USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Murphy's Laws Of Combat Operations ~ January 23 2003

Friendly fire - isn't.

Recoilless rifles - aren't.

Suppressive fires - won't.

You are not Superman; Marines and fighter pilots take note.

A sucking chest wound is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.

Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo and not want to waste a bullet on you.

If at first you don't succeed, call in an airstrike.

If you are forward of your position, your artillery will fall short.

Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.

Never go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself.

Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.

If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush.

The enemy diversion you're ignoring is their main attack.

The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: when they're ready. & when you're not.

No OPLAN ever survives initial contact.

There is no such thing as a perfect plan.

Five second fuzes always burn three seconds.

There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.

A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.

The important things are always simple; the simple are always hard.

The easy way is always mined.

Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy other people to shoot at.

Don't look conspicuous; it draws fire. For this reason, it is not at all uncommon for aircraft carriers to be known as bomb magnets.

Never draw fire; it irritates everyone around you.

If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in the combat zone.

When you have secured the area, make sure the enemy knows it too.

Incoming fire has the right of way.

No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.

No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.

If the enemy is within range, so are you.

The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

Things which must be shipped together as a set, aren't.

Things that must work together, can't be carried to the field that way.

Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support.

Radar tends to fail at night and in bad weather, and especially during both.

Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing.

Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you won't be able to get out.

Tracers work both ways.

If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will get more than your fair share of objectives to take.

When both sides are convinced they're about to lose, they're both right.

Professional soldiers are predictable; the world is full of dangerous amateurs.

Military Intelligence is a contradiction.

Fortify your front; you'll get your rear shot up.

Weather ain't neutral.

If you can't remember, the Claymore is pointed towards you.

Air defense motto: shoot 'em down; sort 'em out on the ground.

'Flies high, it dies; low and slow, it'll go.

The Cavalry doesn't always come to the rescue.

Napalm is an area support weapon.

Mines are equal opportunity weapons.

B-52s are the ultimate close support weapon.

Sniper's motto: reach out and touch someone.

Killing for peace is like screwing for virginity.

The one item you need is always in short supply.

Interchangeable parts aren't.

It's not the one with your name on it; it's the one addressed "to whom it may concern" you've got to think about.

When in doubt, empty your magazine.

The side with the simplest uniforms wins.

Combat will occur on the ground between two adjoining maps.

If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you may have misjudged the situation.

If two things are required to make something work, they will never be shipped together.

Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing.

Whenever you lose contact with the enemy, look behind you.

The most dangerous thing in the combat zone is an officer with a map.

The quartermaster has only two sizes, too large and too small.

If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap.

There is nothing more satisfying than having someone take a shot at you, and miss.

If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.

You'll only remember your hand grenades when the sound is too close to use them.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Well .. It could be worse: It could be raining .. and we could be out in it.

So he said, "Cheer up: it could be worse!" So we cheered up. And it got worse.

The side with the simplest uniform wins...

The spare batteries for the PRC-whatever your troops have been carrying are either nearly dead or for the wrong radio.

The ping you heard was the antenna snapping off at 6 inches above the flexmount, while a fire mission was being called in on a battalion of hostiles who know your position.

Why is it the CO sticks his head in your radio hooch to see if anything has come down from DIV when you are listening to the VOA broadcasting the baseball games?

How come you are on one frequency when everyone else is on another?

Why does your 500-watt VRC-26 (real old) not make it across 200 miles while a ham with 50 watts on the same MARS frequency can be heard from Stateside?

Know why short RTOs have long whips on their radios? So someone can find them when they step in deep water.

The enemy "Alway's" times his attack, to the second you drop your pant's in the Latrine!!

The ammo you new "NOW"!! is on the "Next" airdrop!!

Murphy's Law
The Army Weather Corollaries

A sudden downpour always occurs at the end of a summer field exercise--just in time coat all your equipment and camouflage with mud.

There is no such thing as a cloudy sky when your unit needs to infiltrate enemy territory.

Motor pools are always 20 degrees warmer than the rest of the post during the summer and 50 degrees colder in the winter.

Army training areas exist in a constant state of weather flux controlled by a deity with a truly cruel sense of humor--How do you think we got them so cheap?

The Port-a-Potty Postulate states that the likelihood of a hurricane, sandstorm, tsunami, or blizzard occurring immediately over your location is directly related to how bad you need to get to the portajohns at the other side of the campsite in the middle of the night.

The temperature always rises to 70 degrees AFTER you put on two layers of polypros, your bear suit, and all of your Gortex.

Sorry for the duplicates I'm walking out the door and have no time to edit my list.

1. Friendly fire - isn't.

2. Recoilless rifles - aren't.

3. Suppressive fires - won't.

4. You are not Superman; Marines and fighter pilots take note.

5. A sucking chest wound is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

6. If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.

7. Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo and not want to waste a bullet on you.

8. If at first you don't succeed, call for artillery. When that doesn't work, for an airstrike.

9. The further you are in advance of your own positions, the more likely your artillery will fall short.

10. Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.

11. Never go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself.

12. Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.

13. If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush.

14. The enemy diversion you're ignoring is their main attack.

16. "No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy."- Field Marshall Helmuth Carl Bernard von Moltke [1990's version: No OPLAN ever survives initial contact.]

17. There is no such thing as a perfect plan.

18. Five second fuses always burn three seconds.

19. There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.

20. A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.

21. The important things are always simple; the simple are always hard.

22. The problem with taking easy way out is that the enemy has already mined it.

23. Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy other people to shoot at.

24. Don't look conspicuous. In the combat zone, it draws fire. Out of the combat zone, it draws sergeants. [Corollary: For this reason, it is not at all uncommon for aircraft carriers to be known as bomb magnets.]

