Blue Ribbon Sports, which would later become Nike, is founded by University of Oregon track and field athletes.

Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) was the original name of the company that eventually became Nike, one of the world’s most iconic and successful sportswear and athletic footwear companies. Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by Bill Bowerman, a track and field coach at the University of Oregon, and Phil Knight, one of his former athletes, in January 1964.

The company started as a distributor for the Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka Tiger (now ASICS). Knight and Bowerman began selling Onitsuka Tiger running shoes out of the trunk of Knight’s car at track meets. In 1964, they officially established Blue Ribbon Sports as a partnership.

The name “Blue Ribbon Sports” reflected the founders’ commitment to providing high-quality athletic footwear. As the business grew, the founders started designing their own athletic shoes, and in 1971, they decided to rebrand the company. The name Nike, inspired by the Greek winged goddess of victory, was chosen, and the iconic “swoosh” logo was created by graphic design student Carolyn Davidson.

The transition from Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike marked a significant turning point for the company. Nike continued to innovate in the athletic footwear industry, introducing new technologies and partnering with high-profile athletes. Over the years, Nike expanded its product line to include apparel and accessories, becoming a global leader in the sports and lifestyle market.

The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia, and becomes a popular wedding processional.

Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.

Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.

World War II: The Battle of the Bulge ends.
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101 Dalmatians is premiered from Walt Disney Productions.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith.

The 17th Disney animated feature film, the film tells the story of a litter of Dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by the villainous Cruella de Vil, who wants to use their fur to make into coats. Their parents, Pongo and Perdita, set out to save their children from Cruella, all the while rescuing 84 additional puppies that were bought in pet shops, bringing the total of Dalmatians to 101.

Originally released to theaters on January 25, 1961, by Buena Vista Distribution, One Hundred and One Dalmatians was a box office success, pulling the studio out of the financial slump caused by Sleeping Beauty, a costlier production released two years prior.

Aside from its box office revenue, its commercial success was due to the employment of inexpensive animation techniques—such as using xerography during the process of inking and painting traditional animation cels—that kept production costs down. It was remade into a live-action film in 1996.

Mother Teresa is honored with the Bharat Ratna which is India’s highest civilian award,

Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award instituted in 1954, is given in recognition of exceptional service, performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for this award.

The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President. The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.

On conferment of the award, the recipient receives a Sanad signed by the President and a medallion.

The award does not carry any monetary grant. The award cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient’s name.

However, should an award winner consider it necessary, he or she may use the following expression in their biodata or letterhead or visiting card etc. to indicate that he or she is a recipient of the award: ‘Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President’ or ‘Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award’.

Educationist Madan Mohan Malviya and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee are the 44th and 45th distinguished personalities who have been conferred with country’s highest civilian award.

Mother Teresa was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, on January 25, 1980, for her humanitarian work. Born to an Albanian family in Macedonia, her original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She left home at the age of 18 and came to India the following year. She founded a Roman Catholic religious congregation, Missionaries of Charity, in 1950.

The first Winter Olympics opens inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.

Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes the Norwegian research rocket, the Black Brant XII, for a USA missile.