Today In History #01

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 2, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Monday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2012. There are 364 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 2, 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.

On this date:

In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1811, Sen. Timothy Pickering, a Federalist from Massachusetts, became the first member of the U.S. Senate to be censured after he'd improperly revealed the contents of an executive document.

In 1900, Secretary of State John Hay announced the "Open Door Policy" to facilitate trade with China.

In 1921, religious services were broadcast on radio for the first time as KDKA in Pittsburgh aired the regular Sunday service of the city's Calvary Episcopal Church.

In 1935, Bruno Hauptmann went on trial in Flemington, N.J., on charges of kidnapping and murdering the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. (Hauptmann was found guilty, and executed.)

In 1959, the Soviet Union launched its space probe Luna 1, the first manmade object to fly past the moon, its apparent intended target.

In 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency.

In 1971, 66 people were killed in a pileup of spectators leaving a soccer match at Ibrox (EYE'-brox) Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1974, President Richard M. Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 miles an hour. (Federal speed limits were abolished in 1995).

In 1981, police in Sheffield, England, arrested Peter Sutcliffe, who confessed to being the "Yorkshire Ripper," the serial killer of 13 women.

In 1991, Sharon Pratt (Dixon) was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., becoming the first black woman to head a city of Washington's size and prominence.

In 2006, 12 miners died in a methane gas explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia, W.Va., but one miner, Randal McCloy Jr., was eventually rescued.

Ten years ago: The new Afghan government confirmed that American bombs had killed the Taliban's intelligence chief (Qari Ahmadullah). Eduardo Duhalde (doo-AHL'-day) was sworn in as Argentina's president. The No. 5 Florida Gators crushed No. 6 Maryland 56-23 in the Orange Bowl.

Five years ago: The state funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford began with an elaborate service at Washington National Cathedral, then moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. New York City commuter Wesley Autrey Sr. saved Cameron Hollopeter, a 19-year-old film student who'd fallen onto subway tracks, by leaping down and pulling the teen and himself into the trough between the tracks as a train passed over them. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey opened a school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa. (The school later became embroiled in allegations of abuse; Winfrey apologized and promised an overhaul.) No. 5 Louisville beat No. 15 Wake Forest 24-13 in the Orange Bowl. Former Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek died at age 95.

One year ago: The U.S. Navy said it would investigate raunchy videos broadcast to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. (Capt. Owen P. Honors, who'd produced the videos as the ship's executive officer, was removed as the Enterprise's commander but was later allowed to remain in the Navy.) A magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook southern Chile, sending tens of thousands of people fearing a tsunami to higher ground. Maj. Richard "Dick" Winters, who'd fought in several major battles in World War II and whose quiet leadership was chronicled in the book and television miniseries "Band of Brothers," died in Palmyra, Pa., at age 92.

Today's Birthdays: Country Guitarist Harold Bradley is 86. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is 70. TV Host/Zoologist/Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Jack Hanna is 65. Actress Wendy Phillips is 60. Actress Gabrielle Carteris is 51. Movie director Todd Haynes is 51. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher David Cone is 49. Actress Tia Carrere is 45. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 44. Model Christy Turlington is 43. Actor Taye Diggs is 41. Rock Drummer Scott Underwood ("Train") is 41. Rock singer Doug Robb ("Hoobastank") is 37. Actor Dax Shepard is 37. Actress Paz Vega is 36. Country Keyboardist Chris Hartman is 34. Rock Singer/Saxophonist/Guitarist Jerry DePizzo Jr. ("O.A.R." or "Of A Revolution") is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kelton Kessee ("IMX") is 31. Actress Kate Bosworth is 29. Jazz Singer/Trombonist/Trumpeter/Composer 'Trombone Shorty' (born Troy Michael Andrews) is 26.

Thought for Today: "Love doesn't grow on trees like apples in Eden — it's something you have to make. And you must use your imagination too." — Joyce Cary, Anglo-Irish author (1888-1957).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 3, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 3, the third day of 2012. There are 363 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state as President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation.

On this date:

In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X.

In 1777, Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, N.J.

In 1861, more than two weeks before Georgia seceded from the Union, the state militia seized Fort Pulaski at the order of Gov. Joseph E. Brown. The Delaware House and Senate voted to oppose secession from the Union.

In 1911, the first postal savings banks were opened by the U.S. Post Office. (The banks were abolished in 1966.)

In 1938, the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was organized.

In 1949, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court said that states had the right to ban closed shops.

In 1958, the first six members of the newly formed U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held their first meeting at the White House.

In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced the United States was formally terminating diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba.

In 1967, Jack Ruby, the man who shot and killed accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in a Dallas hospital.

In 1980, conservationist Joy Adamson, author of "Born Free," was killed in northern Kenya by a former employee.

In 1990, ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission.

In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a historic nuclear missile-reduction treaty in Moscow.

Ten years ago: A three-year federal investigation into the political and personal finances of Senator Robert Torricelli (tohr-ih-SEL'-ee), D-N.J., ended with no criminal charges. A judge in Alabama ruled that former Ku Klux Klansman Bobby Frank Cherry was mentally competent to stand trial on murder charges in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls. (Cherry was later convicted, and served a life sentence until his death in Nov. 2004.) No. 1 Miami beat No. 4 Nebraska 37-14 in the Rose Bowl.

Five years ago: Gerald R. Ford was laid to rest on the grounds of his presidential museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., during a ceremony watched by thousands of onlookers. Four Americans and an Austrian abducted in southern Iraq spoke briefly and appeared uninjured in a video delivered to The Associated Press. (The men, security contractors for the Crescent Security Group based in Kuwait, were later killed by their captors.)

One year ago: Democrat Jerry Brown was sworn in as California's 39th governor, returning to the office he'd left 28 years earlier. Prosecutors in Dallas declared Cornelius Dupree Jr. innocent of a rape and robbery that had put him in prison for 30 years, longer than any other DNA exoneree in Texas.

(Stations: Lloyd, single name, is correct)

Today's Birthdays: Record producer Sir George Martin is 86. Actor Robert Loggia is 82. Actor Dabney Coleman is 80. Journalist-author Betty Rollin is 76. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull is 73. Singer/Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist/Producer Van Dyke Parks is 69. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Stephen Stills ("Buffalo Springfield", "Crosby, Stills & Nash" (and Young)) is 67. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist/Producer John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin)("Led Zeppelin") is 66. Actress Victoria Principal is 62. Actor-director Mel Gibson is 56. Actress Shannon Sturges is 44. Jazz musician James Carter is 43. Contemporary Christian singer Nichole Nordeman is 40. Actor Jason Marsden is 37. Actress/Mathematician Danica McKellar is 37. Actor Nicholas Gonzalez is 36. Singer/Songwriter Kimberley Locke (Th"American Idol") is 34. NFL quarterback Eli Manning is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lloyd (born Lloyd Polite, Jr.) is 26. Pop-rock Singer/Guitarist Nash Overstreet ("Hot Chelle (shel) Rae") is 26. Actor Alex D. Linz is 23.

Thought for Today: "Not all who wander are lost." — J.R.R. Tolkien, English author (born this date in 1892, died in 1973).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 4, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 4, the fourth day of 2012. There are 362 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 4, 1951, during the Korean War, North Korean and Communist Chinese forces recaptured the city of Seoul (sohl).

On this date:

In 1821, the first native-born American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, died in Emmitsburg, Md.

In 1861, Alabama seized a federal arsenal at Mount Vernon near Mobile.

In 1896, Utah was admitted as the 45th state.

In 1904, the Supreme Court, in Gonzalez v. Williams, ruled that Puerto Ricans were not aliens and could enter the United States freely; however, the court stopped short of declaring them U.S. citizens.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, called for legislation to provide assistance for the jobless, elderly, impoverished children and the handicapped.

In 1948, Burma (now called Myanmar) became independent of British rule.

In 1960, Algerian-born French author and philosopher Albert Camus (al-BEHR' kah-MOO') died in an automobile accident in Villeblevin, France, at age 46.

In 1964, Pope Paul VI began a visit to the Holy Land, the first papal pilgrimage of its kind, as he arrived in Jerusalem.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined the goals of his "Great Society" in his State of the Union Address.

In 1974, President Richard M. Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1987, 16 people were killed when an Amtrak train bound from Washington, D.C., to Boston collided with Conrail locomotives that had crossed into its path from a side track in Chase, Md.

In 1990, Charles Stuart, who'd claimed to have been wounded and his pregnant wife fatally shot by a robber, leapt to his death off a Boston bridge after he himself became a suspect.

Ten years ago: Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman, a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, was killed by small-arms fire during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan; he was the first American military death from enemy fire in the war against terrorism. Florida coach Steve Spurrier resigned to pursue an NFL job, two days after leading the Gators to victory over Maryland in the Orange Bowl.

Five years ago: Nancy Pelosi was elected the first female speaker of the House as Democrats took control of Congress. Harriet Miers resigned as White House counsel. Vincent Sardi Jr., owner of Sardi's restaurant, the legendary Broadway watering hole, died in Berlin, Vt., at age 91.