25. Never draw fire; it irritates everyone around you.

26. If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in the combat zone.

27. When you have secured the area, make sure the enemy knows it too.

28. Incoming fire has the right of way.

29. No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.

30. No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.

31. If the enemy is within range, so are you.

32. The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

33. Things which must be shipped together as a set, aren't.

34. Things that must work together, can't be carried to the field that way.

35. Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support. (Corollary: Radar tends to fail at night and in bad weather, and especially during both.)

36. Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing.

37. Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you won't be able to get out.

38. Tracers work both ways.

39. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will get more than your fair share of objectives to take.

40. When both sides are convinced they're about to lose, they're both right.

41. Professional soldiers are predictable; the world is full of dangerous amateurs.

42. When your fear of the plane overcomes your fear of the ejection seat, its time to "punch out."

43. Military Intelligence is a contradiction.

44. Fortify your front; you'll get your rear shot up.

45. The more a weapon costs, the farther you will have to send it away to be repaired.

46. Weather ain't neutral.

47. If you can't remember, the Claymore is pointed towards you.

48. Air defense motto: shoot 'em down; sort 'em out on the ground.

49. 'Flies high, it dies; low and slow, it'll go.

50. The Cavalry doesn't always come to the rescue.

51. Napalm is an area support weapon.

52. Mines are equal opportunity weapons.

53. B-52s are the ultimate close support weapon.

54. Sniper's motto: reach out and touch someone.

55. Killing for peace is like screwing for virginity.

56. The one item you need is always in short supply.

57. Interchangeable parts aren't.

58. It's not the one [bullet] with your name on it; it's the one [bullet or shrapnel] addressed "to whom it may concern" or "occupant" that you've got to worry about.

59. When in doubt, empty your magazine.

60. The side with the simplest uniforms wins. [Corollary: The army with the smartest dress uniform will lose.]

61. Combat will occur on the ground between two adjoining maps...printed at different scales.

62. If the Platoon Sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.

63. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep.

64. The most dangerous thing in the world is a Second Lieutenant with a map and a compass.

65. Exceptions prove the rule, and destroy the battle plan.

66. Everything always works in your HQ, everything always fails in the Colonel's HQ.

67. The enemy never watches until you make a mistake.

68. One enemy soldier is never enough, but two is entirely too many.

69. A clean (and dry) set of BDU's is a magnet for mud and rain.

70. The worse the weather, the more you are required to be out in it.

71. Whenever you have plenty of ammo, you never miss. Whenever you are low on ammo, you can't hit the broad side of a barn.

72. The complexity of a weapon is inversely proportional to the IQ of the weapon's operator.

73. Field experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

74. No matter which way you have to march, its always uphill.

75. If enough data is collected, a board of inquiry can prove anything.

76. For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. (in boot camp)

77. Airstrikes always overshoot the target, artillery always falls short.

78. When reviewing the radio frequencies that you just wrote down, the most important ones are always illegible.

79. Those who hesitate under fire usually do not end up KIA or WIA.

80. The tough part about being an officer is that the troops don't know what they want, but they know for certain what they don't want.

81. To steal information from a person is called plagiarism. To steal information from the enemy is called gathering intelligence.

82. The weapon that usually jams when you need it the most is the M60.

83. The perfect officer for the job will transfer in the day after that billet is filled by someone else.

84. When you have sufficient supplies & ammo, the enemy takes 2 weeks to attack. When you are low on supplies & ammo the enemy decides to attack that night.

85. The newest and least experienced soldier will usually win the Medal of Honor.

86. A Purple Heart just proves that were you smart enough to think of a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.

87. Murphy was a grunt.

88. Beer Math -- "2 beers times 37 men equals 49 cases. "

89. Body count Math -- "3 guerrillas plus 1 probable plus 2 pigs equals 37 enemies killed in action. "

90. The bursting radius of a hand grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range. [Corollary: The effective radius of a hand grenade is greater the average grunt can throw it.]

91. All-weather close air support doesn't work in bad weather.

92. The combat worth of a unit is inversely proportional to the smartness of its outfit and appearance.

93. The crucial round is a dud.

94. Every command which can be misunderstood, will be.

95. There is no such place as a convenient foxhole.

96. Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last and don't ever volunteer to do anything.

97. If your positions are firmly set and you are prepared to take the enemy assault on, he will bypass you.

98. If your ambush is properly set, the enemy won't walk into it.

99. If your flank march is going well, the enemy expects you to outflank him.

100. Density of fire increases proportionally to the curiousness of the target.15. The enemy invariably

101. Odd objects attract fire - never lurk behind one. [Corollary: Odd objects attract fire -- you are odd.]

102. The more stupid the leader is, the more important missions he is ordered to carry out.

103. The self-importance of a superior is inversely proportional to his position in the hierarchy (as is his deviousness and mischievousness).

104. There is always a way, and it usually doesn't work.

105. Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when the General is watching.

106. The enemy never monitors your radio frequency until you broadcast on an unsecured channel.

107. Whenever you drop your equipment in a fire-fight, your ammo and grenades always fall the farthest away, and your canteen always lands at your feet.

108. As soon as you are served hot chow in the field, it rains.

109. Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.

