Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2022. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 10, 2002, Marines began flying hundreds of al-Qaida prisoners in Afghanistan to a U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

On this date:

In 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, “Common Sense,” which argued for American independence from British rule.

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 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

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

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. Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.

In 1971, French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in Paris at age 87.

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.

In 2003, North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.

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 2011, 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.

Ten years ago: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire Republican primary; Ron Paul finished second, with Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum trailing. Alabama was voted No. 1 in the final AP poll for the eighth time after winning a rematch with LSU in the BCS championship.

Five years ago: An unrepentant Dylann Roof was sentenced to death in Charleston, South Carolina, for fatally shooting nine black church members during a Bible study session, becoming the first person ordered executed for a federal hate crime. President Barack Obama bid farewell to the nation in an emotional speech in Chicago.

One year ago: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would proceed with legislation to impeach President Donald Trump, even as she pushed the vice president and the Cabinet to invoke constitutional authority to force him out in the aftermath of the deadly assault on the Capitol. A second Republican senator, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, called on Trump to resign, joining Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The Capitol’s attending physician notified lawmakers that they may have been exposed to someone testing positive for COVID-19 while they sheltered in an undisclosed location during the Capitol siege.

Today’s Birthdays: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 87. Rock singer-musician Ronnie Hawkins is 87. Movie director Walter Hill is 82. Actor William Sanderson is 78. Singer Rod Stewart is 77. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 74. Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 73. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 71. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 70. Singer Pat Benatar is 69. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 69. Rock musician Michael Schenker is 67. Singer Shawn Colvin is 66. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 63. Actor Evan Handler is 61. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 58. Actor Trini Alvarado is 55. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 44. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 43. Actor Sarah Shahi is 42. American roots singer Valerie June is 40.

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

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