Today In History #01

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Today in History
Associated Press – January 13, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Thursday, Jan. 13, the 13th day of 2011. There are 352 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 13, 1794, President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. (The number of stripes was later reduced to the original 13.)

On this date:

In 1733, James Oglethorpe and some 120 English colonists arrived at Charleston, S.C., while en route to settle in present-day Georgia.

In 1864, composer Stephen Foster died impoverished in a New York hospital at age 37. (In his pocket: a note which read, "Dear friends and gentle hearts.")

In 1898, Emile Zola's famous defense of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, "J'accuse," (zhah-KOOZ') was published in Paris.

In 1941, a new law went into effect granting Puerto Ricans U.S. birthright citizenship. Novelist and poet James Joyce died in Zurich, Switzerland, less than a month before his 59th birthday.

In 1945, during World War II, Soviet forces began a huge, successful offensive against the Germans in Eastern Europe.

In 1962, comedian Ernie Kovacs died in a car crash in west Los Angeles 10 days before his 43rd birthday.

In 1966, Robert C. Weaver was named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon B. Johnson; Weaver became the first black Cabinet member.

In 1978, former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey died in Waverly, Minn., at age 66.

In 1982, an Air Florida 737 crashed into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge after takeoff during a snowstorm and fell into the Potomac River, killing a total of 78 people.

In 1990, L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the nation's first elected black governor as he took the oath of office in Richmond.

Ten years ago: An earthquake estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.7 struck El Salvador; more than 840 people were killed.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush met with Germany's new chancellor, Angela Merkel, at the White House. A U.S. Army OH-58 Kiowa helicopter went down near Mosul after coming to the aid of Iraqi police under hostile fire; its two pilots were killed. A U.S. missile strike in Pakistan killed a relative of al-Qaida's No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri (AY'-muhn ahl-ZWAH'-ree) and a terror suspect, but also 13 residents, prompting outrage among Pakistanis.

One year ago: Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital a day after a powerful earthquake, while in Washington, President Barack Obama pledged an all-out rescue and relief effort. During the first hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, top Wall Street bankers apologized for risky behavior that led to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, but still declared it seemed appropriate at the time. Rhythm-and-blues singer Teddy Pendergrass died in Bryn Mawr, Pa., at age 59.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Liz Anderson is 81. Actress Frances Sternhagen is 81. Personality/Journalist Nick Clooney (brother of Rosemary, father of George) is 77. Comedian/Actor Rip Taylor (born Charles Elmer Taylor, Jr.) is 77. Actor Billy Gray is 73. Actor Richard Moll is 68. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Trevor Rabin is 57. R&B Drummer/Percussionist Fred White ("Earth, Wind & Fire) is 56. Rock Bassist James Lomenzo ("Megadeth") is 52. Actor Kevin Anderson is 51. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is 50. Rock singer Graham "Suggs" McPherson ("Madness") is 50. Country Singer/Guitarist Trace Adkins is 49. Actress Penelope Ann Miller is 47. Actor Patrick Dempsey is 45. Actress Traci Bingham is 43. Actor Keith Coogan is 41. Actress Nicole Eggert is 39. Actor Orlando Bloom is 34. Actor Julian Morris is 28.

Thought for Today: "I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day." — James Joyce (1882-1941).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 14, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Friday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2011. There are 351 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 14, 1784, the United States ratified a peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War.

On this date:

In 1639, the first constitution of Connecticut — the Fundamental Orders — was adopted.

In 1858, Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and his wife, Empress Eugenie, escaped an assassination attempt led by Italian revolutionary Felice (fay-LEE'-chay) Orsini, who was later captured and executed.

In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" had its world premiere in Rome.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.

In 1952, NBC's "Today" show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or "communicator," as he was officially known.

In 1953, Josip Broz Tito (YAW'-sihp brawz TEE'-toh) was elected president of Yugoslavia by the country's Parliament.

In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with a pledge of "segregation forever."

In 1968, the Green Bay Packers of the NFL defeated the AFL's Oakland Raiders, 33-14, in Super Bowl II.

In 1969, 27 people aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, off Hawaii, were killed when a rocket warhead exploded, setting off a fire and additional explosions.

In 1970, Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their last concert together, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.

Ten years ago: The matchup for Super Bowl XXXV (35) was decided as the New York Giants shut out the Minnesota Vikings, 41-0, to win the NFC championship and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Oakland Raiders, 16-3, to gain the AFC title.

Five years ago: The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's trial (Rizgar Mohammed Amin) submitted his resignation (he was succeeded by Raouf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman). Johnny Weir won his third straight title at the U.S. Figure Skating championships in St. Louis; Sasha Cohen won the women's division; Michelle Kwan was given a berth on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team. Academy Award-winning actress Shelley Winters died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 85.

One year ago: President Barack Obama and the U.S. moved to take charge in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, dispatching thousands of troops along with tons of aid. Iraq's electoral commission barred 500 candidates from running in March 2010 parliamentary elections, including a prominent Sunni lawmaker, deepening sectarian divides.

Today's Birthdays: CBS commentator Andy Rooney is 92. Blues singer Clarence Carter is 75. Country singer Billie Jo Spears is 74. Singer Jack Jones is 73. Singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint is 73. Former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond is 71. Actress Faye Dunaway is 70. Actress Holland Taylor is 68. Actor Carl Weathers is 63. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Producer T-Bone Burnett (born Joseph Henry Burnett) is 63. Movie writer-director Lawrence Kasdan is 62. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd is 59. Rock singer Geoff Tate ("Queensryche") is 52. Movie writer-director Steven Soderbergh is 48. Actor Mark Addy is 47. Fox News Channel anchorman Shepard Smith is 47. Rapper Slick Rick (real name Richard Walters) is 46. Actor Dan Schneider is 45. Actress Emily Watson is 44. Actor-comedian Tom Rhodes is 44. Rock Guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt)("Ozzy Osbourne Band") is 44. Rapper-actor LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith) is 43. Actor Jason Bateman is 42. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Drummer Dave Grohl ("Foo Fighters") is 42. Actress Jordan Ladd is 36. Retro-soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard is 29. Rock Singer/Guitarist Caleb Followill (real name Anthony Caleb Followill)("Kings of Leon") is 29. Rock Guitarist Joe Guese ("The Click Five") is 28.

Thought for Today: "Dignity is like a perfume; those who use it are scarcely conscious of it." — Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 15, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Saturday, Jan. 15, the 15th day of 2011. There are 350 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 15, 1961, a U.S. Air Force radar tower off the New Jersey coast collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean during a severe storm, killing all 28 men aboard. (The structure was known as "Texas Tower 4" because of its resemblance to an oil platform.)

On this date:

In 1559, England's Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1777, the people of New Connecticut declared their independence. (The tiny republic later became the state of Vermont.)

In 1844, the University of Notre Dame received its charter from the state of Indiana.

In 1929, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta.

In 1943, work was completed on the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of War (now Defense).

In 1947, the mutilated remains of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, who came to be known as the "Black Dahlia," were found in a vacant Los Angeles lot; her slaying remains unsolved.

In 1967, the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League 35-10 in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, retroactively known as Super Bowl I.

In 1971, the recently completed Aswan High Dam in Egypt was dedicated during a ceremony attended by President Anwar Sadat and Soviet President Nikolai Podgorny.

In 1981, the police drama series "Hill Street Blues" premiered on NBC.

In 2009, US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger ditched his Airbus 320 in the Hudson River after a flock of birds disabled both the plane's engines; all 155 people aboard survived.

Ten years ago: President-elect George W. Bush marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday at an elementary school in Houston, where he promised black Americans: "My job will be to listen not only to the successful, but also to the suffering." Wikipedia, a web-based encyclopedia, made its debut.

Five years ago: After a seven-year journey, a NASA space capsule, Stardust, returned safely to Earth with the first dust ever fetched from a comet. Michelle Bachelet (bah-cheh-LET') was elected Chile's first woman president. Kuwait's longtime ruler, Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, died; he was succeeded by the crown prince, Sheik Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah.

