1870 - US President Ulysses S Grant signs law resulting in US Army Signal Service’s establishment of its "Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce", later known as the National Weather Service 1934 - Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Romania) 1955 - Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts crematory law 1972 - British government declares a state of emergency after a month-long coal miners' strike 1979 - New York City premiere of Paul Schrader's allegedly fact based film "Hardcore" 1984 - Finnish cross-country skier Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen wins the 10k gold medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; first of 3 individual medal sweep, also winning 5k and 20k events 1995 - Augustus and Ruth Goetz' stage drama "The Heiress" opens at Cort Theater, NYC; runs for 340 performances 2000 - 50th Berlin International Film Festival: "Magnolia" wins the Golden Bear More Historical Events »