One year ago: President Barack Obama signed a $1.4 billion overhaul of the nation's food safety system. The Navy fired the commander of the USS Enterprise, Capt. Owen Honors, more than three years after he'd made lewd videos to boost morale for his crew. The Mega Millions lottery drew two winning tickets for a jackpot totaling $380 million. (In a strange coincidence, four of the six winning numbers matched those used by a lottery-winning character on the TV show "Lost.")

Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Rush is 85. Football Hall-of-Fame coach Don Shula is 82. Actress Dyan Cannon is 75. Opera singer Grace Bumbry is 75. Author-historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is 69. Country singer Kathy Forester ("The Forester Sisters") is 57. Actress Ann Magnuson is 56. Rock Singer/Guitarist/Keyboardist Bernard Sumner ("New Order", "Joy Division") is 56. Country singer Patty Loveless is 55. Rock Singer/Songwriter Michael Stipe ("R.E.M.") is 52. Actor Patrick Cassidy is 50. Actor/Comedian Dave Foley is 49. Actor Rick Hearst (TV: "The Bold and the Beautiful") is 47. Singer/Bassist Cait O'Riordan ("The Pogues") is 47. Actress Julia Ormond is 47. Tennis player Guy Forget is 47. Country singer Deana Carter is 46. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Harmonica Player/Guitarist Benjamin Darvill ("Crash Test Dummies") is 45. Actor Jeremy Licht is 41. Actress-singer Jill Marie Jones is 37. Alt-country singer Justin Townes Earle is 30. Christian rock singer Spencer Chamberlain ("Underoath") is 29. Comedian-actress Charlyne Yi is 26.

Thought for Today: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason." — T.S. Eliot, American-born English poet (born in 1888, died this date in 1965).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 5, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Thursday, Jan. 5, the fifth day of 2012. There are 361 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon announced that he had ordered development of "an entirely new type of space transportation system," the reusable space shuttle. (The first operational shuttle, Columbia, was launched in 1981.)

On this date:

In 1589, Catherine de Medici (MEHD'-uh-chee) of France died at age 69.

In 1781, a British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.

In 1809, the Treaty of the Dardanelles, which ended the Anglo-Turkish War, was concluded by the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire.

In 1895, French Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, convicted of treason, was publicly stripped of his rank. (He was ultimately vindicated.)

In 1896, an Austrian newspaper, Wiener Presse, reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen (RENT'-gun) of a type of radiation that came to be known as X-rays.

In 1925, Nellie T. Ross of Wyoming became America's first female governor.

In 1933, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, died in Northampton, Mass., at age 60.

In 1949, in his State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman labeled his administration the Fair Deal.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed assistance to countries to help them resist Communist aggression; this became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.

In 1970, Joseph A. Yablonski, an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the United Mine Workers of America, was found murdered with his wife and daughter at their Clarksville, Pa., home. (UMWA President Tony Boyle and seven others were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, the killings.) "All My Children" premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1994, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, former speaker of the House of Representatives, died in Boston at age 81.

In 1998, Sonny Bono, the 1960s pop star-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California state line; he was 62.

Ten years ago: Charles Bishop, a 15-year-old student pilot, deliberately crashed a small plane into a skyscraper in Tampa, Fla., killing himself. Italy's foreign minister, Renato Ruggiero (roo-jee-EHR'-oh), resigned after a spat with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the government's lukewarm reception of the euro.

Five years ago: The White House announced a shuffling of U.S. military leaders in the Iraq war. Adm. William Fallon ended up replacing Gen. John Abizaid as top U.S. commander in the Middle East; Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus succeeded Gen. George Casey as top American general in Iraq; Casey replaced retiring Gen. Peter Schoomaker as Army chief of staff.

One year ago: John Boehner was elected speaker as Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives on the first day of the new Congress. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced he was stepping down. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Today's Birthdays: Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale is 84. Actor Robert Duvall is 81. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll is 80. King Juan Carlos of Spain is 74. Talk show host Charlie Rose is 70. Actress-director Diane Keaton is 66. Actor Ted Lange is 64. Rhythm-and-blues Drummer George "Funky" Brown ("Kool and the Gang") is 63. Rock Songwriter/Guitarist Chris Stein ("Blondie") is 62. Former CIA Director George Tenet is 59. Actress Pamela Sue Martin is 59. Actor Clancy Brown is 53. Singer Iris Dement is 51. Actor Ricky Paull (correct) Goldin is 47. Tough-guy Actor/Retired badboy Soccer Player Vinnie Jones (He is notorious for grabbing an opponent's privates during play in an attempt to 'hamper' his play. http://www.weirdpicturearchive.com/img/vinniejones.jpg) is 47. Rock Drummer Kate Schellenbach ("Luscious Jackson") is 46. Dancer-choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba is 44. Actress Heather Paige Kent is 43. Rock singer Marilyn Manson is 43. Actor Bradley Cooper is 37. Actress January Jones is 34. Actress Brooklyn Sudano is 31.

Thought for Today: "It is easy to be tolerant of the principles of other people if you have none of your own." — Herbert Samuel, English political leader (1870-1963).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 6, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Friday, Jan. 6, the sixth day of 2012. There are 360 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 6, 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state.

On this date:

In 1412, tradition holds that Joan of Arc was born this day in Domremy.

In 1540, England's King Henry VIII married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. (The marriage lasted about six months.)

In 1759, George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis were married in New Kent County, Va.

In 1838, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail gave the first successful public demonstration of their telegraph, in Morristown, N.J.

In 1912, entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas was born in Deerfield, Mich.

In 1919, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, died in Oyster Bay, N.Y., at age 60.

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, outlined a goal of "Four Freedoms": Freedom of speech and expression; the freedom of people to worship God in their own way; freedom from want; freedom from fear.

In 1942, the Pan American Airways Pacific Clipper, a flying boat built by Boeing, arrived in New York more than a month after leaving California and following a westward route.

In 1950, Britain recognized the Communist government of China.

In 1967, U.S. Marines and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Deckhouse Five, an offensive in the Mekong River delta.

In 1982, truck driver William G. Bonin was convicted in Los Angeles of 10 of the "Freeway Killer" slayings of young men and boys. (Bonin was later convicted of four other killings; he was executed in 1996.)

In 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the leg by an assailant at Detroit's Cobo Arena; four men, including the ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding, went to prison for their roles in the attack. (Harding, who denied knowing about plans for the attack, received probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution.)

Ten years ago: Argentina announced the devaluation of its peso, ending a decade-long policy pegging the currency one-to-one with the U.S. dollar. (In the year that followed, the peso lost 70 percent of its value against the dollar.)

Five years ago: At a Baptist church in Fort Worth, Texas, the Denver Broncos filed past the open casket of Darrent Williams, the promising cornerback who had been gunned down in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day. A large avalanche pushed two cars off the heavily traveled road at Berthoud Pass in Colorado, but no deaths resulted.

One year ago: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced he would cut $78 billion from the Defense Department budget over the next five years, an effort to trim fat in light of the nation's ballooning deficit. Vang Pao, a revered former general in the Royal Army of Laos who'd led thousands of Hmong guerrillas in a CIA-backed secret army in the Vietnam War, died in Clovis, Calif., at age 81.

Today's Birthdays: Pollster Louis Harris is 91. Bluegrass performer Earl Scruggs is 88. Retired MLB All-Star Ralph Branca is 86. Author E.L. Doctorow is 81. Actress Bonnie Franklin is 68. Country Accordionist Joey, the CowPolka King (Joey Miskulin)("Riders in the Sky") is 63. Former FBI director Louis Freeh is 62. Rock Singer/Harmonica Player Kim Wilson ("The Fabulous Thunderbirds") is 61. Singer Jett Williams (born Antha Belle Jett, she successfully fought to be declared the daughter of Hank Williams Sr.) is 59. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Malcolm Young ("AC-DC") is 59. Actor-comedian Rowan Atkinson is 57. World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez is 55. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kathy Sledge is 53. TV chef Nigella Lawson is 52. Rhythm-and-blues singer Eric Williams ("BLACKstreet") is 52. Movie composer A.R. Rahman (born A. S. Dileep Kumar, he took the name Allah Rakha Rahman when he converted to Islam)(Film: "Slumdog Millionaire") is 46. Movie director John Singleton is 44. TV personality Julie Chen is 42. Actor Danny Pintauro ("Who's the Boss?") is 36. Actress Rinko Kikuchi (Film: "Babel") is 31. NBA player Gilbert Arenas is 30. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Alex Turner ("Arctic Monkeys") is 26.

Thought for Today: "A little learning is not a dangerous thing to one who does not mistake it for a great deal." — William Allen White, American newspaper editor (1868-1944).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 7, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Saturday, Jan. 7, the seventh day of 2012. There are 359 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 7, 1942, the Japanese siege of Bataan began during World War II. (The fall of Bataan three months later was followed by the notorious Death March.)

On this date:

In 1608, an accidental fire devastated the Jamestown settlement in the Virginia Colony.