One year ago: United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes appealed for more than $560 million to help three million victims of the earthquake in Haiti, calling it "a huge and a horrifying catastrophe." Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license in the District of Columbia, a felony. (Arenas was sentenced to a month in a halfway house and suspended until the end of the season by the NBA.)

Today's Birthdays: Actress Margaret O'Brien is 74. Actress/Comedienne Andrea Martin is 64. Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 54. Actor James Nesbitt is 46. Singer Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez)("Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam") is 44. Actor Chad Lowe is 43. Alt-country singer Will Oldham (aka "Bonnie Prince Billy") is 41. Actress Regina King is 40. Actor Eddie Cahill is 33. Rapper/reggaeton artist Pitbull (born Armando Christian Pérez) is 30.

Thought for Today: "I refuse to accept the idea that the 'is-ness' of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the 'ought-ness' that forever confronts him." — Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 16, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Sunday, Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2011. There are 349 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 16, 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. In an address to the nation, President George H.W. Bush declared, "The battle has been joined."

On this date:

In 1547, Ivan IV of Russia (popularly known as "Ivan the Terrible") was crowned czar.

In 1883, the U.S. Civil Service Commission was established.

In 1919, pianist and statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski (pah-der-EF'-skee) became the first premier of the newly created republic of Poland.

In 1920, Prohibition began in the United States as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect, one year to the day after its ratification. (It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.)

In 1935, fugitive gangster Fred Barker and his mother, Kate "Ma" Barker, were killed in a shootout with the FBI at Lake Weir, Fla.

In 1942, actress Carole Lombard, 33, her mother and about 20 other people died when their plane crashed near Las Vegas, Nev., while returning from a war-bond promotion tour.

In 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in London.

In 1969, two manned Soviet Soyuz spaceships became the first vehicles to dock in space and transfer personnel.

In 1978, NASA named 35 candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America's first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America's first black astronaut in space.

In 1981, in Northern Ireland, Protestant gunmen shot and wounded Irish nationalist leader Bernadette Devlin McAliskey and her husband.

Ten years ago: Confirmation hearings for Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft opened in Washington with Senate Democrats throwing jabs at him over abortion and civil rights. Laurent Kabila (loh-RAWN' kah-BEE'-lah), president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was mortally shot and wounded by a bodyguard at his home. Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on their first try. Leonard Woodcock, former head of the United Auto Workers union, died in Ann Arbor, Mich., at age 89.

Five years ago: A U.S. military helicopter crashed north of Baghdad, killing the two crew members; it was the third American chopper to go down in ten days. Africa's first elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was sworn in as Liberia's new president. "Brokeback Mountain" won four Golden Globes, including best motion picture drama; "Lost" won best dramatic television series while "Desperate Housewives" won for best musical or comedy series.

One year ago: Precious water and food began reaching parched and hungry earthquake survivors on streets of ruined Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Haitian President Rene Preval (reh-NAY' preh-VAHL') and promised that U.S. quake relief efforts would be closely coordinated with local officials. Glen W. Bell Jr., 86, founder of the Taco Bell chain, died in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Today's Birthdays: Author William Kennedy is 83. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 81. Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 77. Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt (full name Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr.) is 76. R&B Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Barbara Lynn (born Barbara Lynn Ozen, later Barbara Lynn Cumby) is 69. Country Singer/Pianist Ronnie Milsap is 68. Country singer Jim Stafford is 67. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 64. Movie director John Carpenter is 63. Actress/Dancer/Choreographer Debbie Allen is 61. Adult Contemporary Singer Sade (born Helen Folasade Adu) is 52. Rock Bassist Paul Webb ("Talk Talk") is 49. R&B singer Maxine Jones ("En Vogue") is 45. Actor David Chokachi is 43. Actor Richard T. Jones is 39. Actress Josie Davis is 38. Model Kate Moss is 37. Rock Guitarist Nick Valensi ("The Strokes") is 30. Actress Yvonne Zima is 22.

Thought for Today: "A fanatic is a man that does what he thinks th' Lord wud do if He knew th' facts iv th' case." -- Finley Peter Dunne, American humorist (1867-1936).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 17, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Monday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2011. There are 348 days left in the year. This is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address, in which he warned, "We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

On this date:

In 1562, French Protestants were recognized under the Edict of St. Germain.

In 1893, the 19th president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, died in Fremont, Ohio, at age 70. Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown as a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Lili'uokalani (lee-LEE'-oo-oh-kah-LAH'-nee) to abdicate.

In 1917, the United States paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.

In 1945, Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.

In 1950, the Great Brink's Robbery took place as seven masked men held up a Brink's garage in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders. (Although the entire 11-member gang was later caught, only part of the loot was recovered.)

In 1971, the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.

In 1989, five children were shot to death at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by a drifter, Patrick Purdy, who then killed himself.

In 1994, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 72 people.

In 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of Kobe (koh-bay), Japan.

Ten years ago: Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people; Gov. Gray Davis signed an emergency order authorizing the state to buy power.

Five years ago: The U.S. Supreme Court protected Oregon's assisted-suicide law, ruling that doctors there who helped terminally ill patients die could not be arrested under federal drug laws. Hostage American reporter Jill Carroll appeared in a silent 20-second video aired by Al-Jazeera television, which said her abductors had given the United States 72 hours to free female prisoners in Iraq or she would be killed. (Carroll was freed unharmed on March 30, 2006.) California executed convicted killer Clarence Ray Allen a day after his 76th birthday.

One year ago: President Barack Obama appeared at a rally in Boston for Democratic senatorial candidate Martha Coakley, who was running in a special election. (Coakley ended up losing to Republican Scott Brown.) Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to a Rome synagogue, where he and Jewish leaders sparred over the World War II-era record of Pope Pius XII. Erich Segal, author of the best-selling novel "Love Story," died in London at age 72. At the Golden Globes, top honors went to James Cameron's "Avatar" as well as the TV series "Glee" and "Mad Men."

Today's Birthdays: Actress Betty White is 89. Former Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach is 89. Former FCC chairman Newton N. Minow is 85. Hairdresser/Entrepreneur Vidal Sassoon is 83. Actor James Earl Jones is 80. Talk show host Maury Povich is 72. International Boxing Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) is 69. Pop singer Chris Montez is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer William Hart ("The Delfonics") is 66. Rock Singer/Guitarist Mick Taylor (formerly of "The Rolling Stones") is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sheila Hutchinson ("The Emotions") is 58. Country Singer/Guitarist Steve Earle is 56. Blue-eyed Soul Singer Paul Young is 55. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 54. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Susanna Hoffs ("The Bangles") is 52. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 49. First Lady Michelle Obama is 47. Actor Joshua Malina is 45. Ragga Singer Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon) is 45. Rock Drummer Jon Wysocki ("Staind") is 43. Actor Naveen Andrews is 42. Country Rock Singer Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie) is 40. Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 36. Actress Zooey Deschanel is 31. Singer Ray J (real name William Raymond Norwood, Jr.) is 30. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 29.

Thought for Today: "If there is one basic element in our Constitution, it is civilian control of the military." — President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 18, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 18, the 18th day of 2011. There are 347 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 18, 1911, the first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely brought his Curtiss biplane in for a safe landing on the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Harbor.

On this date:

In 1778, English navigator Captain James Cook reached the Hawaiian Islands, which he dubbed the "Sandwich Islands."

In 1862, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, died in Richmond, Va. at age 71.

In 1871, William I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor in Versailles (vehr-SY'), France.

In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference, held to negotiate peace treaties ending World War I, opened in Versailles (vehr-SY'), France.

In 1943, during World War II, the Soviets announced they'd broken through the long Nazi siege of Leningrad (it was another year before the siege was fully lifted). A wartime ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread in the U.S. — aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts — went into effect.

In 1949, Charles Ponzi, engineer of one of the most spectacular swindles in history, died destitute at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at age 66.

In 1957, a trio of B-52's completed the first non-stop, round-the-world flight by jet planes, landing at March Air Force Base in California after more than 45 hours aloft.