110. The seriousness of a wound (in a fire-fight) is inversely proportional to the distance to any form of cover.

111. Walking point = sniper bait.

112. Your bivouac for the night is the spot where you got tired of marching that day.

113. If only one solution can be found for a field problem, then it is usually a stupid solution.

114. The buddy system is essential to your survival; it gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at.

115. The Quartermaster has only two sizes, too large and too small.

116. If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap.

117. The only time suppressive fire works is when it is used on abandoned positions.

118. There is nothing more satisfying than having someone take a shot at you, and miss.

119. All battles are fought uphill.

120. All battles are fought in the rain.

121. "Logistics is the ball and chain of armoured warfare." -- Heinz Guderian

122. What gets you promoted from one rank, gets you killed in the next rank.

123. "A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." -- General George Patton

124. If orders can be misunderstood, they have been.

125. "War is like love. To triumph, you must make contact." -- attributed to Napoleon

126. "Boldness becomes rarer, the higher the rank." -- Karl von Clausewitz

127. Never reinforce failure. Failure reinforces itself.

128. "Only 5% of an intelligence report is accurate. The trick of a good commander is to isolate the 5%." -- General Douglas MacArthur

129. When a front line soldier overhears two General Staff officers conferring, he's fallen back too far.

130. It isn't necessary to be an idiot to be a senior officer, but it sure helps.

131. "No captain can do very wrong who places his ship alongside that of the enemy." -- Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson

132. "Only numbers can annihilate." -- Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson

133. Always know when to get out of "Dodge". [Corollary: Always know how to get out of "Dodge".]

134. Priorities are made by officers, not God. There's a difference.

135. Always honor a threat.

136. The weight of all your equipment is proportional to the cube of the time you have been carrying it.

137. "Hell hath no fury like a non-combatant." -- Charles Edward Montague

138. Fighter pilots make movies; attack pilots make history.

139. There are two kinds of naval vessels: submarines and targets.

140. "A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost." -- Ferdinand Foch (Principles de Guerre)

141. "Surprise is an event that takes place in the mind of a commander." -- Jerry Pournelle

142. "All warfare is based upon deception." -- Sun Tzu (The Art of War)

143. "A little caution outflanks a large cavalry." -- Otto von Bismark

144. The enemy diversion you are ignoring is the main attack.

145. Radios function perfectly until you need fire support.

146. Parade ground inspections are to combat readiness as mess hall food is to cuisine.

147. "Snow is not neutral." -- Frunze Military Academy Maxim

148. The tank is a monument to the inaccuracy of indirect fire.

149. "Diplomacy has rarely been able to gain at the conference table what cannot be gained or held on the battlefield." -- General Walter Bedell Smith

150. "War is the unfolding of miscalculations." -- Barbara Tuchman

151. "Perfect is the enemy of good enough." -- Soviet Admiral Gorshkov

152. "He who wants to defend everything defends nothing." -- Frederick the Great

153. If they're shooting at you, its a high intensity conflict.

154. Artillery add dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.

155. Minefields are not neutral. They attack both enemies.

156. Your mortar barrage will put exactly one round on the intended target. That round will be a dud.

157. The mortar team will always have the correct number of safety pins to prove they armed all the rounds. [Corollary: To ensure this, the mortar teams always carry extra pins.]

