Historical Events
- An unprecedented 3-way tie for the silver medal in the 500m speed skating at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; Americans Robert Fitzgerald & Ken Bartholomew, and Thomas Byberg of Norway are equal on 43.2s; Finn Helgesen of Norway wins gold, 43.1s
"A Perfect Day for Banana Fish"
J. D. Salinger's short story "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" appears in the New Yorker
- Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
- Sweden sweeps the medals in the 18km cross country event at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; Martin Lundström takes gold ahead of countrymen Nils Östensson and Gunnar Eriksson
- Swiss pair Felix Endrich & Friedrich Waller beat countrymen Fritz Feierabend & Paul Eberhard to win the 2-man bobsleigh gold medal at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; silver medallist Feierabend is team coach
Famous Birthdays
- Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician, born in Hokkaido, Japan
About January 31, 1948
Day of the Week: Saturday
How Long Ago? 76 years, 2 months and 27 days
Leap Year: Yes
Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Pig
Star Sign: Aquarius