In 1967, Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Mass., of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. (Sentenced to life, DeSalvo was killed in prison in 1973.)

In 1970, David Oman McKay, the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at the age of 96.

In 1991, financially strapped Eastern Airlines shut down after more than six decades in business. Former New York Rep. Hamilton Fish died in Cold Spring, N.Y., at age 102.

Ten years ago: President Bill Clinton, in a farewell from the Oval Office, told the nation that America had "done well" during his presidency, with record-breaking prosperity and a cleaner environment. Electricity-strapped California saw a second day of rolling blackouts. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson revealed an extramarital affair that had resulted in the birth of a daughter.

Five years ago: The Supreme Court gave New Hampshire a chance to salvage its restrictions on abortion, reaffirming that states can require parental involvement in abortion decisions but also ordering a lower court to fix problems with New Hampshire's 2003 notification law. (New Hampshire ended up appealing the law in 2007.) Knicks forward Antonio Davis climbed into the stands during a game because he believed his wife was involved in an altercation with a Bulls fan; Davis was ejected without a scuffle during New York's 106-104 overtime loss at Chicago. (He was suspended for five games.)

One year ago: Taliban militants wearing explosive vests launched a brazen daylight assault on the center of Kabul with suicide bombings and gunbattles that paralyzed the Afghan capital for hours. Mehmet Ali Agca (MEH'-met AH'-lee AH'-juh), the man who shot and seriously wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981, emerged from a prison on the outskirts of Ankara, Turkey, after more than 29 years behind bars. Crime novelist Robert B. Parker died in Cambridge, Mass., at age 77.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director John Boorman is 78. Former Sen. Paul Kirk (D-Mass.) is 73. Singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 70. Comedian/Singer/Songwriter/Musician/Producer/Writer Brett Hudson is 58. Actor-director Kevin Costner is 56. Country singer Mark Collie is 55. Actress Jane Horrocks is 47. Comedian Dave Attell is 46. Actor Jesse L. Martin is 42. Rapper DJ Quik (real name David Marvin Blake) is 41. Rock singer Jonathan Davis ("Korn") is 40. Singer Christian Burns ("BBMak") is 38. NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous is 38. Actor Derek Richardson is 35. Actor Jason Segel is 31. Actress Samantha Mumba is 28. Country singer Kristy Lee Cook (seventh place finalist on Season 7 of TV's "American Idol") is 27.

Thought for Today: "What has made this nation great? Not its heroes but its households." — Sarah Orne Jewett, American author (1849-1909).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 19, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 19, the 19th day of 2011. There are 346 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 19, 1861, Georgia became the fifth state to secede from the Union as delegates to a special convention in Milledgeville (MIHL'-ihj-vihl) (then the capital) voted 208-89 for separation.

On this date:

In 1807, Confederate general Robert E. Lee was born in Westmoreland County, Va.

In 1853, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premiered in Rome.

In 1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.

In 1944, the federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads following settlement of a wage dispute.

In 1955, a presidential news conference was filmed for television for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1960, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of America was signed by both countries in Washington, D.C.

In 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister of India.

In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon nominated G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court; however, the nomination was defeated because of controversy over Carswell's past racial views.

In 1980, retired Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas died in Washington, D.C., at age 81.

In 1981, the United States and Iran signed an accord paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.

Ten years ago: In a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years. Former NFL player Rae Carruth (ray kuh-ROOTH') was acquitted of first-degree murder but convicted of conspiracy and two other charges in the fatal shooting of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, in Charlotte, N.C. (Carruth was later sentenced to a minimum of 18 years, 11 months in prison and a maximum of 24 years, four months.)

Five years ago: Osama bin Laden, in an audiotape that was his first in more than a year, said al-Qaida was preparing for attacks in the United States; at the same time, he offered a "long-term truce" without specifying the conditions. Vice President Dick Cheney defended the administration's domestic surveillance program, calling it an essential tool in monitoring al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations. An unmanned NASA spacecraft blasted off on a 3-billion-mile journey to Pluto. A fire at a Massey Energy Co. mine in West Virginia killed two workers. Death claimed soul pioneer Wilson Pickett at age 64 and actor Anthony Franciosa at age 77.

One year ago: In a major upset, Republican Scott Brown captured the U.S. Senate seat held by liberal champion Edward Kennedy for nearly half a century as he defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election. Eight people were shot to death in Appomattox, Va.; suspect Christopher Speight (spayt) is charged with capital murder. Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was slain at a posh airport hotel in Dubai (officials in Dubai have accused Israel of carrying out the killing).

Today's Birthdays: Former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar is 91. Actress Jean Stapleton is 88. Actor Fritz Weaver is 85. Actress Tippi Hedren is 81. Former PBS newsman Robert MacNeil is 80. Movie director Richard Lester is 79. Rock & Roll Pioneer and Rock & Roll Hall-Of-Famer Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Phil Everly is 72. Actor-singer Michael Crawford is 69. Actress Shelley Fabares is 67. Country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Dolly Parton is 65. ABC newswoman Ann Compton is 64. TV chef Paula Deen is 64. Rock singer Martha Davis ("The Motels") is 60. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Dewey Bunnell ("America") is 59. Actor Desi Arnaz, Jr. is 58. Comedian Paul Rodriguez is 56. Conductor Sir Simon Rattle is 56. Actress Katey Sagal is 54. Reggae Keyboardist Mickey Virtue (formerly of "UB40") is 54. Rock Bassist Jeff Pilson ("Foreigner") is 53. Actor Paul McCrane is 50. Actor William Ragsdale is 50. International Tennis Hall of Famer Stefan Edberg is 45. Rock singer Whitfield Crane ("Ugly Kid Joe") is 43. Singer Trey Lorenz is 42. Actor Shawn Wayans is 40. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist John Wozniak ("Marcy Playground") is 40. Actress Drea de Matteo is 39. Comedian-impressionist Frank Caliendo is 37. Actress Marsha Thomason is 35. Actress Jodie Sweetin is 29. Actor Logan Lerman is 19. Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson is 19.

Thought for Today: "Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it." — Christopher Darlington Morley, American journalist (1890-1957).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 20, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Thursday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2011. There are 345 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States; in his inaugural address, Kennedy declared, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

On this date:

In 1801, Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President John Adams to be chief justice of the United States (he was sworn in on Feb. 4, 1801).

In 1841, the island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. (It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.)

In 1936, Britain's King George V died; he was succeeded by Edward VIII.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.

In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Jews.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman was sworn in for a second term of office.

In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States; Spiro Agnew took the oath of vice president.

In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

In 1986, the United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th, as well as first African-American, president.

Ten years ago: George Walker Bush became America's 43rd president after one of the most turbulent elections in U.S. history. Hundreds of thousands of protesting Filipinos forced President Joseph Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in as the new president. Michelle Kwan won her fourth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship title while Timothy Goebel (GAY'-bul) won his first men's title.

Five years ago: Michael Fortier (FOHR'-tee-ur), the government's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trials, was released from federal prison after serving more than 10 years for failing to warn authorities about the plot. Japan halted all imports of U.S. beef because of mad cow fears. (Shipments resumed six months later.)

One year ago: National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair conceded missteps in the government's handling of the Christmas Day 2009 airline bombing attempt in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Today's Birthdays: Country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Slim Whitman (real name Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr.) is 87. Comedian Arte Johnson is 82. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (born Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.)(Second man to set foot on the Moon) is 81. Olympic gold medal figure skater Carol Heiss is 71. Singer Eric Stewart is 66. Movie director David Lynch is 65. Country-rock Singer/Drummer George Grantham ("Poco") is 64. Actor Daniel Benzali is 61. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Paul Stanley ("KISS") is 59. Rock Bassist Ian Hill ("Judas Priest") is 59. Talk Show Host/Political Commentator/Comedian Bill Maher is 55. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 53. Actor James Denton is 48. Rock Singer/Bassist Greg K. (full name Greg Kriesel)("The Offspring") is 46. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 46. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is 46. Actor Rainn Wilson (TV's "The Office") is 45. Actress Stacey Dash is 44. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 43. Singer Xavier is 43. Actor Reno Wilson is 42. Singer Edwin McCain is 41. Actor Skeet Ulrich (born Bryan Ray Trout) is 41. Rap Drummer ?uestlove (pronounced 'questlove', real name Ahmir Khalib Thompson)("The Roots") is 40. Rock Singer/Drummer Rob Bourdon ("Linkin Park") is 32. Actor Evan Peters is 24.