In 1610, astronomer Galileo Galilei began observing three of Jupiter's moons (he spotted a fourth moon almost a week later).

In 1789, the first U.S. presidential election was held. Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation's first president.

In 1800, the 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, was born in Summerhill, N.Y.

In 1894, one of the earliest motion picture experiments took place at the Thomas Edison studio in West Orange, N.J., as Fred Ott was filmed taking a pinch of snuff and sneezing.

In 1912, dark-humored cartoonist Charles Addams was born in Westfield, N.J.

In 1927, commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.

In 1949, George C. Marshall resigned as U.S. Secretary of State; President Harry S. Truman chose Dean Acheson to succeed him.

In 1972, Lewis F. Powell, Jr. and William H. Rehnquist were sworn in as the 99th and 100th members of the U.S. Supreme Court. An Iberia Caravelle jetliner crashed into a mountain while on approach to Ibiza Airport in Spain, killing all 104 people on board.

In 1979, Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

In 1989, Emperor Hirohito of Japan died in Tokyo at age 87; he was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Akihito.

In 2006, Jill Carroll, a freelance journalist for The Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped and her translator shot dead in Baghdad. (Carroll was freed almost three months later.)

Ten years ago: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and nine U.S. senators swept into Bargam Air Base in Afghanistan for an unannounced visit and promised Afghan leaders their full support in rebuilding the shattered country. Yves Saint Laurent announced his retirement and closure of the fashion house he'd started 40 years earlier. Comedian Avery Schreiber died in Los Angeles at age 66.

Five years ago: Newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, interviewed on CBS' "Face the Nation," said Democrats running Congress would not give President George W. Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq. NASCAR driver Bobby Hamilton, winner of the 2001 Talladega 500, died at age 49.

One year ago: A package addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ignited at a Washington postal facility, a day after fiery packages sent to Maryland's governor and state transportation secretary burned the fingers of workers who opened them.

Today's Birthdays: Author/Director/Producer William Peter Blatty ("The Exorcist") is 84. Country singer Jack Greene is 82. Pop Keyboardist Paul Revere (born Paul Revere Dick)("Paul Revere and the Raiders") is 74. Magazine publisher Jann Wenner is 66. Pop Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Kenny Loggins ("Loggins and Messina") is 64. Country Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Marshall Chapman is 63. Latin pop singer Juan Gabriel is 62. Actress Erin Gray is 62. Actor/Director/Martial Arts expert/Fight Coordinator Sammo Hung (born Hung Kam Po) is 60. Actor David Caruso is 56. Katie Couric is 55. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 53. Rock Bassist/Songwriter Kathy Valentine ("The Go-Go's") is 53. Actor David Marciano is 52. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is 51. Actress Hallie Todd is 50. (SIO Note: born Nicolas Kim Coppola, he took the last name 'Cage' in order to avoid the appearance of nepotism as the nephew of famed director Francis Ford Coppola) is 48. Singer/Songwriter John Ondrasik ("Five for Fighting") is 47. Actor Doug E. Doug (born Douglas Bourne) is 42. Actor Kevin Rahm is 41. Actor Jeremy Renner is 41. Country Singer/Guitarist/Bassist John Rich ("Lonestar" and "Big & Rich") is 38. Actor Dustin Diamond (played 'Screech' in TV's "Saved By The Bell") is 35. Actor Robert Ri'chard is 29. Actress Lyndsy Fonseca is 25. Actor Liam Aiken is 22. Actress Camryn Grimes is 22. Actor Max Morrow is 21.

Thought for Today: "One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present." — Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister (1898-1978).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 8, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Sunday, Jan. 8, the eighth day of 2012. There are 358 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 8, 1982, American Telephone and Telegraph settled the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies.

On this date:

In 1798, the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited a citizen of one state from suing another state in federal court, was declared in effect by President John Adams nearly three years after its ratification by the states.

In 1815, U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans — the closing engagement of the War of 1812.

In 1912, the African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Actor Jose Ferrer was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson outlined his "Fourteen Points" for lasting peace after World War I. Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which established Prohibition.

In 1935, rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Miss.

In 1959, Charles de Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic.

In 1962, at least 91 people were killed when two trains collided head-on in Harmelen in the Netherlands.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "War on Poverty" in his State of the Union address.

In 1973, the Paris peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam resumed.

In 1987, for the first time, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 2,000, ending the day at 2,002.25.

In 1989, 47 people were killed when a British Midland Boeing 737-400 carrying 126 people crashed in central England.

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush collapsed during a state dinner in Tokyo; White House officials said Bush was suffering from stomach flu.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the most far-reaching federal education bill in nearly four decades. The Most Rev. George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, announced his retirement as spiritual leader of the world's 70 million Anglicans. Ozzie Smith, regarded as the finest-fielding shortstop ever, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try. Wendy's fast food chain founder Dave Thomas died in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at age 69.

Five years ago: A Moroccan (Mounir el Motassadeq) convicted of aiding three of the four suicide pilots who had committed the Sept. 11 attacks was sentenced by a German court to the maximum of 15 years in prison for his role in the terror plot. The Florida Gators won college football's national championship by defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 41-14. Actress Yvonne De Carlo died in Woodland Hills, Calif., at age 84.

One year ago: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot and critically wounded when a gunman opened fire as the congresswoman met with constituents in Tucson; six other people were killed, 12 others also injured. (Jared Lee Loughner (LAWF'-nur) has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in connection with the shooting.) Both Super Bowl teams from 2010 lost on the first day of the NFL playoffs; the Seattle Seahawks stunned the defending champion New Orleans Saints 41-36 while the New York Jets ended the night with a last-second 17-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Today's Birthdays: Former Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh is 100. Actor/Comedian/Impressionist Larry Storch (played 'Corporal Agarn' in TV's "F-Troop") is 89. Actor Ron Moody is 88. Broadcast journalist Sander Vanocur is 84. CBS newsman Charles Osgood is 79. Singer Shirley Bassey is 75. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 74. Country-gospel singer Cristy Lane is 72. Rhythm-and-blues singer Anthony Gourdine ("Little Anthony and the Imperials") is 71. Actress Yvette Mimieux is 70. Physicist Stephen Hawking is 70. Rock Guitarist/Songwriter Robby Krieger ("The Doors") is 66. Rock Singer/Actor David Bowie (born David Robert Jones) is 65. Movie director John McTiernan is 61. Actress Harriet Sansom Harris is 57. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Ron Sexsmith is 48. Actress Maria Pitillo is 47. Actress Michelle Forbes is 47. Singer R. Kelly (born Robert Sylvester Kelly) is 45. Rock Bassist Jeff Abercrombie ("Fuel") is 43. Actress Ami Dolenz is 43. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 39. Country singer Tift Merritt is 37. Actress-rock singer Jenny Lewis is 36. Actress Amber Benson is 35. Actor Scott Whyte is 34. Singer-songwriter Erin McCarley is 33. Actress/Director Sarah Polley is 33. Actor Windell D. Middlebrooks is 33. Actress Rachel Nichols is 32. Actress Gaby Hoffman is 30. Rock Singer/Guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo ("Gym Class Heroes") is 29.

Thought for Today: "Anxiety never yet successfully bridged over any chasm." — Giovanni Ruffini, Italian writer (1807-1881).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 9, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern


Today is Monday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2012. There are 357 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 9, 1972, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, speaking by telephone from the Bahamas to reporters in Hollywood, said a purported autobiography of him by Clifford Irving was a fake.

On this date:

In 1788, Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1793, Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard, using a hot-air balloon, flew between Philadelphia and Woodbury, N.J.

In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, the same day the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, S.C., retreated because of artillery fire.

In 1913, Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, was born in Yorba Linda, Calif.

In 1931, Bobbi Trout and Edna May Cooper broke an endurance record for female aviators as they returned to Mines Field in Los Angeles after flying a Curtiss Robin monoplane continuously for 122 hours and 50 minutes.

In 1945, during World War II, American forces began landing at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines.

In 1951, United Nations headquarters in New York was officially opened.

In 1960, on his 47th birthday, Vice President Richard Nixon became a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

In 1968, the Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon, marking the end of the American series of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.

In 1987, the White House released a Jan. 1986 memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan by Lt. Col. Oliver L. North showing a link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.

In 1995, in New York, the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and 11 other defendants accused of conspiring to wage holy war against the United States began. (All the defendants were convicted of seditious conspiracy, except for two who reached plea agreements with the government.)

In 1997, a Comair commuter plane crashed 18 miles short of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing all 29 people on board.

Ten years ago: A U.S. military tanker plane crashed in western Pakistan, killing all seven Marines on board. Two Islamic militants stormed an Israeli army post near the Gaza Strip, killing four soldiers before being shot dead in a gun battle. The Bush administration and the auto industry agreed to promote development of pollution-free cars and trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Five years ago: U.S. forces continued to stage airstrikes against suspected al-Qaida fighters in Somalia in the first offensive there since 18 American soldiers were killed in 1993. Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, which went on sale the following June. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Carlo Ponti, the Italian movie producer who discovered — and married — actress Sophia Loren, died in Geneva at age 94.

