Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2022. There are 336 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 29, 1820, King George III died at Windsor Castle at age 81; he was succeeded by his son, who became King George IV.

On this date:

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

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

In 1936, the first inductees of baseball’s Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, New York.

In 1963, the first charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio (they were enshrined when the Hall opened in September 1963). Poet Robert Frost died in Boston at age 88.

In 1964, Stanley Kubrick’s nuclear war satire “Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” premiered in New York, Toronto and London.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping (dung shah-oh-ping) to the White House, following the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan announced in a nationally broadcast message that he and Vice President George H.W. Bush would seek reelection in the fall.

In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win five Super Bowl titles, beating the San Diego Chargers, 49-26, in Super Bowl XXIX.

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

In 2002, in his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said terrorists were still threatening America — and he warned of “an axis of evil” consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

In 2007, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized because of medical complications eight months after his gruesome breakdown at the Preakness.

In 2020, a charter flight evacuating 195 Americans, including diplomats and their families, left the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new viral outbreak; they would undergo three days of testing and monitoring at a California military base. World health officials expressed concern that the virus was starting to spread between people outside China.

Ten years ago: Eleven people were killed when smoke and fog caused a series of fiery crashes on I-75 in Florida.

Five years ago: Six people were killed in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers. (Alexandre Bissonnette, who was arrested nearby, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder charges and was sentenced to life in prison.) The White House vigorously defended President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions, as protests against the order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries spread throughout the country. Roger Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title, defeating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 at the Australian Open.

One year ago: Raising the stakes in the slew of cases stemming from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department said two New York men identified as members of the Proud Boys had been indicted on federal conspiracy and other charges. Congressional leaders announced that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who collapsed and died after engaging with the protesters at the Capitol, would lie in honor at the building’s Rotunda. Johnson & Johnson said its vaccine appeared to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order requiring the wearing of face masks on airline flights and public transportation. Hilton Valentine, the founding guitarist of English rock and roll band The Animals, died at 77.

Today’s Birthdays: Feminist author Germaine Greer is 83. Actor Katharine Ross is 82. Feminist author Robin Morgan is 81. Actor Tom Selleck is 77. R&B singer Bettye LaVette is 76. Actor Marc Singer is 74. Actor Ann Jillian is 72. Rock musician Louie Perez (Los Lobos) is 69. R&B singer Charlie Wilson is 69. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 68. Actor Terry Kinney is 68. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 66. Actor Diane Delano is 65. Actor Judy Norton (TV: “The Waltons”) is 64. Rock musician Johnny Spampinato is 63. Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis is 62. Rock musician David Baynton-Power (James) is 61. Rock musician Eddie Jackson (Queensryche) is 61. Actor Nicholas Turturro is 60. Rock singer-musician Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) is 58. Actor-director Edward Burns is 54. Actor Sam Trammell is 53. Actor Heather Graham is 52. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is 52. Actor Sharif Atkins is 47. Actor Sara Gilbert is 47. Actor Kelly Packard is 47. Actor Justin Hartley is 45. Actor Sam Jaeger is 45. Writer and TV personality Jedediah Bila is 43. Actor Andrew Keegan is 43. Actor Jason James Richter is 42. Blues musician Jonny Lang is 41. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert (TV: “American Idol”) is 40. Country singer Eric Paslay is 39.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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