Thought for Today: "To enjoy life one should give up the lure of life." — Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian religious leader (1869-1948).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 21, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Friday, Jan. 21, the 21st day of 2011. There are 344 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 21, 1861, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi and four other Southerners whose states had seceded from the Union resigned from the U.S. Senate.

On this date:

In 1793, during the French Revolution, King Louis XVI, condemned for treason, was executed on the guillotine.

In 1910, the Great Paris Flood began as the rain-swollen Seine River burst its banks, sending water into the French capital.

In 1911, Sen. Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin announced creation of the National Progressive Republican League with the goal of promoting "popular government and progressive legislation."

In 1915, the first Kiwanis Club was founded, in Detroit.

In 1924, Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin died at age 53.

In 1950, former State Department official Alger Hiss, accused of being part of a Communist spy ring, was found guilty in New York of lying to a grand jury. (Hiss, who proclaimed his innocence, served less than four years in prison.) George Orwell (Eric Blair), author of "Nineteen Eighty-Four," died in London at age 46.

In 1954, the first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched at Groton (GRAH'-tuhn), Conn. (However, the Nautilus did not make its first nuclear-powered run until nearly a year later.)

In 1968, the Battle of Khe Sanh began during the Vietnam War as North Vietnamese forces attacked a U.S. Marine base; the Americans were able to hold their position until the siege was lifted 2 1/2 months later. In Greenland, an American B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed, killing one crew member and scattering radioactive material.

In 1970, the Boeing 747 went on its first commercial flight as Pan Am passengers traveled from New York to London.

In 1976, the supersonic Concorde jet was put into service by Britain and France.

Ten years ago: Pope John Paul II elevated archbishops of New York and Washington and 35 other church leaders to the College of Cardinals. The Roman epic "Gladiator" claimed best dramatic movie and the 1970s rock-and-roll story "Almost Famous" won best comedy at the Golden Globes Awards. Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist convicted of assassinating civil rights leader Medgar Evers, died in Jackson, Miss., at age 80.

Five years ago: Rescuers in West Virginia found the bodies of two miners who'd disappeared after a conveyor belt caught fire deep inside a coal mine. A Red Cross-chartered helicopter that had been used for earthquake relief in Pakistan went missing (the wreckage of the copter and the bodies of the seven people on board were found in June 2006).

One year ago: A bitterly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, vastly increased the power of big business and labor unions to influence government decisions by freeing them to spend their millions directly to sway elections for president and Congress. Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards finally admitted fathering a child during an affair before his second White House bid. Toyota recalled 2.3 million U.S. vehicles to fix accelerator pedals.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Ann Wedgeworth is 77. World Golf Hall of Famer Jack Nicklaus is 71. Opera singer Placido Domingo is 70. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Richie Havens is 70. Country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Mac Davis (born Morris Mac Davis) is 69. Actress Jill Eikenberry is 64. Country Guitarist/Fiddler Jim Ibbotson (formerly of "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band") is 64. Pop Soul Singer/Songwriter Billy Ocean (born Leslie Sebastian Charles) is 61. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is 61. Attorney General Eric Holder is 60. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is 58. Actor-director Robby Benson is 55. Actress/former fashion model Geena Davis (born Virginia Elizabeth Davis) is 55. Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon is 48. Actress Charlotte Ross is 43. Actor John Ducey is 42. Actress Karina Lombard is 42. Rapper Levirt ("B-Rock and the Bizz") is 41. Rock Drummer Mark Trojanowski ("Sister Hazel") is 41. Rock singer-songwriter Cat Power (born Charlyn Marie Marshall) is 39. Rock Turntablist/Keyboardist Chris Kilmore ("Incubus") is 38. Actor Vincent Laresca is 37. Pop Singer Emma Bunton ('Baby Spice' of "The Spice Girls") is 35. Country singer Phil Stacey is 33. R&B Singer/Songwriter/Rapper Nokio (born Tamir Mateen Raheem Hameed Ruffin)("Dru Hill") is 32. Actress Izabella Miko is 30.

Thought for Today: "The road to ruin is always kept in good repair." — Anonymous.
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 22, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Saturday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2011. There are 343 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, legalized abortions using a trimester approach.

On this date:

In 1498, during his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, explorer Christopher Columbus arrived at the present-day Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

In 1901, Britain's Queen Victoria died at age 81.

In 1907, the Richard Strauss opera "Salome" made its American debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; its racy content sparked outrage and forced cancellation of additional performances.

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for "peace without victory." (By April, however, America also was at war.)

In 1922, Pope Benedict XV died; he was succeeded by Pius XI.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy.

In 1959, 12 workers were killed in the Knox Mine Disaster in Pennsylvania.

In 1973, former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at age 64.

In 1995, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy died at the Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 104.

In 2008, actor Heath Ledger was found dead of an accidental prescription overdose in New York City; he was 28.

Ten years ago: On the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, President George W. Bush signed a memorandum reinstating full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid. Four of the seven convicts who'd broken out of a Texas prison the previous month were captured southwest of Denver; a fifth inmate killed himself.

Five years ago: Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, took office with a promise to lift his nation's struggling indigenous majority out of centuries of poverty and discrimination. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC title game, dismantling the Denver Broncos 34-17. The Seattle Seahawks claimed the NFC title, routing the Carolina Panthers 34-14.

One year ago: President Barack Obama tried to revive his battered agenda and rally Democrats with a renewed emphasis on jobs during a town hall meeting in Elyria, Ohio. The "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon raised over $66 million. Conan O'Brien ended his brief tenure on "The Tonight Show" after accepting a $45 million buyout from NBC to leave the show he'd long dreamed of hosting after only seven months. Actress Jean Simmons, 80, died in Santa Monica, Calif. Actor James Mitchell, 89, died in Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Birch Bayh (D-Ind.) is 83. Actress Piper Laurie is 79. Actor Seymour Cassel is 76. Author Joseph Wambaugh is 74. Actor John Hurt is 71. Rock Singer Steve Perry (born Stephen Ray Pereira)(former lead singer of "Journey") is 62. Country Singer/Bassist Teddy Gentry ("Alabama") is 59. Movie director Jim Jarmusch is 58. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Mike Bossy is 54. Actress Linda Blair is 52. Actress Diane Lane is 46. Actor-rapper DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes) is 46. Country singer Regina Nicks ("Regina Regina") is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Gay ("Shai") is 42. Actor Gabriel Macht is 39. Actor Balthazar Getty is 36. Actor Christopher Kennedy Masterson is 31. Pop singer Willa Ford is 30. Actress Beverley Mitchell is 30. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist/Record Producer Ben Moody is 30.

Thought for Today: "Children need models rather than critics." — Joseph Joubert, French moralist (1754-1824).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 23, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Sunday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2011. There are 342 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 23, 1961, word reached the world that the Portuguese ocean liner Santa Maria, with some 600 passengers aboard, had been seized in the Caribbean by two dozen hijackers led by Henrique Galvao, an opponent of Portugal's leader, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. (The drama ended on Feb. 2 with the surrender of the hijackers off Brazil.)

On this date:

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1943, critic Alexander Woollcott suffered a fatal heart attack during a live broadcast of the CBS radio program "People's Platform."

In 1950, the Israeli Knesset approved a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In 1960, the U.S. Navy-operated bathyscaphe (BATH'-ih-skahf) Trieste carried two men to the deepest known point in the Pacific Ocean, reaching a depth of more than 35,000 feet.

In 1964, the 24th amendment to the Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified.

In 1968, North Korea seized the Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, charging its crew with being on a spying mission. (The crew was released 11 months later.)