One year ago: Federal prosecutors brought charges against Jared Loughner, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and killing six people at a political event in Tucson the day before. British movie director Peter Yates, who sent actor Steve McQueen screeching through the streets of San Francisco in a Ford Mustang in "Bullitt," died in London at age 81.

Today's Birthdays: Author Judith Krantz is 84. Football Hall-of-Famer Bart Starr is 78. Sportscaster Dick Enberg is 77. Actress K. Callan (born Katherine Borman, Callan is her husband James' last name) is 76. Folk Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Joan Baez is 71. Rockabilly Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Roy Head is 71. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jimmy Page ("Led Zeppelin") is 68. Singer David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) is 62. Singer/Songwriter Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb) is 61. Actor J.K. Simmons (full name Jonathan Kimble Simmons) is 57. Nobel Peace laureate and human rights activist Rigoberto Menchu is 53. Rock Guitarist Eric Erlandson is 49. Actress Joely Richardson is 47. Rock Singer/Guitarist Carl Bell ("Fuel") is 45. Rock singer Steve Harwell ("Smash Mouth") is 45. Rock Singer/Guitarist Dave Matthews is 45. Actress-director Joey Lauren Adams is 44. Singer A.J. McLean (born Alexander James McLean)("Backstreet Boys") is 34. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is 30. Pop-rock Guitarist/Keyboardist Drew Brown (full name Andrew John Brown) ("OneRepublic") is 28. Rock-soul singer Paolo Nutini is 25. Actor Tyree Brown (TV's "Parenthood") is eight.

Thought for Today: "Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it." — Swedish proverb.
 

Loading…

news.yahoo.com

Today In History
Associated Press – January 10, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2012. There are 356 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 10, 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, "Common Sense," which argued for American independence from British rule.

On this date:

In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Mass., collapsed and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers from Scotland and Ireland.

In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union.

In 1862, American inventor Samuel Colt, famed for his revolver, died in Hartford, Conn., at age 47.

In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1901, the Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Texas, produced the Lucas Gusher, heralding the start of the Texas oil boom.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY') went into effect.

In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.

In 1947, the musical fantasy "Finian's Rainbow," with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, opened on Broadway.

In 1957, Harold Macmillan became prime minister of Britain, following the resignation of Anthony Eden.

In 1962, an ice avalanche on Nevado Huascaran in Peru resulted in some 4,000 deaths. John W. McCormack became speaker of the House, succeeding the late Samuel T. Rayburn.

In 1971, "Masterpiece Theatre" premiered on PBS with host Alistair Cooke introducing the drama series "The First Churchills." French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in Paris at age 87.

In 1982, actor-comedian Paul Lynde died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 55.

Ten years ago: Marines began flying hundreds of al-Qaida prisoners in Afghanistan to a U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The White House revealed that Enron Corp. had sought the administration's help shortly before collapsing with the life savings of many workers. Todd Eldredge won his sixth U.S. Figure Skating Championship title.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush said he took responsibility for any mistakes in Iraq and announced an increase in U.S. troops there to quell violence. The Democratic-controlled House voted 315-116 to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

One year ago: The nation got its first look at Jared Loughner, the accused assailant of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as a federal judge in Phoenix ordered the 22-year-old suspect held without bail. A judge in Austin, Texas, ordered former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. (DeLay remains free on bond as he appeals.) No. 1 Auburn beat No. 2 Oregon 22-19 on a last-second field goal to win the BCS national title. Singer Margaret Whiting, 86, died in Englewood, N.J.

Today's Birthdays: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 77. Blues Singer/Guitarist Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater (real name Edward Harrington) is 77. Rock & Roll pioneer Singer/Guitarist Ronnie Hawkins* is 77. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie McCovey is 74. Singer Scott McKenzie is 73. Movie director Walter Hill is 72. Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 68. Singer/Songwriter Rod Stewart is 67. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Donald Fagen ("Steely Dan") is 64. Actor William Sanderson is 64. International Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 63. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 61. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Harmonica Player Scott Thurston ("Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers") is 60. Singer Pat Benatar (born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski) is 59. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) is 59. Rock Guitarist/Songwriter Michael Schenker (co-founder of "Scorpions", "UFO" and "The Michael Schenker Group") is 57. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Shawn Colvin is 56. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Curt Kirkwood ("Meat Puppets") is 53. Actor Evan Handler is 51. Rock singer Brad Roberts ("Crash Test Dummies") is 48. Actress Trini Alvarado is 45. Rock Singer/Guitarist Matt Roberts ("3 Doors Down") is 34. Rock singer Brent Smith ("Shinedown") is 34. Rapper Chris Smith ("Kris Kross") is 33. Actress Sarah Shahi is 32.

Thought for Today: "I know that I don't know what I don't know." — Marguerite Youcenar, French author (1903-1987).

* SIO Note: Known as 'The Hawk', Hawkins is a rock and roll pioneer whose contribution was through his Arkansas Rockabilly style. He was recognised by his induction in the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame. Hawkins came to Canada in 1958 at the suggestion of Conway Twitty and found overnight success during his appearances in London (Ontario). He decided to move to Canada permanently and works to this day. The Hawk is credited with bringing Rock & Roll to Canada and is looked at as a Canadian icon. His career spans over five decades and 25 records. Hawkins is credited with discovering talented Canadian rockers for his backing band, The Hawks, who rose to their own fame as 'The Band'.[/b]
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 11, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2012. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 11, 1942, Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Imperial Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

On this date:

In 1759, the first American life insurance corporation, for "poor and distressed" Presbyterian ministers and their widows and children, was chartered in Philadelphia.

In 1805, the Michigan Territory was created by an act of Congress.

In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to withdraw from the Union.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon National Monument (it became a national park in 1919).

In 1913, the first sedan-type automobile, a Hudson, went on display at the 13th National Automobile Show in New York.

In 1927, the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was proposed during a dinner of Hollywood luminaries at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began an 18-hour trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., that made her the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.

In 1943, the United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report that said smoking may be hazardous to one's health.

In 1972, East Pakistan changed its name to Bangladesh.

In 1977, France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a PLO official behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 1995, 52 people were killed when a Colombian airliner crashed as it was preparing to land near the Caribbean resort of Cartagena — however, a 9-year-old girl, Erika Delgado, survived.

Ten years ago: The first planeload of al-Qaida prisoners from Afghanistan arrived at a U.S. military detention camp in Guantanamo, Cuba. Ford Motor Co. announced it was eliminating 35,000 jobs, closing five plants and dropping four models. The Argentine peso floated freely for the first time after 11 years of being tied to the U.S. dollar.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq ran into a wall of criticism on Capitol Hill from both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats selected Denver as the site of their 2008 presidential convention. English soccer star David Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

One year ago: Several hundred mourners remembered the victims of the Arizona shooting rampage during a public Mass at St. Odilia Catholic Church in Tucson. David Nelson, 74, who starred on his parents' popular TV show "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," died in Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Producer Grant Tinker is 87. Actor Rod Taylor is 82. Composer Mary Rodgers is 81. The former prime minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, is 78. Actor Mitchell Ryan is 78. Actor Felix Silla is 75. Movie director Joel Zwick is 70. Country singer Naomi Judd is 66. World Golf Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw is 60. Singer Robert Earl Keen is 56. Rock Singer/Guitarist Vicki Peterson ("The Bangles") is 54. Actress Kim Coles is 50. Actor Jason Connery is 49. Contemporary Christian Keyboardist Jim Bryson ("MercyMe") is 44. Rock Guitarist/Producer Tom Dumont ("No Doubt") is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Maxee Maxwell ("Brownstone") is 43. Movie director Malcolm D. Lee is 42. Singer Mary J. Blige is 41. Musician Tom Rowlands ("The Chemical Brothers") is 41. Actor Marc Blucas is 40. Actress Amanda Peet is 40. Actor Rockmond Dunbar is 39. Actress Kristolyn Lloyd (TV: "The Bold and the Beautiful") is 27. Reality TV star Jason Wahler (TV: "Laguna Beach"; "The Hills") is 25.

Thought for Today: "In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." — Ecclesiastes 1:18.
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 12, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Thursday, Jan. 12, the 12th day of 2012. There are 354 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 12, 1912, textile workers at the Everett Mill in Lawrence, Mass., (most of them immigrant women) walked off the job to protest wage cuts. The "Bread and Roses Strike," as it came to be known, spread to other mills in Lawrence and lasted until the following March.

On this date:

In 1519, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I died.

In 1773, the first public museum in America was organized in Charleston, S.C.

In 1828, the United States and Mexico signed a Treaty of Limits defining the boundary between the two countries to be the same as the one established by an 1819 treaty between the U.S. and Spain.

In 1915, the House of Representatives rejected, 204-174, a constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote.

In 1932, Hattie W. Caraway became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, after serving out the remainder of the term of her late husband, Thaddeus.

In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that state law schools could not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race.

In 1959, Berry Gordy, Jr. founded Motown Records (originally Tamla Records) in Detroit.

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson said in his State of the Union address that the U.S. should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there was ended.