158. More aircraft are incapacitated by a shortage of spare parts than by enemy action.

159. The enemy attacks on two occasions: 1) when they're ready, 2) when you're not.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on January 23:
1574 Lucas I Franchoys Belgian painter
1582 John Barclay Scottish satirist/Latin poet (Argenis)
1730 Joseph Hewes US merchant (Declaration of Independence signer)
1752 Muzio Clementi Italian composer
1761 Friedrich von Matthison German poet (Adelaide)
1762 Christian A Vulpius Germany, writer (Rinaldo Rinaldini)
1783 Stendahl [Marie Henri Beyle], France, writer (Le Rouge et Le Noir)
1785 Carl A Agardh Sweden, botanist/bishop of Karlstad
1813 Franz Commer composer
1816 Carl Herrmann near Hanover Germany, stage magician
1820 Alexander Nikoleyevich Serov composer
1828 Calvin Edward Pratt Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1830 Gaston AA Marquis de Gallifet French General /minister of War (1899-1900)
1832 Édouard Manet France, Impressionist painter (Déjeuner sur L'Herbe)
1833 John Randolph Chambliss Jr Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1840 Ernst Abbe Germany, physicist (Carl Zeiss Optics Company)
1843 Hans Heinrich XIV Hochberg composer
1857 Andrija Mohorovicic Croatian geologist (Moho discontinuity)
1862 David Hilbert Konigsberg East Prussia, mathematician
1865 Benjamin Delmonte theater director/actor (Black Haired Whore)
1867 Herbert Bedford composer
1868 Juventino Rosas composer
1869 Carlo Felice Boghen composer
1869 Herbert David Croly US author (Promise of American Life)
1878 Oton Zupancic Slovenian poet (Zimzelen pod Snegom)
1878 Rutland Boughton composer
1885 Boleslaw Wallek-Walewski composer
1887 Miklós Kállay premier Hungary (1942-44)
1888 Gilbert Ledward British sculptor
1889 Franklin Pangborn Newark, actor (My Best Gal, Hats Off, Easy Living)
1889 Prosper Arents Flemish bibliographer (Rubens-bibliography)
1891 Antonio Gramsci Italian philosopher/marxist theorist
1893 Frank Carlson (Governor/Republican/Senator-R-KS)
1894 Remy Angenot Flemish actor (Patriot/Idiot)
1896 Charlotte grand duchess of Luxembourg (1919-64)
1897 Amanda Berry Smith famous African
1897 Subhas Chandra Bose Indian politician
1898 Sergei Eisenstein Russia, film maker (Battleship Potemkin)
1898 Randolph Scott actor (Last of the Mohicans, Western Union)
1899 Humphrey Bogart actor (Casablanca, Caine Mutiny, African Queen)
1899 Joseph Nathan Kane historian (Famous Firsts)
19-- Angela Carrasco Santo Domingo Dominican Republic, Spanish singer
19-- Ray Girardin Wakefield MA, actor (Charlie & Company)
1900 Mary Philips CT, actress (Farewell to Arms, Incendiary Blonde)
1900 Ralph Graves Cleveland OH, actor (Dirigible, Flight, Dream Street)
1901 Benno Stokvis Dutch attorney/politician
1902 Benny Waters saxophonist
1904 Theodor Schaefer composer
1905 David Newell Missouri, actor (Runaway Bride, White Heat, Dangerous Curves)
1905 Konstanty I Galczynski Polish poet (Zielona Ges)
1906 Bob Steele Pendleton OR, actor (Duffy-F Troop, Big Sleep)
1907 Dan Duryea White Plains NY, actor (Pride of the Yankees)
1907 Hediki Yukawa Japan, physicist (Nobel 1949)
1908 Hubert Nicholson poet/novelist
1908 Pak Saleman Siswowitono Javan/Surinamese writer
1909 Norman Fulton composer
1910 Django Reinhardt Belgium, Gypsy jazz guitarist
1911 Dan Smith harmonica player/gospel singer
1912 Ank van der Moer actress (Verkade, Dutch Comedy)
1914 Napoleon L Bonaparte French pretender to the throne
1915 Herma Bauma Austria, javelin thrower (Olympics-gold-1948)
1915 Potter Stewart Michigan, 94th Supreme Court justice (1958-81)
1918 Gertrude Belle Elion New York City NY, biochemist/drug researcher (Nobel 1988)
1919 Ernie Kovacs Trenton NJ, comedian (Ernie Kovacs' Show)
1919 Bob Paisley English soccer player/trainer/manager of FC Liverpool
1919 Nina Dumbadze USSR, Discus thrower (Olympics-bronze-1952)
1920 Erbet Pawel biographer (Kafka)
1923 Florence Halop Queens, actress (Florence-Night Court, St Elsewhere)
1923 Horace Ashenfelter US, 3000m steeplechase (Olympics-gold-1952)
1923 Walter M[ichael] Miller Jr US, sci-fi author (Hugo, View from Stars)
1924 Frank R Lautenberg (Senator-D-NJ, 1983- )
1925 Marty Paich Oakland CA, orchestra leader (Sonny & Cher, Glenn Campbell)
1928 Eugene Monti Italy, bobsledder (Olympics-2 golds-1968)
1928 Jeanne Moreau Paris France, actress (Going Places, Jules & Jim)
1928 Kees [Cornelis] Broekman Dutch speed skater (Olympics-silver-1952)
1929 John Polanyi Berlin, Canadian chemist (Nobel 1986)
1929 Ian Thomson cricketer (England seam bowler vs South Africa 1964-65)
1930 Derek Walcott St Lucia, poet/writer (Omeros, Nobel 1992)
1930 Ken Errair singer (Four Freshmen)
1930 William Reid Pogue Okemah OK, Colonel USAF/astronaut (Skylab 4)
1932 Bud Shuster (Representative-R-PA, 1973- )
1933 Arlene Golonka Chicago IL, actress (Millie-Mayberry RFD)
1933 Chita Rivera Washington DC, actress (West Side Story, Sweet Charity)
1933 Joel Spiegelman composer
1934 Lou Antonio Oklahoma City OK, actor (Barney-Snoop Sisters, Makin' It)
1936 Jerry Kramer Green Bay Packer, author (Instant Replay)
1938 Anatoly Marchenko Siberia, Soviet dissident
1939 Arlene Golonka Chicago IL, actress (Millie-Mayberry RFD)