In 1973, President Richard M. Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War.

In 1981, American composer Samuel Barber died in New York at age 70.

Ten years ago: California energy officials eked sufficient power out of tight West Coast electricity supplies to avoid rush hour blackouts as lawmakers scrambled to make longer-term deals to buy power. Five people identified by Chinese authorities as Falun Gong followers set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square; two died.

Five years ago: Ford Motor Co. said it would cut up to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 facilities in North America by 2012. A U.S. military jury at Fort Carson, Colo., ordered a reprimand, but no jail time, for Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr., an Army interrogator convicted of killing an Iraqi general. Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party won Canada's national elections, ending 13 years of Liberal rule.

One year ago: Abby Sunderland, 16, left Marina del Rey, Calif. on her first attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. (The voyage ended a week and a-half later because the boat experienced power problems; Sunderland then made a second attempt, but that too fell short.) Rachael Flatt won her first title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash., finishing more than 10 points ahead of Mirai Nagasu (mih-RY' NAH'-guh-soo).

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., is 87. Actress Jeanne Moreau is 83. Actress Chita Rivera is 78. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 77. Actor Gil Gerard is 68. Actor Rutger Hauer is 67. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jerry Lawson ("The Persuasions") is 67. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., is 64. R&B Singer Anita Pointer ("The Pointer Sisters") is 63. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 61. Rock Bassist Bill Cunningham ("The Box Tops") is 61. Rock singer Robin Zander ("Cheap Trick") is 58. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (vee-yah-ry-GOH'-sah) is 58. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 54. Singer Anita Baker is 53. Reggae Singer/Bassist Earl Falconer ("UB40") is 52. Actress Gail O'Grady is 48. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Nelson is 40. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 37. Rock Singer/Bassist Nick Harmer ("Death Cab for Cutie") is 36. Christian Rock Singer/Bassist Nick DePartee ("Kutless") is 26.

Thought for Today: "The trouble is that hardly anybody in America goes to bed angry at night." — George J. Stigler, American economist (1911-1991).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 24, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Monday, Jan. 24, the 24th day of 2011. There are 341 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 24, 1961, a U.S. Air Force B-52 broke up and crashed near Goldsboro, N.C., dropping its payload of two nuclear bombs, neither of which went off; three of the eight crew members were killed.

On this date:

In 1742, Charles VII was elected Holy Roman Emperor during the War of the Austrian Succession.

In 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of '49.

In 1908, the Boy Scouts movement began in England under the aegis of Robert Baden-Powell.

In 1924, the Russian city of Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg) was renamed Leningrad in honor of the late revolutionary leader. (However, it has since been renamed St. Petersburg.)

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.

In 1965, Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

In 1978, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, Cosmos 954, plunged through Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated, scattering radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada.

In 1986, the Voyager 2 space probe swept past Uranus, coming within 50,679 miles of the seventh planet of the solar system.

In 1989, confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair.

In 2003, Tom Ridge was sworn in as the first head of the new Department of Homeland Security.

Ten years ago: The last two of seven escaped convicts from Texas were captured in Colorado after 42 days on the run; four others had been captured earlier, and one had committed suicide. Lucent Technologies said it would eliminate up to 16,000 jobs.

Five years ago: Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito won a 10-8 party-line approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Armed men seized two German engineers from a car in northern Iraq (both were later released). Tap dancer Fayard Nicholas died at age 91; actor Chris Penn died at age 40.

One year ago: In an audio message, Osama bin Laden endorsed the failed attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day and threatened new attacks against the United States. Afghanistan postponed parliamentary elections. The Indianapolis Colts beat the New York Jets 30-17 in the AFC championship game. The New Orleans Saints of the NFC made it to their first Super Bowl after battering the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime. Kelly Kulick became the first woman to win a PBA Tour title, beating Chris Barnes in the final of the 45th Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

Today's Birthdays: Oscar, Emmy & Golden Globe Award winning actor Ernest Borgnine is 94. Actor Jerry Maren (one of only 4 surviving 'Munchkins' of "The Wizard of Oz") is 92. Actor Marvin Kaplan ("Top Cat") is 84. Cajun Singer/Songwriter/Fiddler Doug Kershaw is 75. Country Singer/Songwriter/Pianist Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale) is 72. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Neil Diamond is 70. Singer Aaron Neville is 70. Actor Michael Ontkean is 65. Actor Daniel Auteuil is 61. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 61. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 60. Bandleader/Pianist/Singer/Songwriter Jools Holland (real name Julian Miles Holland) is 53. Actress Nastassja Kinski is 52. Rhythm-and-blues singer Theo Peoples is 50. Country Drummer Keech Rainwater ("Lonestar") is 48. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is 45. Comedian Phil LaMarr is 44. Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 43. R&B Singer/Songwriter Sleepy Brown (real name Patrick Brown)("Society of Soul") s 41. Actor Matthew Lillard is 41. Actress Merrilee McCommas is 40. Actor Ed Helms is 37. Actress Tatyana Ali is 32. Rock Guitarist Mitchell Marlow (formerly of "Filter") is 32. Actress Mischa Barton is 25.

Thought for Today: "The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one." — Brooks Atkinson, American drama critic (1894-1984).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 25, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2011. There are 340 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first presidential news conference to be carried live on radio and television.

On this date:

In 1787, Shays's Rebellion suffered a setback when debt-ridden farmers led by Capt. Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Mass.

In 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1909, the opera "Elektra" by Richard Strauss premiered in Dresden, Germany.

In 1915, Alexander Graham Bell inaugurated U.S. transcontinental telephone service between New York and San Francisco.

In 1936, former Gov. Al Smith, D-N.Y., delivered a radio address in Washington, titled "Betrayal of the Democratic Party," in which he fiercely criticized the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1947, American gangster Al Capone died in Miami Beach, Fla., at age 48.

In 1959, American Airlines began Boeing 707 jet flights between New York and Los Angeles.

In 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate. Idi Amin seized power in Uganda by ousting President Milton Obote (oh-BOH'-tay) in a military coup.

In 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.

In 1990, an Avianca Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and crashed in Cove Neck, Long Island, N.Y.; 73 of the 158 people aboard were killed. Actress Ava Gardner died in London at age 67.

Ten years ago: A jury in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., found 13-year-old Lionel Tate guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a six-year-old family friend, Tiffany Eunick. (An appeals court overturned the first-degree murder conviction in 2004. Tate was freed from prison under a deal in which he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years' probation; however, Tate is back behind bars for violating that probation.)

Five years ago: In his first encyclical, "God Is Love," Pope Benedict XVI said the Roman Catholic Church had a duty through its charitable work to influence political leaders to ease suffering and promote justice. Seven children were killed when the car they were in was crushed between a truck and a stopped school bus in Lake Butler, Fla. Richard Hatch of "Survivor" fame was convicted in Providence, R.I., of failing to pay taxes on his $1 million in winnings (he later served more than three years in federal prison and was then placed on supervised release, but now faces the prospect of further jail time for violating the terms of his release).

One year ago: Iraq hanged Ali Hassan al-Majid (ah-LEE' hah-SAHN' ahl mah-ZHEED'), known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in gassing 5,000 people in a Kurdish village. An Ethiopian airliner crashed into the Mediterranean after taking off from Beirut in a fierce thunderstorm; all 90 people aboard were killed. Director James Cameron's sci-fi spectacle "Avatar" overtook his shipwreck saga "Titanic" to become the world's highest-grossing film.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Gregg Palmer is 84. The former President of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, is 83. Actor Dean Jones is 80. Country singer Claude Gray is 79. Blues singer Etta James is 73. Movie director Tobe Hooper is 68. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 66. Actress Jenifer Lewis is 54. Actress Dinah Manoff is 53. Country Singer/Drummer Mike Burch ("River Road") is 45. Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kina (born Kina Cosper) is 42. Actress China Kantner is 40. Actress Ana Ortiz is 40. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Matt Odmark ("Jars of Clay") is 37. Actress Mia Kirshner is 36. Actress Christine Lakin is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Alicia Keys is 30. Actor Michael Trevino (TV's "The Vampire Diaries") is 26.