In 1969, the New York Jets of the American Football League upset the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League 16-7 in Super Bowl III, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

In 1971, the groundbreaking situation comedy "All in the Family" premiered on CBS television.

In 1987, Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite arrived in Lebanon on his latest mission to win the release of Western hostages; however, Waite ended up being taken captive himself, and wasn't released until 1991.

In 2010, Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7 earthquake, killing as many as 300,000 residents and leaving over 1.5 million people homeless.

Ten years ago: The United States intensified its anti-terror campaign in eastern Afghanistan, dropping bombs on suspected al-Qaida and Taliban hide-outs. Michelle Kwan won her fifth successive U.S. Figure Skating Championships crown and sixth overall. Former Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance died in New York at age 84.

Five years ago: Two kidnapped boys, Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck, were found alive in the same suburban St. Louis apartment — four days after Ben vanished and 4 1/2 years after Shawn disappeared. (The boys' abductor, Michael Devlin, is serving multiple life terms for kidnapping and sexual assault.) Durham County, N.C., District Attorney Mike Nifong, facing ethics charges, asked to be removed from the Duke lacrosse rape investigation. (State prosecutors later exonerated three suspects; Nifong ended up being disbarred.) Larry Stewart, the anonymous Missouri philanthropist known as "Secret Santa," died at age 58.

One year ago: President Barack Obama visited Tucson, Ariz., the scene of a deadly shooting rampage, where he urged Americans to refrain from partisan bickering and to embrace the idealistic vision of democracy held by 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest of the shooting victims. Torrential summer rains tore through Rio de Janeiro state's mountains. Floodwaters poured into downtown Brisbane, Australia, swamping neighborhoods and reaching the tops of traffic lights in some parts of the city.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Luise Rainer (SIO Note: German born Luise was the first woman to win two Academy Awards, and the first person to win them consecutively for "The Great Zigfield" (1936) and "The Good Earth" (1937). She is the oldest living Oscar winner.) is 102. Country singer Ray Price is 86. Singer Glenn Yarbrough is 82. Mentalist The Amazing Kreskin (born George Joseph Kresge) is 77. Country singer William Lee Golden ("The Oak Ridge Boys") is 73. Rock Trumpeter Cynthia Robinson ("Sly and the Family Stone") is 68. Singer/Pianist George Duke is 66. Actor Anthony Andrews is 64. Movie director Wayne Wang is 63. Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh is 61. Actress Kirstie Alley is 61. Writer Walter Mosley is 60. Country singer Ricky Van Shelton is 60. Radio personality Howard Stern is 58. Rock Drummer Tom Ardolino ("NRBQ") is 55. Writer-producer-director John Lasseter is 55. Broadcast journalist Christiane Amanpour is 54. Rock musician Charlie Gillingham (Counting Crows) is 52. Actor Oliver Platt is 52. Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins is 52. Actor Olivier Martinez is 46. Rapper TBird ("B-Rock and the Bizz") is 45. Model Vendela (full name Vendela Maria Kirsebom) is 45. Actress Farrah Forke is 44. Actress Rachael Harris is 44. Rock singer Zack de la Rocha is 42. Rapper Raekwon (real name Corey Woods)("Wu Tang Clan") is 42. Singer Dan Haseltine ("Jars of Clay") is 39. Rock Bassist Matt Wong ("Reel Big Fish") is 39. Singer Melanie Chisholm aka Mel C aka Sporty Spice ("Spice Girls") is 38. Contemporary Christian singer Jeremy Camp is 34. R&B singer Amerie (born Amerie Mi Marie Rogers) is 32. Actress Naya Rivera is 25. Actor Will Rothhaar is 25. Actor Andrew Lawrence is 24.

Thought for Today: "Necessity does the work of courage." — Nicholas Murray Butler, American educator (1862-1947).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 13, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Friday, Jan. 13, the 13th day of 2012. There are 353 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 13, 1982, an Air Florida 737 crashed into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River after taking off during a snowstorm, killing a total of 78 people; four passengers and a flight attendant survived. (Half an hour after the Air Florida crash, a Washington Metro train derailed during rush hour, killing three passengers.)

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 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.)

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 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 1987, West German police arrested Mohammed Ali Hamadi, a suspect in the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner. (Although convicted and sentenced to life, Hamadi was paroled by Germany in Dec. 2005; he is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.)

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

In 1992, Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for its soldiers during World War II, citing newly uncovered documents that showed the Japanese army had had a role in abducting the so-called "comfort women."

In 2001, an earthquake estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.7 struck El Salvador; more than 840 people were killed.

Ten years ago: Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Commerce Secretary Don Evans said on the Sunday talk shows they had never considered intervening in Enron's spiral toward bankruptcy, nor did they inform President George W. Bush of requests for help from the fallen energy giant. President Bush fainted briefly after choking down a pretzel while watching a football game on TV in the White House residence. Christian Longo, wanted for killing his wife and three children and dumping their bodies into coastal waters off Oregon, was arrested in Mexico (he was later sentenced to death). The off-Broadway musical "The Fantasticks" finished its original run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 shows.

Five years ago: Nine people were killed in an apartment building fire in Huntington, W.Va. Two miners were killed when a roof collapsed inside the Brooks Run Mining Co.'s Cucumber coal mine in McDowell County, W.Va. The North Carolina state attorney general's office agreed to take over the sexual assault case against three Duke University lacrosse players at the request of embattled Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong (all three players were later exonerated).

One year ago: Vice President Joe Biden became the first top U.S. official to visit Iraq since the country approved a new Cabinet; Biden emphasized to Iraqi leaders that the U.S. wanted nothing more than for Iraq to be free and democratic. A funeral was held in Tucson, Ariz., for 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest victim of a mass shooting that also claimed five other lives and critically wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Frances Sternhagen is 82. Personality/Journalist Nick Clooney (brother of Rosemary, father of George) is 78. Comedian/Actor Rip Taylor (born Charles Elmer Taylor, Jr.) is 78. Actor Billy Gray is 74. Actor Richard Moll is 69. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Trevor Rabin is 58. R&B Drummer/Percussionist Fred White ("Earth, Wind & Fire") is 57. Rock Bassist James Lomenzo ("Megadeth") is 53. Actor Kevin Anderson is 52. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is 51. Rock singer Graham "Suggs" McPherson ("Madness") is 51. Country Singer/Guitarist Trace Adkins is 50. Actress Penelope Ann Miller is 48. Actor Patrick Dempsey is 46. Actress Traci Bingham is 44. Actor Keith Coogan is 42. Actress Nicole Eggert is 40. Actor Orlando Bloom is 35. Actor Julian Morris is 29.

Thought for Today: "Never underestimate your power to change yourself; never overestimate your power to change others." — H. Jackson Brown Jr., American writer.
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 14, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 14, 1952, NBC's "Today" show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or "communicator," as he was called.

On this date:

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

In 1784, the United States ratified a peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War.

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 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 1972, the situation comedy "Sanford and Son," starring Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1986, Vinicio Cerezo was inaugurated as Guatemala's first civilian president in 16 years in a ceremony attended by Vice President George H.W. Bush.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an accord to stop aiming missiles at any nation; the leaders joined Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in signing an accord to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.

Ten years ago: Two members of Congress released excerpts of a letter sent to Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay the previous August in which company executive Sherron Watkins warned of the reckless practices that eventually brought down the energy-trading giant. The World Trade Organization decided the European Union could ask for punitive tariffs on U.S. imports. NBC's "Today" show celebrated its golden anniversary.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush, facing opposition from both parties over his plan to send more troops to Iraq, said on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he had the authority to act no matter what Congress wanted. On "Fox News Sunday," Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that lawmakers' criticism would not influence Bush's plans, and he dismissed any effort to "run a war by committee." Actress Darlene Conley, feisty fashion mogul Sally Spectra on "The Bold and the Beautiful," died in Los Angeles at age 72.

One year ago: In an unprecedented popular uprising, Tunisian protesters enraged over soaring unemployment and corruption drove President Zine El Abdine Ben Ali (ZEEN ehl AH'-bih-deen behn-ah-LEE') from power after 23 years of iron-fisted rule. A funeral was held for U.S. District Judge John Roll, who was killed in the Tucson, Ariz., shooting rampage. The national Republican Party ousted chairman Michael Steele and chose Wisconsin party chief Reince Priebus (ryns PREE'-bus) to lead in the run-up to the 2012 presidential race. Mississippi Winn, a former domestic worker believed to be the oldest living African-American in the U.S. and the seventh oldest person in the world, died in Shreveport, La., at age 113.