1940 Johnny Russell country singer
1942 Ivan Ivanovich Bachurin cosmonaut
1942 Laurie Mayne cricketer (Australian pace bowler in 6 Tests 1965-70)
1942 Willy Bogner Jr Munich Germany, director (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
1943 Gil Gerard Little Rock AR, actor (Buck Rogers in 25th Century)
1943 William E "Bill" Gibb Scottish fashion designer
1944 Sergey Belov USSR, basketball player (Olympics-gold-1972)
1944 Jerry Lawson US singer (Persuasions-Under the Boardwalk)
1944 Marty Russo (Representative-D-IL, 1975- )
1944 Rutger Hauer Dutch actor (Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Osterman Weekend)
1946 Asif Masood cricketer (Pakistani quick with long & erratic run-up)
1947 Thomas R Carper (Representative-D-DE, 1983- )
1948 Anita Pointer Oakland, rock vocalist (Pointer Sisters-She's So Shy)
1949 Robert D Cabana Minneapolis MN, Major USMC/astronaut (STS 41, 53, 68, 88)
1950 Patrick Simmons guitarist/vocal (Doobie Brothers-Minute by Minute)
1950 Richard Dean Anderson Minneapolis MN, actor (MacGyver, Emerald Point NAS)
1950 William Cunningham rock bassist/pianist (Box Tops-Letter)
1950 Danny Federici rocker (E Street Band)
1950 Richard Gilliland Fort Worth TX, actor (Jonesy-Waltons, Tom-Heartland)
1951 Margaret Johnson Bailes Bronx NY, 4X100 runner (Olympics-gold-1968)
1951 Michael Matz equestrian show jumper (Olympics-silver-96)
1952 Omar Henry cricketer (1st colored player for South Africa 1992)
1952 Robin Zander rocker vocalist/guitarist (Cheap Trick-Dream Police)
1953 Pat Haden Westbury NY, NFL quarterback (Los Angeles Rams)
1954 Rick Finch rocker (KC & Sunshine Band-Give It)
1954 Edward Ka-spel English singer/songwriter (Legendary Pink Dots)
1954 Franco De Vita Caracas Venezuela, Spanish singer (Extranjero)
1954 Trevor Hohns cricketer (Australian leg-spinner 1989)
1955 Reginald Calloway trumpet player (Midnight Star-No Parking)
1955 Alexander O'Neal R&B singer
1957 Princess Caroline [Louise Marguerite Grimaldi] of Monaco
1958 Lorraine Michaels Canterbury England, playmate (April 1981)
1959 Tyrone Power Jr Los Angeles CA, actor (Shag)
1959 Earl Falconer British reggae bassist (UB40-Red Red Wine)
1960 Misha Mck East Orange NJ, actress (Gerri-Me & Mrs C)
1960 Greg Ritchie cricketer (Queensland & Australian batsman Fat Cat Mahatma Cote)
1961 Trey Junkin tight end (Arizona Cardinals)
1963 Gail O'Grady Detroit MI, actress (Hitman, Nobody's Perfect, NYPD Blue)
1963 Hakeem Olajuwon NBA center (Houston Rockets)
1963 Rocco Romano CFL guard (Calgary Stampeders)
1964 Mariska Hargitay Los Angeles CA, actress (Jesse Smith-Downtown)
1964 Frank Winters NFL center (Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl XXXI)
1965 Tim Berrett Tunbridge Wells England, Canadian 20k walker (Olympics-14-92, 96)
1966 Haywoode Workman NBA guard (Indiana Pacers)
1966 Mike Brim NFL cornerback (Cincinnati Bengals)
1966 Scott Fortune Newport Beach CA, volleyballer (Olympics-G-88,B-92, 96)
1967 Naim Suleymanoglu Bulgaria, Turkish weight lifter (Olympics-gold-1988)
1967 Christine Parris-Washington Truro Nova Scotia, softball (Olympics-96)
1968 Eric Metcalf NFL receiver/running back (Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers)
1968 Lubomir Kolnik Skalica Czechoslovakia, hockey forward (Team Slovakia, Espoo)
1968 Petr Korda Prague Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1993 Doubles-Cincinnati OH)
1968 Todd Scott NFL safety (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1969 Brendan Shanahan Mimico Ontario, NHL left wing (Whalers, Red Wings)
1969 Eric Carter CFL cornerback (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
1970 Alan Embree Vancouver WA, pitcher (Cleveland Indians)
1970 Jim Schwantz NFL linebacker (Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers)
1970 Mark Wohlers Holyoke MA, pitcher (Atlanta Braves)
1970 Marquel Fleetwood WLAF quarterback (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1970 Richard Smehlik Ostrava Czechoslovakia, NHL defenseman (Buffalo Sabres, Olympics-Gold-98)
1970 Sherman Obando Changuinola Panama, outfielder (Montréal Expos)
1971 Adam Parore cricket wicket-keeper (New Zealand, 1st Maori Test centurion)
1971 James Logan WLAF linebacker (Scotland Claymores)
1971 Julie Foudy San Diego CA, soccer midfielder (Olympics-96)
1971 Kevin Mawae NFL center/guard (Seattle Seahawks)
1971 Mark Grimmette Ann Arbor MI, doubles luger (Olympics-1994)
1972 Anthony Peterson NFL linebacker (Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers)
1972 Gary Harrell NFL/WLAF receiver (New York Giants, Frankfurt Galaxy)
1972 Kez McCorvey NFL wide receiver (Detroit Lions)
1972 Tanya Harding Australian softball pitcher (Olympics-bronze-96)
1973 Mark Kolesar Minnesota, NHL right wing (Toronto Maple Leafs)
1974 Glen Chapple cricketer (Lancashire & England A pace bowler)
1974 Tiffani-Amber Theissen Long Beach CA, actress (Saved by Bell, 90210)
1975 Kevin Alexander NFL wide receiver (New York Giants)
1976 Byron Hanspard NFL running back (Atlanta Falcons)
1976 Phil Boudreault Copper Cliff Ontario, boxer (Olympics-96)
1980 Theresa Kulikowski Tacoma WA, gymnast (World-bronze-95, Olympics-96)

