1706 - Statesman, inventor, scientist, printer, and patriot Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1953 Disney will release the short Ben and Me (adapted from the children's book written by author/illustrator Robert Lawson). The tail reveals the contributions of a mouse named Amos, to Franklin's career. Visit Mr. Franklin at Epcot's Audio-Animatronic stage show The American Adventure.

1905 - Erdman Penner, a writer, lyricist and member of the Firehouse Five Plus Two (a musical group made up of Disney Studio employees) is born in Canada. He will contribute to such Disney classics as Sleeping Beauty, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Lady and the Tramp, and Peter Pan.

1913 - Disney Legend, Imagineer & artist/color stylist Claude Coats is born in San Francisco, California. His stunning, watercolor background paintings featured in Pinocchio, continue to be heralded by Disney scholars, fans and art collectors for the rich and textured beauty they add to the animated film. His work can also be seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Cinderella, and Lady and the Tramp. Coats also created the backgrounds for such theme park attraction as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. (In fact, the Haunted Mansion tombstone which reads: At Peaceful Rest Lies BROTHER CLAUDE PLANTED HERE BENEATH THIS SOD - is in reference to Coats!)

1927 - Actress, singer and cabaret star Eartha Kitt is born in Columbia, South Carolina. Kitt's distinctive voice can be heard as the role of Yzma in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, the straight-to-video sequel Kronk's New Groove and the spin-off TV series The Emperor's New School, for which she won an Emmy Award and two Annie Awards for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production.

1930 - Walt Disney, accompanied by his wife Lillian, leave for New York City. Tensions have increased between the Disney Studio and Pat Powers over royalties from Mickey cartoons. In 1928, Powers had sold Walt a Cinephone system so that he could make sound cartoons such as Steamboat Willie. Unable to find a distributor for the sound cartoons, Disney released his cartoons through Powers' Celebrity Pictures company. Walt wants to confront Powers face-to-face in New York over money he feels he is due.

1931 - Actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King and its sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, is born in Arkabutla, Missouri. Jones also narrates Disney's American Legends - a 2002 animated home video release. Star Wars fans know him as the voice of Darth Vader!

1932 - The very first color Mickey Mouse comic strip - written and drawn by Floyd Gottfredson - is published.

1962 - Construction begins on Disneyland's Swiss Family Treehouse. (It will open the following November.)

1964 - T. H. White, author of "The Sword in the Stone," passes away aboard a ship in Greece. His 1938 story was the inspiration for the 1963 Disney animated feature The Sword in the Stone.

1976 - The Disney publicity department sponsors a 2-day Mouseketeer reunion at Disneyland.

1977 - The first New Mickey Mouse Club episode airs on KTTV in Los Angeles at 5 pm. Besides being produced in color, a major change in this version from the 1950s series is the daily themes. Monday is Who, What, Why, Where, When and How Day; Tuesday is Let's Go Day; Wednesday is Surprise Day; Thursday is Discovery Day; and Friday is Showtime Day.

1985 - The 3D film Magic Journeys opens at Tokyo Disneyland in Tomorrowland.

1997 - The Department of Justice and the Walt Disney Company sign an agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing at Walt Disney World attractions.

2003 - Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular opens at the Hyperion Theater in Disney's California Adventure the day after its official premiere. (Although the live stage show has been in previews since December 2002.)

2003 - That's So Raven debuts on Disney Channel with 4 episodes - "Test of Friendship," "Mother Dearest," "Party Animal," and "Wake Up, Victor." The new teen comedy series stars Raven as herself, Raven Baxter, an eccentric and offbeat teenager who has the ability to foresee flashes of the future.

2004 - A gala event is held in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel to celebrate the 90th birthday of animator and Disney Legend Bill Justice. (During his 42 years with Disney, Justice worked on such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi.)

2004 - Roy E. Disney appears at the meeting of NFFC - The Club for Disneyana Enthusiasts in California.

2005 - The Tokyo Disneyland nighttime show Cinderellabration: Lights of Romance begins performances.

2007 - It is announced that the Disney Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast will close at the Alfred Lunt-Lynn Fontanne Theatre on July 29th 2007 to make way for Disney's next musical venture - The Little Mermaid.

2008 - A Red Carpet Premiere for Walt Disney Pictures' Hanna Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert takes place at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. Ustream.TV presents a live broadcast of the event. The Disney Digital 3D film will officially open February 1.

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