Thought for Today: "I don't want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally." — Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, American writer (1900-1948).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 26, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2011. There are 339 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 26, 1861, Louisiana passed an Ordinance of Secession, 113-17, at the state capitol in Baton Rouge, becoming the sixth state to break free from the United States.

On this date:

In 1788, the first European settlers in Australia, led by Capt. Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney.

In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.

In 1841, Britain formally occupied Hong Kong, which the Chinese had ceded to the British.

In 1870, Virginia rejoined the Union.

In 1911, the Richard Strauss opera "Der Rosenkavalier" (The Cavalier of the Rose) premiered in Dresden, Germany.

In 1942, the first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War II went ashore in Northern Ireland.

In 1950, India officially proclaimed itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as president.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell to be his personal physician; she was the first woman to hold the job.

In 1979, former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.

In 1996, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.

Ten years ago: Lacrosse coach Diane Whipple, 33, was attacked and killed by two huge dogs belonging to neighbors outside her apartment in San Francisco. (One of the dogs' owners, Marjorie Knoller, is serving 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder; her husband, Robert Noel, served just over two years for involuntary manslaughter.) A devastating earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent, killing some 20,000 people. Joseph Kabila was sworn in as Congo's president, following the assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila.

Five years ago: Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Denmark to protest caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper. (Protests spread across the Muslim world for weeks, and dozens of people were killed.) Confronted by Oprah Winfrey on her syndicated talk show, author James Frey acknowledged lies in his addiction memoir "A Million Little Pieces."

One year ago: Toyota suspended U.S. sales of several popular vehicle models to fix sticking accelerator pedals; the suspension was on top of a recall of 23 million vehicles. Louis Auchincloss, 92, a prolific author of fiction and nonfiction, died in New York.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Anne Jeffreys is 88. Actress Joan Leslie is 86. Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 82. Former Baseball Catcher/Sportscaster/Actor Bob Uecker is 76. Actor Scott Glenn is 72. Singer Jean Knight is 68. Activist Angela Davis is 67. Rock Drummer Corky Laing (real name Laurence Gordon Laing)("Mountain") is 63. Actor David Strathairn is 62. Alt-country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Lucinda Williams is 58. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Eddie Van Halen is 56. Reggae Trombonist/Percussionist Norman Hassan ("UB40") is 53. Actress-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 53. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky is 50. Pop Rock Singer/Guitarist Andrew Ridgeley ("Wham") is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jazzie B. (real name Trevor Beresford Romeo)("Soul II Soul") is 48. Actor Paul Johansson is 47. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 41. Actress Jennifer Crystal is 38. Rock Drummer Chris Hesse ("Hoobastank") is 37. Actor Gilles Marini (ZHEEL ma-REE'-nee) is 35. NBA player Vince Carter is 34. Actress Sarah Rue is 33. Country Singer/Guitarist Michael Martin ("Marshall Dyllon") is 28.

Thought for Today: "My experience of the world is that things left to themselves don't get right." — T.H. Huxley, English biologist and author (1825-1895).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 27, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Thursday, Jan. 27, the 27th day of 2011. There are 338 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 27, 1981, President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran at the White House.

On this date:

In 1756, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.

In 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.

In 1901, opera composer Giuseppe Verdi died in Milan, Italy, at age 87.

In 1943, some 50 bombers struck Wilhelmshaven in the first all-American air raid against Germany during World War II.

In 1944, the Soviet Union announced the complete end of the deadly German siege of Leningrad, which had lasted for more than two years.

In 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.

In 1951, an era of atomic testing in the Nevada desert began as an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flat.

In 1967, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo spacecraft. More than 60 nations signed a treaty banning the orbiting of nuclear weapons.

In 1973, the Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris.

In 1977, the Vatican issued a declaration reaffirming the Roman Catholic Church's ban on female priests.

Ten years ago: Two Darmouth College professors, Half (hahlf) and Susanne (soo-ZAHN'-uh) Zantop, were murdered at their Hanover, N.H., home by two teen-agers. (Robert Tulloch later pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy and is serving a sentence of life without parole; James Parker pleaded guilty to being an accomplice to second-degree murder and is serving a sentence of 25 years to life.) Ten people were killed when a plane bringing people home from Oklahoma State University's basketball game against Colorado crashed in a field outside Denver. Lynn Swann and Ron Yary were both elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in their 14th year of eligibility.

Five years ago: Salzburg, Austria, held an exuberant 250th birthday party for its native son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Western Union delivered its last telegram. The first inhalable version of insulin, Exubera, won federal approval.

One year ago: Acknowledging that "change has not come fast enough," President Barack Obama vowed in his State of the Union address to get jobless millions back to work while fighting for ambitious overhauls of health care, energy and education. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad tablet computer during a presentation in San Francisco. J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of "The Catcher in the Rye," died in Cornish, N.H. at age 91. Actress Zelda Rubinstein died in Los Angeles at age 76.

Today's Birthdays: Blues Hall of Fame Singer Bobby "Blue" Bland is 81. Actor James Cromwell is 71. Actor/Comedian John Witherspoon is 69. Rock Drummer Nick Mason ("Pink Floyd") is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nedra Talley ("The Ronettes") is 65. Ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov is 63. Chief U.S. Justice John Roberts is 56. Country singer Cheryl White is 56. Country Singer/Guitarist Richard Young ("The Kentucky Headhunters") is 56. Actress Mimi Rogers is 55. Rock Guitarist/Songwriter Janick Gers ("Iron Maiden") is 54. Commentator Keith Olbermann is 52. Rock Singer Margo Timmins ("Cowboy Junkies") is 50. Rock Singer/Keyboardist/Guitarist Gillian Gilbert is 50. Actress Bridget Fonda is 47. Actor Alan Cumming is 46. Country singer Tracy Lawrence is 43. Rock singer Mike Patton is 43. Rapper Tricky (born Adrian Nicholas M. Thaws) is 43. Rock Singer/Songwriter Michael Kulas ("James") is 42. Actor-comedian Patton Oswalt is 42. Actor Josh Randall is 39. Country singer Kevin Denney is 35. Tennis player Marat Safin is 31.

Thought for Today: "When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him." — Jonathan Swift, Anglo-Irish satirist (1667-1745).
 
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Today in History
Associated Press – January 28, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Friday, Jan. 28, the 28th day of 2011. There are 337 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven of its crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.

On this date:

In 1547, England's King Henry VIII died; he was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

In 1853, Cuban revolutionary Jose Marti was born in Havana.

In 1909, the United States withdrew its forces from Cuba as Jose Miguel Gomez became president.

In 1911, the notorious Hope Diamond was sold by jeweler Pierre Cartier to socialites Edward and Evalyn (cq) McLean of Washington, D.C., for $180,000.

In 1915, the United States Coast Guard was created as President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill merging the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service.

In 1916, Louis D. Brandeis was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson to the Supreme Court; Brandeis became the court's first Jewish member.

In 1945, during World War II, Allied supplies began reaching China over the newly reopened Burma Road.

In 1960, the National Football League awarded franchises to Dallas and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

In 1973, a cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War.

In 1980, six U.S. diplomats who had avoided being taken hostage at their embassy in Tehran flew out of Iran with the help of Canadian diplomats.

Ten years ago: Only a week after naming a record-setting 37 new cardinals, Pope John Paul II announced five more cardinals — two Germans, one each from South Africa, Bolivia and Ukraine. The Baltimore Ravens' brazen defense backed up its bragging, beating the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV (35).

Five years ago: A memorial service was held at the Kennedy Space Center to honor the crew of the Challenger on the 20th anniversary of the shuttle disaster. Sixty-five people were killed when the roof of an exhibition hall in Katowice (kah-toh-VEET'-suh), Poland, collapsed during a racing pigeon fair. Amelie Mauresmo (AM'-uh-lee maw-REHS'-moh) won her first Grand Slam singles title when Justine Henin-Hardenne (EH'-nihn ahr-DEHN') retired in the second set of their Australian Open final because of stomach pain. Mauresmo led 6-1, 2-0.