Deaths which occurred on January 23:
1002 Otto III German king/emperor 983/996-1002, dies at 21
1356 Margaretha of Bavaria Empress of Germany, dies
1516 Ferdinand II king of Aragon/Sicily, dies at 63
1548 Bernardo Pisano composer, dies at 57
1622 William Baffin British explorer, dies at about 38
1639 Francisco Maldonado da Silva Solis Peruvian poet, burned at stake
1648 Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla Spanish poet (Del Rey Abajo), dies at 40
1708 Thomas Bullis composer, dies at 80
1800 Edward Rutledge US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 50
1805 Vaclav Pichl composer, dies at 63
1806 William Pitt the Younger, PM Great Britain (1783-1806), dies at 46
1813 George Clymer US merchant (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 73
1814 Georg Friedrich Theodor Wolf composer, dies at 52
1837 John Field composer, dies at 54
1838 Arnold A Buyskes Dutch Vice-Admiral/colonial director, dies at 67
1845 Francesco Ruggi composer, dies at 77
1864 Michele Puccini composer, dies at 50
1875 Charles Kingsley English vicar/writer (Westward Ho!), dies at 55
1879 Adolf Jensen composer, dies at 42
1883 Gustave Doré French illustrator, dies at 51
1891 Boudouin prince of Belgium/count of Flanders, dies at 21
1893 José Zorrilla y Moral Spanish poet (Granada), dies at 75
1898 W A Remy composer, dies at 66
1908 Edward Alexander MacDowell US composer (Indian Suite), dies at 47
1913 Nazim Pasha Turkey's PM assassinated
1921 Wlasyslaw Zelenski composer, dies at 83
1926 Désiré J Mercier Belgian philosopher/cardinal, dies at 74
1926 Joseph Carl Breil composer, dies at 55
1931 Anna Pavlova Russian ballerina (Diaghilew, Dying Swan), dies
1936 Dame Clara Butt alto singer (Country of Hope & Glory), dies at 62
1939 Matthias Sindelar Austria soccer star, commits suicide
1941 Dobri Khristov composer, dies at 65
1943 Alexander Woollcott critic, dies of a heart attack on radio, at 56
1944 Edvard Munch Norwegian painter (The Scream), dies at 80
1945 Helmuth J Moltke German politician ("July 20th Plot"), executed at 37
1946 Feliks Nowowiejski composer, dies at 68
1946 Matteo Giulio Bartoli linguist, dies at 72
1947 Pierre Bonnard French painter/illustrator, dies at 79
1947 Roy Park cricketer (prolific Victorian bat & official), dies
1956 Alexander Korda English movie producer (Henry VIII), dies at 62
1957 Willie Edwards US black, murdered by KKK at 25
1964 Louis Horst composer, dies at 80
1966 Jo van Ammers-Küller Dutch playwright (Opstandigen), dies at 81
1969 Jaroslav Kricka composer, dies at 86
1975 Karel Paul van der Mandele director (Rotterdam Bank), dies at 94
1976 Aleksey Vasilyevich Sorokin Russian cosmonaut, dies at 44
1976 Paul Robeson athlete/lawyer/singer, dies in Philadelphia at 77
1977 Bernard "Toots" Shor barkeeper, dies at 73
1978 Jack Oakie actor (Great Dictator, Gang Buster), dies at 74
1978 Terry Kath rock guitarist (Chicago), accidently shot in head at 32
1981 Bobby Sherwood orchestra leader (Milton Berle Show), dies at 66
1981 Samuel Barber US composer (School for Scandal), dies at 70
1982 Hope Hampton actress (Star Dust, Lawful Larcency), dies at 83
1984 Samuel Gardner composer, dies at 92
1986 Joseph Beuys West German avant-garde artist/politician, dies at 64
1989 Salvador Dalí Spanish Surrealist painter, dies in Spain at 84
1990 Albert Collins guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies of pneumonia at 57
1990 Mariano Rumor Italy's PM (1968-70, 73-1974), dies
1992 Freddie Bartholomew child actor (Kidnapped), dies of emphysema at 67
1992 Ian Wolfe actor (Houdini, THX-1138, Homebodies), dies at 95
1992 Simon Brand South African banker/adviser to President De Klerk, dies
1993 Dudley Stevens entertainer, dies of AIDS at 57
1993 Thomas A Dorsey jazz pianist (Take My Hand, Precious Lord), dies
1994 Nikolai Ogarkov Russian marshal (Flight KAL 007), dies at 76
1994 Oliver Smith US set designer (Guys & Dolls-7 Tony Awards), dies at 75
1994 Sherry Mathis actress (Search for Tomorrow), dies of cancer at 44
1994 Suzanne M Blum French lawyer (Charlie Chaplin), dies at 95
1995 Harold Collett Dent journalist/educationist, dies at 100
1995 Ken Hill playwright/director, dies at 57
1995 Michael Whalley Wickham artist, dies at 91
1995 Peter Ambrose Cyprian Luke playwright, dies at 75
1996 John Mackin programmer, dies at 36
1996 Norman MacCaig poet, dies at 85
1996 Shirley Carter Burden patrician, dies at 54
1997 Charles Craig opera singer, dies at 77
1997 David Waller actor (Lady Jane, Perfect Friday, Hannay), dies at 76
1997 Jeremy Stephen Maas writer/art dealer, dies at 68
1997 Laura "Dinky" Patterson dies during bungee jump at Super Bowl rehearsal at 43
1997 Randy Greenawalt convicted killer, executed by injection at 47
1997 Richard Berry lyricist (Louie Louie), dies at 61
1997 Roger John Tayler astrophysicist, dies at 67
1998 Hilla Limann President of Ghana in (1979-81), dies

