Jan 31 1945
Private Eddie Slovik executed by firing squad in France during World War II. He is the first U.S. soldier executed for desertion since the Civil War. The order for execution, signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, is not applied to other deserters. It is not known why Private Slovik was singled out.
Jan 31 1950
President Truman gives the go-ahead for the development of Edward Teller's hydrogen bomb.
Jan 31 1961
The United States sends its first monkey into space, Ham the chimpanzee. His Mercury/Redstone 2 achieves an altitude of 158 miles, a 19-minute ride that subjects Ham to a force of 16 times gravity. The space ape splashes down safely, his capsule is plucked from the ocean by the USS Donner.
Jan 31 1974
Ted Bundy commits what is sometimes regarded as his first murder, Lynda Ann Healy, a 21 year old senior at the University of Washington. Her skull is not found until a year later. By the time he was executed, Bundy had committed nearly 30 murders, mostly women with dark long hair. It is believed that he may have murdered as early as 1961, when he was 15, but proof is at best circumstantial.
Jan 31 1989
Copies of the March Playboy with LaToya Jackson posing with... snakes! hit the newsstands. She also has a snake tattoo. Face it, the lady really really likes snakes.
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