Truman” at 1:27:35).
Video: 'Shirley Temple: From child star to ambassador'
(Sunday, February 9, 1975, 6:00 p.m. EST) — Legendary child actress Shirley Temple (Black) was interviewed by correspondent Morley Safer tonight on the CBS television magazine series 60 Minutes as she embarked on a new career as the U.S. ambassador to Ghana.
Video: 'Witness' trailer
(Friday, February 8, 1985) — Witness, a thriller film about a detective who protects a young Amish boy who becomes a target after he witnesses a murder in Philadelphia, opened today in U.S. theaters (including the Astor Plaza in New York City).
Directed by Peter Weir, the film starred Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis.
(Monday, February 8, 1965) — The song “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes was released today as a single in the U.S.
Video: 'The Birth of a Nation (1915) [HD] - Lillian Gish'
(Monday, February 8, 1915) — The silent, groundbreaking and controversial epic film drama The Birth of a Nation, which chronicles the relationship of two families in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, premiered today in Los Angeles.
Directed by D. W. Griffith, the film starred Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Ralph Lewis and George Siegmann.
Video: 'State of the Union: President Reagan's State of the Union Speech - 2/6/85'
(Wednesday, February 6, 1985, 9:00 p.m. EST) — U.S. President Ronald Reagan called tonight for “a second American revolution of hope and opportunity” in a State of the Union address that celebrated economic and scientific achievements and made scant mention of the spending sacrifices his new budget asks of a broad spectrum of Americans.
Video: 'State of the Union Address'
(Wednesday, February 2, 2005, 9:00 p.m. EST) — In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called tonight for changes in Social Security that would combine reduced government benefits for younger workers with “a chance to build a nest egg” through personal accounts.
Video: 'The Lost World FULL MOVIE! (1925)'
(Monday, February 2, 1925) — The Lost World, a silent fantasy adventure film based on the Arthur Conan Doyle novel about explorers who encounter living prehistoric animals in South America, had its world premiere today in the U.S.
Directed by Harry Hoyt, the film starred Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes and Alma Bennett.
Video: 'James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (Parts 1 & 2) [stereo]'
(Monday, February 1, 1965) — James Brown recorded “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” today at Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina. Continue reading James Brown records ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’ 50 years ago today (Feb 1 1965)
Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History - Cambodia and Laos [8/11]' (Jan. 1, 1975, at 42:32)
(Wednesday, January 1, 1975, 1:20 a.m. local time; during the Cambodian Civil War, part of the Vietnam War, Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Communist-led insurgents known as the Khmer Rouge launched a series of attacks on the outskirts of Phnom Penh today and thousands of refugees, hundreds of them injured, streamed into the capital.