On this day...
0638 Start of Islamic calendar
1265 1st English Parliament formally convened (some authorities)
1490 1st printing of Ramban's Sha'ar ha-Gemul
1492 "Pentateuch" (Jewish holy book) 1st printed
1552 2nd version of Book of Common Prayer becomes mandatory in England
1556 Most deadly earthquake kills 830,000 in Shansi Province, China
1570 Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland, assassinated; civil war breaks out
1571 Queen Elizabeth I opens Royal Exchange in London
1579 Union of Utrecht signed, forming protestant Dutch Republic
1631 France & Sweden sign anti-German Treaty of Bärwald
1637 Dutch Governor Johan Mauritius lands in Pernambuco Brazil
1643 Sir Thomas Fairfax takes Leeds for the Parliamentarians
1647 Scottish Presbyterians sell captured Charles I to English parliament
1663 King Louis XIV affirms covenant with Rÿnstaten
1668 England, Netherlands & Sweden signs Triple Alliance against French
1719 Principality of Liechtenstein created within Holy Roman Empire
1723 Georg Friedrich Händel's opera "Ottone" premieres in London
1779 Charles Messier catalogs M56 (globular cluster in Lyra)
1789 Georgetown, 1st US Catholic college, founded
1793 2nd partition of Poland, between Prussia & Russia
1793 Humane Society of Philadelphia (first aid society) organized
1796 Armand-Gaston Camus becomes chairman of Council of 500
1812 7.8 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri
1833 Joseph Pease, a Quaker, admitted to Parliament on his affirmation
1845 Uniform US election day for President & Vice President authorized
1849 Mrs Elizabeth Blackwell becomes 1st woman physician in US
1849 Patent granted for an envelope-making machine
1856 Steamer Pacific lost
1861 Agoston Haraszthy, 1st vintner in Sonoma Valley, imports 100,000 cuttings of 350 varieties from Europe
1865 Battle of City Point, VA (James River, Trent's Reach)
1865 General Robert E Lee named Commander-in-Chief of Confederate Armies
1870 173 Blackfoot Indians (140 women & children) killed in Montana by US Army
1879 National Archery Association formed, Crawfordsville IN
1889 Dr Daniel Hale Williams forms Provident Hospital in Chicago
1894 G W Bunbury of Dublin sets shorthand record of 250 wpm for 10 minutes
1896 Edward Macdowell's 2nd Suite in E, premieres
1897 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange" (BG)
1902 Winnipeg Victorias sweep Toronto Wellingtons in 2 for the Stanley Cup
1907 Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes 1st Native American US senator
1908 US & Great-Britain demand end of abuses in Congo
1909 1st radio rescue at sea
1916 Temp falls from 44ºF (7ºC) to -56ºF (49ºC) night of 23-24, Browning MT
1920 Dutch government refuses to turn over ex-Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany to the allies
1923 Taxi strike in Amsterdam begins (through March 9th)
1924 Ramsey MacDonald forms 1st Labour government in Britain
1926 Eugene O'Neill's "Great God Brown" premieres in New York City NY
1928 "Abenteuer of brave Soldier Schwejk" premieres in Berlin
1930 George Washington Birthplace National Monument VA established
1930 Clyde Tombaugh photographs planet Pluto
1932 El Salvador army kills 4,000 protesting farmers
1933 20th amendment changes date of Presidential Inaugurations to 1/20
1936 Catholic People's Party (KVP) of Curaçao forms
1937 Karl Radek & 16 others go on trial in Stalin's great purge
1940 Pianist Ignaz Paderewski becomes premier of Polish government in exile
1941 Ground breaking for NACA (now NASA) Lewis Research Center
1941 WOR-AM in Newark NJ moves to New York City
1942 Japanese troops occupy Rabaul New Britain
1942 Tank battle at Adzjedabia, African corps vs British army
1943 66.34 cm (26.12"), Hoegees Camp CA (state precipitation record)
1943 Detroit Red Wings scores NHL record 8 goals in 1 period
1943 British 8th army marches into Tripoli
1943 Japanese Mount Austen on Guadalcanal captured
1944 Detroit Red Wings score 15 goals against New York Rangers & NHL record 37 points, also most consecutive goals & most lopsided game 15-0
1944 Arnold Schoenberg's "Ode to Napoleon" premieres in New York City NY
1945 Dutch Premier Gerbrandy, exiled in London, offers his resignation
1946 Rear Admiral Sidney W Souers, USNR, becomes 1st director of CIA
1948 Bradman scores 201 in 272 minutes vs India, 21 fours 1 six
1948 Huston's "Treasure of Sierra Madre" starring Humphrey Bogart opens
1948 Test debut of Neil Harvey, vs India at Adelaide
1950 3rd edition of Joseph Kane's Famous 1st Facts published
1950 Israeli Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel
1950 NFL rule changes open way for 2-platoon system (offense & defense)
1950 AP picks "Miracle Braves" of 1914 as greatest sports upset
1950 Rebel army of cap Raymond Westerner occupies Bandung
1951 3rd Emmy Awards Alan Young Show, Alan Young & Gertrude Berg
1953 NFL Dallas Texans become Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts)
1953 NFL's National & American conferences become Eastern & Western conferences
1953 Bobby Simpson makes 1st-class debut for New South Wales 16 years 357 days
1954 Longest undefeated streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (18 games)
1954 Harry van Thorn chosen chairman of Dutch KVP
1955 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open
1955 KORK (now KVBC) TV channel 3 in Las Vegas, NV (NBC) 1st broadcast
1958 "Body Beautiful" opens at Broadway Theater New York City NY for 60 performances
1958 Dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez flees Venezuela, Larrazábal takes power
1958 Hanif Mohammad completes 337 in 970 minutes vs West Indies
1960 Piccard & Walsh in bathyscaph "Trieste" reach 10,900 meters in Mariana Trench
1961 Supreme Court rules cities & states have right to censor films
1961 Venezuela adopts constitution
1962 Libya, Morocco, Algeria & Tunisia plan to form United Arab Maghreb
1962 Bob Feller & Jackie Robinson elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1962 British spy Kim Philby defects to USSR
1964 24th Amendment ratified, barring poll tax in federal elections
1964 Arthur Miller's "After the Fall" premieres in New York City NY
1965 "The King Family Show" (musical variety) premieres on ABC TV
1965 Boston Celtic center Bill Russell misses all 14 shots in loss to Philadelphia Warriors led by Wilt Chamberlain
1965 BPAA All-Star Tournament won by Dick Weber
1967 Stan Musial is named GM of Cards
1968 Spy ship USS Pueblo & 83-man crew seized in Sea of Japan by N Korea
1968 Joe Medwick elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1969 Cream releases their last album "Goodbye"
1970 Australia's 1st amateur radio satellite (Oscar 5) launched (California)
1970 US launches 2nd generation weather satellite, ITOS 1
1970 Dolle Mina burns her bra in Amsterdam
1970 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 -80ºF (-62ºC), Prospect Creek Camp AK (US record)
1971 UCLA loses to Notre Dame, UCLA then wins next 88 games in a row
1971 4th ABA All-Star Game East 126 beats West 122 at Carolina
1972 2nd AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 26-13
1972 Bootlegger sells wood alcohol to wedding party-100 die-New Delhi
1972 Ard Schenk becomes European all-round skating champ
1972 Entire population of Istanbul under 24 hour house arrest
1972 NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 26-13
1973 Helgafell, island of Heimaey Iceland erupts for 1st time in 7,000 years
1973 Jordan Air crash at Kano, Nigeria kills 176 Moslem pilgrims
1973 President Nixon announces an accord has been reach to end the Vietnam War
1973 23rd NBA All-Star Game East beats West 104-84 at Chicago
1974 1st edition of women's magazine "Story"
1975 "Barney Miller" premieres on ABC TV
1975 Ralph Kiner elected to baseball's Hall of Fame
1976 Washington Capitals end 25 game winless streak (0-22-3) beat New York Rangers 7-5
1976 Ian Redpath hits his only 2 sixes in Cricket Tests, vs West Indies Adelaide
1977 $1.5-million Serge Lepage dress exhibited, Paris
1977 Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC
1978 8th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 14-13
1978 Belgian industrial Haron Empain kidnapped in Paris
1979 Willie Mays elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1981 1st Richard Nixon museum opens (San Clemente CA)
1981 Mike Bossy becomes 1st in NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games
1981 Jochem Bird elected mayor of West Berlin
1981 Red Sox trade Fred Lynn to Angels for Frank Tanana & Joe Rudi
1982 Urbe Blanca (cow) produces record 110 kg of milk, Cuba (approximate date)
1982 World Airways DC-10 skids at Boston Logan Airport killing 2
1983 "A-Team" with Mr T premieres on NBC
1983 Björn Borg announces his retirement from tennis
1983 In NBA, Portland scores all 17 points in overtime to beat Houston 113-96
1983 Cerebral Palsy telethon raises $14,700,000
1983 Russian radioactive satellite falls into Indian Ocean
1983 Schöne skates ladies world record 5 km (7 40.97)
1984 Buffalo Sabres win NHL record 10th straight road game
1984 Greatest unpaced 1-hour bicycle distance, F Moser (Italy), 51.15 km
1984 Hulk Hogan defeats Iron Sheik to become WWF champ
1985 Britains House of Lords debate 1st televised
1986 Columbia returns to Kennedy Space Center via Davis-Monthan AFB
1986 "Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood" opens at Ritz Theater New York City NY for 13 performances
1986 1st induction of Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis & Elvis Presley)
1987 Dow Jones rises 64 points then drops 110 points (44.15 point loss)
1987 Japan 1st exceeds military spending cap of 1% of GNP ($23 billion)
1988 Bob Benoit bowls 1st 300-point game in a televised title match
1988 45th Golden Globes Last Emperor, Sally Kirkland, Michael Douglas
1988 62nd Australian Women's Tennis Steffi Graf beats Chris Evert (61 76)
1988 Experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan & Jeana Yeager, complete 1st nonstop, round-the-world flight without refueling lands
1989 Challenge to "who is a Jew" law filed in Israeli Supreme Court
1989 NBA New Jersey Nets begin a 32+ game road losing streak
1990 Dean Jones scores twin Test tons vs Pakistan at Adelaide Oval
1991 High-denomination banknotes withdrawn in USSR
1991 "Seinfeld" debuts on NBC-TV
1991 World's largest oil spill, caused by embattled Iraqi forces in Kuwait
1992 "Visit" opens at Criterion Theater New York City NY for 45 performances
1993 50th Golden Globes Scent of a Woman, wins
1993 Graham Gooch scores his 100th 100, on tour at Cuttack
1993 Indian Airlines B737 crashes art Aurangabad, 61 die
1993 New York Newsday reports Oregon's Senator Bob Packwood sexually harassed 23 women
1993 US female Figure Skating championship won by Nancy Kerrigan
1994 Bernie Kosar is 2nd QB to throw TD passes in AFC & NFC Championship games
1994 Worldwide Day for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina
1996 Chris Cairns scores 120, 96 balls, 10x4, 9x6 in Test New Zealand vs Zimbabwe
1998 Pope John Paul II condemns US embargo against Cuba
3268 Beginning of 2nd Julian Period