Today's Birthdays: Blues singer Clarence Carter is 76. Singer Jack Jones is 74. Singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint is 74. Former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond is 72. Actress Faye Dunaway is 71. Actress Holland Taylor is 69. Actor Carl Weathers is 64. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Producer T-Bone Burnett (born Joseph Henry Burnett) is 64. Movie writer-director Lawrence Kasdan is 63. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd is 60. Rock singer Geoff Tate ("Queensryche") is 53. Movie writer-director Steven Soderbergh is 49. Actor Mark Addy is 48. Fox News Channel anchorman Shepard Smith is 48. Rapper Slick Rick (real name Richard Walters) is 47. Actor Dan Schneider is 46. Actress Emily Watson is 45. Actor-comedian Tom Rhodes is 45. Rock Guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt)("Ozzy Osbourne Band") is 45. Rapper-actor LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith) is 44. Actor Jason Bateman is 43. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Drummer Dave Grohl ("Foo Fighters") is 43. Actress Jordan Ladd is 37. Retro-soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard is 30. Rock Singer/Guitarist Caleb Followill (real name Anthony Caleb Followill)("Kings of Leon") is 30. Rock Guitarist Joe Guese ("The Click Five") is 29. Actor Jonathan Osser is 23.

Thought for Today: "If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind." — John Stuart Mill, English philosopher (1806-1873).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 15, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Sunday, Jan. 15, the 15th day of 2012. There are 351 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 15, 1862, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Abraham Lincoln's choice of Edwin M. Stanton to be secretary of war, replacing Simon Cameron.

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 republic later became the state of Vermont.)

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 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio got married at San Francisco City Hall. (The marriage, however, lasted only about nine months.)

In 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.

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 1987, entertainer Ray Bolger, perhaps best known for playing the Scarecrow in the 1939 MGM musical "The Wizard of Oz," died in Los Angeles at age 83.

In 1992, the Yugoslav federation, founded in 1918, effectively collapsed as the European community recognized the republics of Croatia and Slovenia.

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: Attorney General John Ashcroft said that John Walker Lindh, the 20-year-old Californian who had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, would be charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and could face life in prison if convicted. (Lindh received a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to supplying services to the Taliban and carrying explosives in commission of a felony.) Arthur Andersen LLP said it was firing senior auditor David B. Duncan, who had organized a "rushed disposal" of Enron documents after federal regulators requested information about the failing energy company. Former Chicago mayor and Illinois Supreme Court chief justice Michael Bilandic died at age 78.

Five years ago: The Iraqi government hanged two of Saddam Hussein's henchmen, including a half-brother, Barzan Ibrahim, who was accidentally decapitated by the noose. "Babel" won best movie drama and "Dreamgirls" was named best musical or comedy at the Golden Globes; "Grey's Anatomy" was named best TV drama series and "Ugly Betty" best TV comedy.

One year ago: Several international envoys — but crucially none from the world powers — got a look inside an Iranian nuclear site at the invitation of the Tehran government before a new round of talks on Iran's disputed atomic activities. Miss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan won the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas. Actress Susannah York, 72, died in London.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Margaret O'Brien is 75. Actress/Comedienne Andrea Martin is 65. Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 55. Actor James Nesbitt is 47. Singer Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez)("Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam") is 45. Actor Chad Lowe is 44. Alt-country singer Will Oldham (aka "Bonnie Prince Billy") is 42. Actress Regina King is 41. Actor Eddie Cahill is 34. Rapper/Reggaeton artist Pitbull (born Armando Christian Pérez) is 31. Electronic dance musician/DJ/Singer/Songwritier Skrillex (born Sonny John Moore) is 24.

Thought for Today: "A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan." — Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

---

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 16, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Monday, Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2012. There are 350 days left in the year. This is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 16, 1912, a day before reaching the South Pole, British explorer Robert Scott and his expedition were bitterly disappointed to find evidence in the form of a rock cairn and dog sled tracks showing that Roald Amundsen of Norway and his team had gotten there ahead of them. (Scott and his party perished during the return trip.)

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-dehr-EHF'-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 Elizabeth and 20 other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas, Nev., while en route to California 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 1987, Hu Yaobang resigned as head of China's Communist Party, declaring he'd made mistakes in dealing with student turmoil and intellectual challenges to the system. Broadway columnist Earl Wilson died in Yonkers, N.Y., at age 79.

In 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

In 1992, officials of the government of El Salvador and rebel leaders signed a pact in Mexico City ending 12 years of civil war that had left at least 75,000 people dead.

Ten years ago: Richard Reid was indicted in Boston on federal charges alleging he'd tried to blow up a U.S.-bound jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes. (Reid later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.) A gunman went on a shooting rampage at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., killing the dean, a professor and a student; former student Peter Odighizuwa (ah-dig-uh-ZOO'-wuh) later pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Five years ago: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., launched his successful bid for the White House. Jury selection began in the CIA leak trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. (Libby was later convicted of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI; President George W. Bush ended up commuting Libby's 30-month prison term.) Two car bombs exploded outside Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, killing at least 70 people. Pookie Hudson, lead singer for the Spaniels doo-wop group, died in Capitol Heights, Md., at age 72. Actor Ron Carey ("Barney Miller") died in Los Angeles at age 71.

One year ago: Former Haitian strongman Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, who'd been living in exile in France, made a surprise return to Haiti as the country wrestled with a political crisis, cholera outbreak and stalled reconstruction from a devastating earthquake. "The Social Network" won top movie honors at the Golden Globes with four prizes, including best drama and director; "The Kids Are All Right" won for best musical or comedy. Top TV honors went to "Boardwalk Empire" and "Glee."

Today's Birthdays: Author William Kennedy is 84. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 82. Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 78. Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt (full name Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr.) is 77. R&B Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Barbara Lynn (born Barbara Lynn Ozen, later Barbara Lynn Cumby) is 70. Country Singer/Pianist Ronnie Milsap is 69. Country singer Jim Stafford is 68. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 65. Movie director John Carpenter is 64. Actress/Dancer/Choreographer Debbie Allen is 62. Adult Contemporary Singer Sade (born Helen Folasade Adu) is 53. Rock Bassist Paul Webb ("Talk Talk") is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Maxine Jones ("En Vogue") is 46. Actor David Chokachi is 44. Actor Richard T. Jones is 40. Actress Josie Davis is 39. Model Kate Moss is 38. Rock Guitarist Nick Valensi ("The Strokes") is 31. Actress Yvonne Zima is 23.

Thought for Today: "I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them." — E.V. Lucas, English writer and publisher (1868-1938).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 17, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2012. There are 349 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 17, 1962, ten former winners of rigged TV quiz shows, including Charles Van Doren, pleaded guilty in New York to perjury, admitting they'd lied under oath when they denied being given answers in advance. (All received suspended sentences.)

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 1929, the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor made his debut in the "Thimble Theatre" comic strip.

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 gang was caught, only part of the loot was recovered.)

In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address in which he warned against "the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

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: Enron fired accounting firm Arthur Andersen, citing its destruction of thousands of documents and its accounting advice; for its part, Andersen said its relationship with Enron ended in early December 2001 when the company slid into bankruptcy. A Palestinian gunman walked into a bat mitzvah party in northern Israel and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing six people; the gunman was killed by police.

Five years ago: A year after disclosure of a domestic spying program that President George W. Bush maintained was within his authority to operate, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the administration had shifted its position and would seek the approval of an independent panel of federal judges. Pulitzer Prize-winning satirist Art Buchwald died in Washington, D.C., at age 81.

One year ago: Apple Inc. announced that its CEO, Steve Jobs, was taking his second medical leave of absence in two years. (Jobs died in October 2011.) Rock promoter Don Kirshner, 76, died in Boca Raton, Fla.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Betty White is 90. Former Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach is 90. Former FCC chairman Newton N. Minow is 86. Hairdresser/Entrepreneur Vidal Sassoon is 84. Actor James Earl Jones is 81. Talk show host Maury Povich is 73. International Boxing Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) is 70. Pop singer Chris Montez is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer William Hart ("The Delfonics") is 67. Rock Singer/Guitarist Mick Taylor (formerly of "The Rolling Stones") is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sheila Hutchinson ("The Emotions") is 59. Country Singer/Guitarist Steve Earle is 57. Blue-eyed Soul Singer Paul Young is 56. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 55. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Susanna Hoffs ("The Bangles") is 53. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 50. First Lady Michelle Obama is 48. Actor Joshua Malina is 46. Ragga Singer Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon) is 46. Rock Drummer Jon Wysocki ("Staind") is 44. Actor Naveen Andrews is 43. Country Rock Singer Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie) is 41. Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 37. Actress Zooey Deschanel is 32. Singer Ray J (real name William Raymond Norwood, Jr.) is 31. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 30.

Thought for Today: "The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever." -- Herb Caen, American newspaper columnist (1916-1997).

---

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 18, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 18, the 18th day of 2012. There are 348 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 18, 1862, the 10th president of the United States, John Tyler, died in Richmond, Va., at age 71, shortly before he could take his seat as an elected member of the Confederate Congress.

On this date:

In 1778, English navigator James Cook reached the present-day Hawaiian Islands, which he named the "Sandwich Islands."

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

In 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.

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 1952, Jerome "Curly" Howard of Three Stooges fame died in San Gabriel, Calif., at age 48.

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 1988, a China Southwest Airlines Ilyushin 18 crashed while on approach to Chongqing Airport, killing all 108 people on board.

