Today in History
Today is Sunday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2021. There are 355 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, Massachusetts, 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 1863, the London Underground had its beginnings as the Metropolitan, the world’s first underground passenger railway, opened to the public with service between Paddington and Farringdon Street.
In 1901, the Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Texas, produced the Lucas Gusher, heralding the start of the Texas oil boom.
In 1917, legendary Western frontiersman and showman William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody died at his sister’s home in Denver at age 70.
In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY’) went into effect.
In 1948, future country music star Loretta Lynn (nee Webb) married Oliver “Mooney” Lynn; she was 15 at the time, he was 21 (the marriage lasted until Oliver Lynn’s death in 1996).
In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, asked Congress to impose a surcharge on both corporate and individual income taxes to help pay for his “Great Society” programs as well as the war in Vietnam. That same day, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.
In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.
In 2002, Marines began flying hundreds of al-Qaida prisoners in Afghanistan to a U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In 2007, 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.
In 2016, David Bowie, the chameleon-like star who transformed the sound — and the look — of rock with his audacious creativity and his sexually ambiguous makeup and costumes, died in New York.
Ten years 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 money laundering conviction. (DeLay’s conviction was ultimately overturned.) 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, New Jersey.
Five years ago: French President Francois Hollande and other dignitaries held a special ceremony to honor those killed in Islamic extremist attacks around Paris in 2015. At the Golden Globes, “The Revenant” won best motion picture drama while “The Martian” was recognized as best comedy film.
One year ago: The Trump administration announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following the missile strikes earlier in the week from Iran against U.S. bases in Iraq. In the first of a series of contentious votes on gun legislation, state lawmakers in Virginia voted to ban guns at the state Capitol; Democrats held a full majority at the state house for the first time in a generation. Outfielder Mookie Betts agreed to a $27 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, the largest-ever one-year salary for a player eligible for arbitration; he would end up being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the coronavirus-shortened season.
Today’s Birthdays: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 86. Rock singer-musician Ronnie Hawkins is 86. Movie director Walter Hill is 81. Actor William Sanderson is 77. Singer Rod Stewart is 76. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 73. Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 72. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 70. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 69. Singer Pat Benatar is 68. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 68. Rock musician Michael Schenker is 66. Singer Shawn Colvin is 65. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 62. Actor Evan Handler is 60. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 57. Actor Trini Alvarado is 54. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 43. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 42. Actor Sarah Shahi is 41. Presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is 40. American roots singer Valerie June is 39.
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