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

Luxembourg : Grand Duchess' Birthday
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Dragon (2012/4710)

Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of St Ildephonsus
Roman Catholic : Feast of St Ildephonsus
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Emerentiana, virgin/martyr
old Roman Catholic : Feast of St Raymond of Penafort, confessor (now 1/7)
Anglican : Commemoration of Phillips Brooks, bishop of Massachusetts
Jewish : Tu B'Shevat (Arbor Day) (Shevat 15, 5757 AM)

Religious History
1656 French scientist Blaise Pascal, 33, published the first of his 18 "Provincial Lettres," the majority of which attacked the Jesuit theories of grace and moral theology.
1755 Under the influence of the Methodist movement, English clergyman John Fletcher, 26, was converted to a living faith. He remained in the Anglican church but afterward became a chief defender of evangelical Arminianism.
1789 Georgetown College was founded by Father John Carroll, 54, in Washington, D.C. Ä the first Roman Catholic college established in America.
1935 British biblical expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'Growth in grace is like the growth of a cow's tail Ä the more it truly grows, the closer to the ground it is brought.'
1943 The New Tribes Mission was incorporated in Los Angeles by founder Paul W. Fleming. NTM works today primarily in missionary aviation, Bible translation, church planting and the production and distribution of Christian literature.

Thought for the day :
" Beware the man who can't be bothered with details. "

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Murphy's Laws Of Combat Operations

Murphy's Law
The Army Weather Corollaries

Good Morning, TROOPS!

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!!!!!

GOOD MORNING TROOPS!!!

EVERYONE HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Murphy's Laws Of Combat Operations

Murphy's Law The Army Weather Corollaries

Good Morning, TROOPS!

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!!!!!

GOOD MORNING TROOPS!!!

EVERYONE HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Murphy's Law
The Army Weather Corollaries