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

Ten years ago: 1970's radical-turned-suburban mother Sara Jane Olson (formerly Kathleen Soliah) was sentenced in Los Angeles to 20 years to life in prison for plotting to blow up a pair of police cars 27 years earlier. (Olson was paroled in March 2009.) Two Israeli tanks and an armored personnel carrier parked outside Yasser Arafat's headquarters, confining the Palestinian leader to his office complex a day after a Palestinian gunman burst into a banquet hall and gunned down six Israelis. Talk magazine announced it was shutting down, less than three years after its highly publicized launch.

Five years ago: Truck driver Tyrone Williams was spared the death penalty and sentenced by a federal court in Houston to life in prison for his role in the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants crammed in a sweltering tractor-trailer. The heated controversy at the ABC show "Grey's Anatomy" boiled over as the network rebuked co-star Isaiah Washington for an anti-gay comment and Washington issued a lengthy apology.

One year ago: Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington for a four-day state visit; President Barack Obama welcomed him with a private dinner in the White House residence. The first director of the Peace Corps, R. Sargent Shriver, died in Bethesda, Md., at age 95.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director John Boorman is 79. Former Sen. Paul Kirk, D-Mass., is 74. Singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 71. Comedian/Singer/Songwriter/Musician/Producer/Writer Brett Hudson is 59. Actor-director Kevin Costner is 57. Country singer Mark Collie is 56. Actress Jane Horrocks is 48. Comedian Dave Attell is 47. Actor Jesse L. Martin is 43. Rapper DJ Quik (real name David Marvin Blake) is 42. Rock singer Jonathan Davis ("Korn") is 41. Singer Christian Burns ("BBMak") is 39. NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous is 39. Actor Derek Richardson is 36. Actor Jason Segel is 32. Actress Samantha Mumba is 29. Country singer Kristy Lee Cook (seventh place finalist on Season 7 of TV's "American Idol") is 28.
Thought for Today: "Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours." — Rudyard Kipling, British author and poet (born 1865, died this date in 1936).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 20, 2012, 12:00 am US/Eastern

Today is Friday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2012. There are 346 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

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

On this date:

In 1265, England's first representative Parliament, which included officials from districts, cities and boroughs, met for the first time.

In 1649, King Charles I of England went on trial, accused of high treason (he was found guilty and executed by month's end).

In 1887, the U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

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

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

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard Nixon were sworn in for their second terms of office in a private Sunday ceremony (a public ceremony was held the next day).

In 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States.

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 1992, an Air Inter Airbus A-320 crashed near Strasbourg, France, killing 87 of the 96 people on board.

In 2001, George Walker Bush became America's 43rd president after one of the most turbulent elections in U.S. history.

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

Ten years ago: Two Marines were killed, five injured when a U.S. military helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. "A Beautiful Mind" was named best drama and its star, Russell Crowe, the top dramatic actor at the Golden Globe Awards; Sissy Spacek was named best dramatic actress for "In the Bedroom" while "Moulin Rouge" was awarded the Globe for best musical or comedy.

Five years ago: Twenty-five U.S. troops were killed in Iraq, including 12 in a helicopter crash in Baghdad and five in a sophisticated sneak attack in Karbala. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., launched a trailblazing campaign for the White House, saying in a videotaped messsage on her Web site: "I'm in, and I'm in to win." Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas began a long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination (he withdrew in October 2007).

One year ago: In a luncheon speech to American business executives in Washington, Chinese President Hu Jintao denied his country was a military threat despite its arms buildup and pressed the U.S. for closer cooperation between the global powers. Federal authorities orchestrated one of the biggest Mafia takedowns in FBI history, charging 127 suspected mobsters and associates in the Northeast with murders, extortion and other crimes spanning decades.

Today's Birthdays: Country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Slim Whitman (real name Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr.) is 88. Comedian Arte Johnson is 83. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (born Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.)(Second man to set foot on the Moon) is 82. Olympic gold medal figure skater Carol Heiss is 72. Singer Eric Stewart is 67. Movie director David Lynch is 66. Country-rock Singer/Drummer George Grantham ("Poco") is 65. Actor Daniel Benzali is 62. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Paul Stanley ("KISS") is 60. Rock Bassist Ian Hill ("Judas Priest") is 60. Talk Show Host/Political Commentator/Comedian Bill Maher is 56. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 54. Actor James Denton is 49. Rock Singer/Bassist Greg K. (full name Greg Kriesel)("The Offspring") is 47. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 47. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is 47. Actor Rainn Wilson (TV's "The Office") is 46. Actress Stacey Dash is 45. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 44. Singer Xavier is 44. Actor Reno Wilson is 43. Singer Edwin McCain is 42. Actor Skeet Ulrich (born Bryan Ray Trout) is 42. Rap Drummer ?uestlove (pronounced 'questlove', real name Ahmir Khalib Thompson)("The Roots") is 41. Rock Singer/Drummer Rob Bourdon ("Linkin Park") is 33. Actor Evan Peters is 25.

Thought for Today: "Whatever people in general do not understand, they are always prepared to dislike; the incomprehensible is always the obnoxious." — Letitia Landon, English poet (1802-1838).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 21, 2012, 12:01 am US/Eastern

Today is Saturday, Jan. 21, the 21st day of 2012. There are 345 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 21, 1908, New York City's Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance prohibiting women from smoking in public. (Although the measure was vetoed two weeks later by Mayor George B. McClellan Jr., at least one woman, Katie Mulcahey, was arrested and spent a night in jail after being unable to pay a $5 fine.)

On this date:

In 1648, Margaret Brent went before the Maryland colonial assembly to seek two votes in that body, one for herself as a landowner, the other as the legal representative of the absent Lord Baltimore; the assembly turned her down.

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

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

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

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

In 1937, Count Basie and his band recorded "One O'Clock Jump" for Decca Records (on this date in 1942, they re-recorded the song for Okeh Records).

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. An American B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed in Greenland, killing one crew member and scattering radioactive material.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.

In 1982, convict-turned-author Jack Henry Abbott was found guilty in New York of first-degree manslaughter in the stabbing death of waiter Richard Adan in 1981. (Abbott was later sentenced to 15 years to life in prison; he committed suicide in 2002.)

In 1997, Speaker Newt Gingrich was reprimanded and fined as the House voted for the first time in history to discipline its leader for ethical misconduct.

Ten years ago: Sultry singer Peggy Lee died in Bel Air, Calif., at age 81.

Five years ago: Venzuelan President Hugo Chavez (OO'-goh CHAH'-vez) told U.S. officials to "Go to hell, gringos!" and called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "missy" on his weekly radio and TV show, lashing out at Washington for what he called unacceptable meddling in his country's affairs. Lovie Smith became the first black head coach to make it to the Super Bowl when his Chicago Bears won the NFC championship, beating the New Orleans Saints 39-14; Tony Dungy became the second when his Indianapolis Colts took the AFC title over the New England Patriots, 38-34.

One year ago: Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman seriously wounded in a shooting rampage, was transferred from the University Medical Center trauma center in Tucson to Texas Medical Center in Houston to undergo months of therapy. President Barack Obama visited Schenectady, N.Y., the birthplace of the General Electric Co., to declare that his job was "putting our economy into overdrive." South Korean special forces stormed a hijacked freighter in the Arabian Sea, rescuing all 21 crew members and killing eight Somali pirates. Keith Olbermann abruptly announced on his MSNBC program "Countdown" that it was his last broadcast for the network. Ed Mauser, the oldest living member of a 101st Airborne Division company that became known as the "Band of Brothers" during World War II, died in Omaha, Neb., at age 94.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Ann Wedgeworth is 78. World Golf Hall of Famer Jack Nicklaus is 72. Opera singer Placido Domingo is 71. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Richie Havens is 71. Country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Mac Davis (born Morris Mac Davis) is 70. Actress Jill Eikenberry is 65. Country Guitarist/Fiddler Jim Ibbotson (formerly of "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band") is 65. Pop Soul Singer/Songwriter Billy Ocean (born Leslie Sebastian Charles) is 62. U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke is 62. Attorney General Eric Holder is 61. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is 59. Actor-director Robby Benson is 56. Actress/former fashion model Geena Davis (born Virginia Elizabeth Davis) is 56. Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon is 49. Actress Charlotte Ross is 44. Actor John Ducey is 43. Actress Karina Lombard is 43. Rapper Levirt ("B-Rock and the Bizz") is 42. Rock Drummer Mark Trojanowski ("Sister Hazel") is 42. Rock singer-songwriter Cat Power (born Charlyn Marie Marshall) is 40. Rock Turntablist/Keyboardist Chris Kilmore ("Incubus") is 39. Actor Vincent Laresca is 38. Pop Singer Emma Bunton ('Baby Spice' of "The Spice Girls") is 36. Country singer Phil Stacey is 34. R&B Singer/Songwriter/Rapper Nokio (born Tamir Mateen Raheem Hameed Ruffin)("Dru Hill") is 33. Actress Izabella Miko is 31.