One year ago: Major world powers opened talks in London seeking an end to the conflict in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced $8 billion in federal grants for high-speed rail projects nationwide during a visit to Tampa, Fla. Embattled Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke won Senate confirmation for a second term.

Today's Birthdays: Musician-composer Acker Bilk is 82. Actor Nicholas Pryor is 76. Actor Alan Alda is 75. Actress Susan Howard is 69. Actress Marthe (cq) Keller is 66. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is 64. Actress/Singer/Playboy Playmate Barbi Benton is 61. Evangelical pastor Rick Warren is 57. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is 56. Actress Harley Jane Kozak is 54. Movie director Frank Darabont is 52. Rock Guitarist Dave Sharp (born David Kitchingman)(formerly of "The Alarm") is 52. Rock singer Sam Phillips is 49. Rock Guitarist Dan Spitz is 48. Country Bassist Greg Cook ("Ricochet") is 46. Gospel singer Marvin Sapp is 44. Singer/Songwriter/Pianist/Guitarist Sarah McLachlan is 43. Rapper Rakim (born William Michael Griffin Jr.) is 43. DJ Muggs (real name Lawrence Muggerud)("Cypress Hill") is 43. Actress Kathryn Morris (TV's "Cold Case") is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer Anthony Hamilton is 40. Rock Keyboardist Brandon Bush is 38. MLB player Jermaine Dye is 37. Singer/Actor/TV Personality Joey Fatone Jr. ("'N Sync") is 34. Rapper Rick Ross (real name William Leonard Roberts II) is 34. Actress Rosamund Pike is 32. Singer Nick Carter ("Backstreet Boys") is 31. Actor Elijah Wood is 30. Actress Ariel Winter (TV's "Modern Family") is 13.

Thought for Today: "A self-taught man usually has a poor teacher and a worse student." — Henny Youngman, British-born American comedian (1906-1998).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today in History
Associated Press – January 29, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Saturday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2011. There are 336 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 29, 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the Union.

On this date:

In 1820, Britain's King George III died at Windsor Castle.

In 1843, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was born in Niles, Ohio.

In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published in the New York Evening Mirror.

In 1856, Britain's Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross to reward military acts of valor during the Crimean War.

In 1919, the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which launched Prohibition, was certified by Acting Secretary of State Frank L. Polk.

In 1929, The Seeing Eye, a New Jersey-based school which trains guide dogs to assist the blind, was incorporated by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank.

In 1936, the first members of baseball's Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, N.Y.

In 1963, the first members of pro football's Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio. Poet Robert Frost died in Boston at age 88.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House, following the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In 1998, a bomb rocked an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., killing security guard Robert Sanderson and critically injuring nurse Emily Lyons. (The bomber, Eric Rudolph, was captured in May 2003 and is serving a life sentence.)

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush promised to "act boldly and swiftly" to address the nation's energy problems, and directed Vice President Dick Cheney to head a task force. DaimlerChrysler announced it was eliminating 26,000 jobs at its money-losing Chrysler division.

Five years ago: ABC "World News Tonight" co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Roger Federer won his seventh Grand Slam title, overcoming an early challenge from unseeded Marcos Baghdatis to win the Australian Open 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2. Avant garde video artist Nam June Paik died in Miami at age 74.

One year ago: In a remarkably sharp face-to-face confrontation in Baltimore, President Barack Obama chastised Republican lawmakers for opposing him on taxes, health care and the economic stimulus, while they accused him in turn of brushing off their ideas and driving up the national debt. A jury in Wichita, Kan., swiftly convicted abortion opponent Scott Roeder (ROH'-dur) of murder in the shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, one of the only doctors to offer late-term abortions in the U.S. Haitian authorities detained 10 U.S. Baptist missionaries who were transporting 33 children to a Dominican Republic orphanage, though as it turned out, most of the children had living parents; all of the Americans were later released.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Noel Harrison is 77. Author Germaine Greer is 72. Actress Katharine Ross is 71. Actor Tom Selleck is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bettye LaVette is 65. Actor Marc Singer is 63. Actress Ann Jillian is 61. Rock Drummer Tommy Ramone (real name Thomas Erdelyi)("Ramones") is 59. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Percussionist Louie Perez ("Los Lobos") is 58. Rhythm-and-blues/funk singer Charlie Wilson is 58. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 57. Country Singer/Actress/Model Irlene Mandrell is 55. Actress Diane Delano is 54. Actress Judy Norton Taylor ("The Waltons") is 53. Rock Bassist Johnny Spampinato ("NRBQ") is 52. Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis is 51. Rock Drummer David Baynton-Power ("James") is 50. Rock Singer/Bassist Eddie Jackson ("Queensryche") is 50. Actor Nicholas Turturro is 49. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Roddy Frame ("Aztec Camera") is 47. Actor-director Edward Burns is 43. Actress Heather Graham is 41. Actor Sharif Atkins is 36. Actress Sara Gilbert is 36. Actor Sam Jaeger (TV's "Parenthood") is 34. Actor Andrew Keegan is 32. Actor Jason James Richter is 31. Blues Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jonny Lang (born Jon Gordon Langseth, Jr.) is 30. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert (First runner-up on Season 8 of TV's "American Idol") is 29.

Thought for Today: "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." — Robert Frost, American poet (1874-1963).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today in History
Associated Press – January 30, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Sunday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2011. There are 335 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, 78, was shot and killed in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse (neh-too-RAHM' gahd-SAY'), a Hindu extremist. (Godse and a co-conspirator were later executed.)

On this date:

In 1649, England's King Charles I was beheaded.
SIO Note: King Charles' last years were marked by the English Civil War, in which he fought the forces of the English and Scottish Parliaments, which challenged the king's attempts to overrule and negate Parliamentary authority, whilst simultaneously using his position as head of the English Church to pursue religious policies. Charles was defeated in the First Civil War (1642–45), after which Parliament expected him to accept its demands for a constitutional monarchy. He instead remained defiant by attempting to forge an alliance with Scotland and escaping to the Isle of Wight. This provoked the Second Civil War (1648–49) and a second defeat for Charles, who was subsequently captured, tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. The monarchy was then abolished and replaced with a republic called the Commonwealth of England. That was followed by the Protectorate of England under Oliver Cromwell. Charles's son, Charles II, became king after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. In that same year, Charles I was canonized as "St. Charles Stuart" by the Church of England.

In 1882, the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Hyde Park, N.Y.

In 1911, James White, an intellectually disabled black man who'd been convicted of rape for having sex with a 14-year-old white girl when he was 16, was publicly hanged in Bell County, Ky. Jazz trumpeter Roy Eldridge was born in Pittsburgh.

In 1931, the Charles Chaplin feature "City Lights" had its world premiere in Los Angeles.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The first episode of the "Lone Ranger" radio program was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered his first State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Author, journalist and radio commentator Dorothy Thompson died in Lisbon, Portugal, at age 67.

In 1964, the United States launched Ranger 6, an unmanned spacecraft carrying television cameras that crash-landed on the moon, but failed to send back images.

In 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.

In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."

In 1981, an estimated two million New Yorkers turned out for a ticker-tape parade honoring the freed American hostages from Iran.

Ten years ago: Republicans pushed John Ashcroft's attorney general nomination to the Senate floor by a narrow 10-8 Judiciary Committee vote; all but one Democrat voted against him.

Five years ago: Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, at age 78. Exxon Mobil posted then-record profits for any U.S. company: $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter of 2005 and $36.13 billion for the year. Video aired by Al-Jazeera showed American journalist Jill Carroll, kidnapped while in Iraq, wearing an Islamic veil and weeping (she was released on March 30, 2006). Jennifer San Marco, an ex-postal worker, killed a former neighbor in Santa Barbara, Calif., before opening fire at a mail processing plant in Goleta, killing six people before committing suicide. Award-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein died in New York City at age 55.