Thought for Today: "I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." — George Burns, American comedian (1896-1996).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 22, 2012, 12:01 am US/Eastern

Today is Sunday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2012. There are 344 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 22, 1912, the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, which connected the Keys with the mainland, went into service; aboard the first train to reach Key West was the line's founder, Henry Flagler. (Following the damaging 1935 Labor Day hurricane, the rail line from the mainland was abandoned and replaced with a highway.)

On this date:

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

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

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 1962, one of Hollywood's most famous, as well as tumultuous, romances bloomed as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton filmed their first scene together on the set of "Cleopatra" at the Cinecitta (chee-nay-chee-TAH') studios in Rome.

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, legalized abortions using a trimester approach. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at age 64.

In 1984, the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 to win Super Bowl XVIII (18), played at Tampa Stadium in Florida. (The game broadcast on CBS-TV featured Apple Computer's famous "1984" ad introducing the Macintosh computer.)

In 1987, Pennsylvania treasurer R. Budd Dwyer, convicted of defrauding the state, proclaimed his innocence at a news conference before shooting himself to death in front of horrified spectators.

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

In 1997, the Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation's first female secretary of state.

Ten years ago: Kmart Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (Kmart emerged from bankruptcy in 2003.) Jack Shea, a gold medal-winning speedskater and patriarch of the nation's first family with three generations of Olympians, died in Lake Placid, N.Y., of injuries suffered in a car accident; he was 91.

Five years ago: A car bombing of a predominantly Shiite commercial area in Baghdad killed 88 people. Iran announced it had barred 38 nuclear inspectors on a United Nations list from entering the country in apparent retaliation for U.N. sanctions imposed the previous month.

One year ago: Drawing inspiration from the revolt in Tunisia, thousands of Yemenis demanded the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh (AH'-lee ahb-DUH'-luh sah-LEH') in a noisy demonstration that appeared to be the first large-scale public challenge to the strongman. Pope Benedict XVI told priests to do a better job counseling would-be spouses to ensure their marriages last, and said that no one had an absolute right to a wedding.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., is 84. Actress Piper Laurie is 80. Actor Seymour Cassel is 77. Author Joseph Wambaugh is 75. Actor John Hurt is 72. Rock Singer Steve Perry (born Stephen Ray Pereira)(former lead singer of "Journey") is 63. Country Singer/Bassist Teddy Gentry ("Alabama") is 60. Movie director Jim Jarmusch is 59. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Mike Bossy is 55. Actress Linda Blair is 53. Actress Diane Lane is 47. Actor-rapper DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes) is 47. Country singer Regina Nicks ("Regina Regina") is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Gay ("Shai") is 43. Actor Gabriel Macht is 40. Actor Balthazar Getty is 37. Actor Christopher Kennedy Masterson is 32. Pop singer Willa Ford is 31. Actress Beverley Mitchell is 31. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist/Record Producer Ben Moody is 31. Actress Sami Gayle (TV's "Blue Bloods") is 16.

Thought for Today: "Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own." — Jonathan Swift, Anglo-Irish writer (1667-1745).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 23, 2012, 12:01 am US/Eastern

Today is Monday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2012. There are 343 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On Jan. 23, 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Tony Bennett recorded "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," by George Cory and Douglass Cross, in New York for Columbia Records.

On this date:

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

In 1812, the second New Madrid (MAD'-rihd) Earthquake struck, with an estimated magnitude of 7.5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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 1937, 17 people went on trial in Moscow during Josef Stalin's "Great Purge." (All were convicted; all but four were executed.)

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 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: Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was abducted in Karachi, Pakistan, by a group demanding the return of prisoners from the Afghan campaign; he was later murdered. John Walker Lindh, a U.S.-born Taliban fighter, was returned to the United States to face criminal charges that he'd conspired to kill fellow Americans. Kenneth Lay stepped down as chairman and chief executive of Enron Corp.

Five years ago: In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush implored Congress to give his plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq a chance to work. A new rule requiring U.S. airline passengers to show a passport upon their return from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean took effect. E. Howard Hunt, who'd helped organize the Watergate break-in, leading to the downfall of Richard Nixon's presidency, died in Miami, Fla., at age 88.

One year ago: Allies and adversaries of President Hugo Chavez took to the streets of Caracas by the thousands, staging rival demonstrations to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of Venezuela's democracy. Fitness guru Jack LaLanne died in Morro Bay, Calif., at age 96. The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their third Super Bowl in six years with a 24-19 victory over the New York Jets to win the AFC championship. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears, 21-14, in the NFC championship game.

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., is 88. Actress Jeanne Moreau is 84. Actress Chita Rivera is 79. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 78. Actor Gil Gerard is 69. Actor Rutger Hauer is 68. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jerry Lawson ("The Persuasions") is 68. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., is 65. R&B Singer Anita Pointer ("The Pointer Sisters") is 64. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 62. Rock Bassist Bill Cunningham ("The Box Tops") is 62. Rock singer Robin Zander ("Cheap Trick") is 59. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (vee-yah-ry-GOH'-sah) is 59. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 55. Singer Anita Baker is 54. Reggae Singer/Bassist Earl Falconer ("UB40") is 53. Actress Gail O'Grady is 49. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Nelson is 41. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 38. Rock Singer/Bassist Nick Harmer ("Death Cab for Cutie") is 37. Christian Rock Singer/Bassist Nick DePartee ("Kutless") is 27.

Thought for Today: "It's not what you are, it's what you don't become that hurts." — Oscar Levant, pianist-composer-actor (1906-1972).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – January 24, 2012, 12:01 am US/Eastern

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 24, the 24th day of 2012. There are 342 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 24, 1942, the Roberts Commission, which had looked into America's lack of preparedness for Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, publicly released its report placing much of the blame on Rear Adm. Husband E. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, the Navy and Army commanders.

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 1862, author Edith Wharton was born in New York.

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

In 1922, Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, received a U.S. patent for his Eskimo Pie.

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

In 1961, a U.S. Air Force B-52 crashed near Goldsboro, N.C., dropping its payload of two nuclear bombs, neither of which went off; three crew members were killed.

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 1987, gunmen in Lebanon kidnapped educators Alann Steen, Jesse Turner, Robert Polhill and Mitheleshwar Singh. (All were eventually released.)

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

In 1992, a judge in El Salvador sentenced an army colonel and a lieutenant to 30 years in prison for their part in the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. (However, Col. Guillermo Alfredo Benavides and Lt. Yusshy Mendoza were freed in April 1993 under an amnesty law.)

Ten years ago: A House committee opened hearings into the collapse of energy giant Enron Corp. Officials of Enron's accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, claimed fired auditor David Duncan was solely responsible for the massive destruction of Enron documents; Duncan refused to answer questions, invoking the Fifth Amendment. John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban," made his first court appearance in suburban Washington, D.C.

Five years ago: The Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a nonbinding measure, 12-9, dismissing President George W. Bush's plans for a troop buildup in Iraq as "not in the national interest" of the United States. Colorado's Joe Sakic had four assists to lead the Western Conference to a 12-9 victory in the NHL All-Star game.

One year ago: A suicide bomber blew himself up in Moscow's busiest airport, killing 37 people; Chechen separatists claimed responsibility. In his second court appearance, Jared Lee Loughner (LAWF'-nur) pleaded not guilty in Phoenix to federal charges he'd tried to kill U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides in a Tucson shooting rampage that had claimed six lives. An emotional Oprah Winfrey publicly introduced her newly found sibling, a half-sister identified only as "Patricia" who was given up for adoption by Winfrey's mother nearly 50 years earlier, when the talk show host was 8 years old.

Today's Birthdays: Oscar, Emmy & Golden Globe Award winning actor Ernest Borgnine is 95. Actor Jerry Maren (one of only 4 surviving 'Munchkins' of "The Wizard of Oz") is 93. Actor Marvin Kaplan ("Top Cat") is 85. Cajun Singer/Songwriter/Fiddler Doug Kershaw is 76. Country Singer/Songwriter/Pianist Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale) is 73. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Neil Diamond is 71. Singer Aaron Neville is 71. Actor Michael Ontkean is 66. Actor Daniel Auteuil is 62. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 62. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 61. Bandleader/Pianist/Singer/Songwriter Jools Holland (real name Julian Miles Holland) is 54. Actress Nastassja Kinski is 53. Rhythm-and-blues singer Theo Peoples is 51. Country Drummer Keech Rainwater ("Lonestar") is 49. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is 46. Comedian Phil LaMarr is 45. Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 44. R&B Singer/Songwriter Sleepy Brown (real name Patrick Brown)("Society of Soul") is 42. Actor Matthew Lillard is 42. Actress Merrilee McCommas is 41. Actor Ed Helms is 38. Actress Tatyana Ali is 33. Rock Guitarist Mitchell Marlow (formerly of "Filter") is 33. Actress Mischa Barton is 26.

Thought for Today: "I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." — Bob Dylan.
 

Similar threads

Azhria Lilu
Today in History - 29 October
Replies
0
Views
500
Azhria Lilu
Azhria Lilu
superintelligentone
In Memorium #01
5 6 7
Replies
127
Views
23K
superintelligentone
superintelligentone
superintelligentone
Things In The News #01
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
10K
superintelligentone
superintelligentone
Back
Top