One year ago: China suspended military exchange visits with the United States in protest over $6.4 billion in planned U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. (Those exchanges were reinstated in Jan. 2011.) Thousands of demonstrators from across Japan marched in central Tokyo to protest a U.S. military base on the island of Okinawa. Serena Williams ended Justine Henin's hopes of a Grand Slam title in her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory in the Australian Open final.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Dorothy Malone is 86. Producer-director Harold Prince is 83. Actor Gene Hackman is 81. Actress Tammy Grimes is 77. Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 74. Chess grandmaster Boris Spassky is 74. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 74. Country singer Norma Jean (full name Norma Jean Beasler) is 73. Former Vice President Dick Cheney is 70. Rock singer Marty Balin is 69. Rhythm-and-Blues Trumpeter/Guitarist/Keyboardist/Choreographer William King ("The Commodores") is 62. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Drummer Phil Collins is 60. Actor Charles S. Dutton is 60. World Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange is 56. Actress-comedian Brett Butler is 53. Singer Jody Watley is 52. Actor-filmmaker Dexter Scott King is 50. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, is 49. Actor Norbert Leo Butz is 44. Country singer Tammy Cochran is 39. Actor Christian Bale is 37. Pop-country singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is 31. Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 31. Actor Jake Thomas is 21.

Thought for Today: "Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." — Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today in History
Associated Press – January 31, 2011, 12:01 am ET

Today is Monday, Jan. 31, the 31st day of 2011. There are 334 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 31, 1961, NASA launched Ham the Chimp aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral; Ham was recovered safely from the Atlantic Ocean following his 16 1/2-minute suborbital flight.

On this date:

In 1606, Guy Fawkes, convicted of treason for his part in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.

In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of all the Confederate armies.

In 1917, during World War I, Germany served notice it was beginning a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.

In 1929, revolutionary Leon Trotsky and his family were expelled from the Soviet Union.

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces began a successful invasion of Kwajalein Atoll and other parts of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.

In 1945, Pvt. Eddie Slovik, 24, became the first U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion as he was shot by an American firing squad in France.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman announced he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.

In 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I.

In 1971, astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon.

In 2000, an Alaska Airlines jet plummeted into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 people aboard.

Ten years ago: A Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands convicted one Libyan, acquitted a second, in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. (Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi (AHB'-dehl BAH'-seht AH'-lee ahl-meh-GRAH'-hee) was given a life sentence, but was released after eight years on compassionate grounds by Scotland's government.) Without any fanfare, the state of Georgia hoisted its new flag above its statehouse, one featuring a smaller Confederate battle emblem. Michel Navratil, one of the last known survivors of the sinking of the Titanic, died in Montpellier, France, at age 92.

Five years ago: In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush declared that America had to break its long dependence on Mideast oil and rebuked critics of his stay-the-course strategy for the unpopular war in Iraq. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito was sworn in after winning Senate confirmation. The Senate approved Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve. British ballerina and actress Moira Shearer died in Oxford, England, at age 80.

One year ago: The annual World Economic Forum concluded a five-day meeting in Davos, Switzerland, with widespread agreement that a fragile recovery was under way but no consensus on what was going to spur job growth. Roger Federer easily beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) for a fourth Australian Open championship. The AFC beat the NFC 41-34 in the Pro Bowl, played ahead of the Super Bowl for the first time. Beyonce collected six trophies to become the most decorated female artist at a Grammy ceremony; Taylor Swift won four Grammys, including album of the year.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Carol Channing is 90. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks is 80. Composer Philip Glass is 74. Former Interior Secretary James Watt is 73. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is 73. Actor Stuart Margolin is 71. Actress Jessica Walter is 70. Former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., is 70. Blues Singer/Harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite is 67. Actor Glynn Turman is 65. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan is 64. Singer/Songwriter/Keyboardist KC (real name Harry Wayne Casey)("KC and the Sunshine Band)" is 60. Rock Singer/Songwriter Johnny Rotten (real name John Joseph Lydon) is 55. Actress Kelly Lynch is 52. Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 52. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Lloyd Cole is 50. Rock Guitarist/Songwriter Jeff Hanneman ("Slayer") is 47. Rock Bassist Al Jaworski ("Jesus Jones") is 45. Actress Minnie Driver is 41. Actress Portia de Rossi is 38. Actor-comedian Bobby Moynihan (currently on TV's "Saturday Night Live") is 34. Actress Kerry Washington is 34. Singer/Actor Justin Timberlake is 30.

Thought for Today: "We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is disappearing." — R.D. Laing, Scottish psychiatrist (1927-1989).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today in History
Associated Press – February 1, 2011, 12:00 am ET

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2011. There are 333 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 1, 1861, Texas voted to leave the Union, 166-8, at a Secession Convention in Austin.

On this date:

In 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened for the first time in New York. (However, since only three of the six justices were present, the court recessed until the next day.)

In 1893, the opera "Manon Lescaut," by Giacomo Puccini (JAH'-koh moh poo-CHEE'-nee), premiered in Turin, Italy.

In 1896, Puccini's opera "La Boheme" premiered in Turin.

In 1920, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came into existence, merging the Royal North West Mounted Police and the Dominion Police.

In 1946, Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie (TRIG'-vuh lee) was chosen to be the first secretary-general of the United Nations.

In 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they'd been refused service.

In 1961, the U.S. Air Force successfully test-fired the Minuteman I, its first solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, from a test site in Florida.

In 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (hoh-MAY'-nee) received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.

In 1991, 34 people were killed when an arriving USAir jetliner crashed atop a commuter plane on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of its crew members.

Ten years ago: John Ashcroft won confirmation as attorney general on a 58-42 Senate vote, completing President George W. Bush's Cabinet over strong Democratic opposition.

Five years ago: In his first case on the Supreme Court, new Justice Samuel Alito split with the court's conservatives, refusing to let Missouri execute a death-row inmate contesting lethal injection. French and German newspapers republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in what they called a defense of freedom of expression, sparking fresh anger from Muslims. United Airlines left bankruptcy after a painful restructuring that lasted more than three years.

One year ago: President Barack Obama unveiled a multitrillion-dollar spending plan, pledging an intensified effort to combat high unemployment and asking Congress to quickly approve new job-creation efforts that would boost the deficit to a record-breaking $1.56 trillion.

Today's Birthdays: America's last surviving World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, is 110. Gospel singer George Beverly Shea is 102. Actor Stuart Whitman is 83. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Singer/Guitarist Don Everly (born Isaac Donald Everly)("The Everly Brothers") is 74. Actor Garrett Morris is 74. Rock Singer/Guitarist Ray Sawyer ("Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show") is 74. Actor Sherman Hemsley is 73. Bluegrass singer Del McCoury is 72. Jazz Pianist/Keyboard Player/Composer Joe Sample is 72. TV personality-singer Joy Philbin is 70. Comedian Terry Jones is 69. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) is 67. Opera singer Carol Neblett is 65. Rock Guitarist/Producer Mike Campbell ("Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers") is 61. Blues Singer/Slide Guitarist Sonny Landreth is 60. Actor-writer-producer Bill Mumy (played 'Will Robinson' on TV's "Lost In Space") is 57. Rock singer Exene Cervenka (born as Christine Červenková) is 55. Actor Linus Roache is 47. Princess Stephanie of Monaco is 46. Country Singer/Keyboardist/Trumpeter Dwayne Dupuy ("Ricochet") is 46. Actress Sherilyn Fenn is 46. Lisa Marie Presley is 43. Comedian-actor Pauly Shore is 43. Actor Brian Krause is 42. Jazz Saxophonist Joshua Redman is 42. Rock Drummer Patrick Wilson ("Weezer") is 42. Actor Michael C. Hall is 40. Rock Drummer Ron Welty is 40. Rapper Big Boi (real name Antwan Patton)("Outkast") is 36. Country singer Julie Roberts is 32. Actor Jarrett Lennon is 29. TV personality Lauren Conrad is 25.

Thought for Today: "It is the tragedy of the world that no one knows what he doesn't know — and the less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything." — Joyce Cary, English author (1888-1957).
 

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