![The signature of President Abraham Lincoln is seen on the 13th Amendment in a display at the Tennessee State Museum on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, is on display along with the Emancipation Proclamation as part of an exhibit titled Discovering the Civil War. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_352550530439-1880x1024.jpg)
![Fidel Castro shown in 1959. No other identification given. (AP Photo)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_080916029731-1347x1254.jpg)
![Pres. George H. W. Bush, center, signs the North American Free Trade Agreement during a ceremony at the Organization of American States headquarters, Thursday, Dec. 17, 1992, Washington, D.C. Canadian Amb. Derek Burney and U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills applaud during the signing. The president predicted an explosion of growth throughout North America as he signed the agreement. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_921217088-1880x1254.jpg)
![Actor Boris Karloff, right, gets a look at what he looked like in movies not too many years ago, at a party in Karloff's honor at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, an old mansion where magicians meet, April 18, 1967. Manuel Welton is inside the Frankenstein costume. (AP Photo/Harold P. Matosian)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AP_6704180113-1267x1254.jpg)
![U.S. District Judge John Sirica, upper center, presides as court clerk James Capitanio, standing right, reads the jurys verdict in the Watergate cover-up trial in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1975, in a drawing by Steven Kidd for the Associated Press. At lower center is James Neal, the special prosecutor. (AP Photo)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_75010103005-1764x1254.jpg)
![The signature of President Abraham Lincoln is seen on the 13th Amendment in a display at the Tennessee State Museum on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, is on display along with the Emancipation Proclamation as part of an exhibit titled Discovering the Civil War. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_352550530439-260x174.jpg)
![Fidel Castro shown in 1959. No other identification given. (AP Photo)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_080916029731-260x174.jpg)
![Pres. George H. W. Bush, center, signs the North American Free Trade Agreement during a ceremony at the Organization of American States headquarters, Thursday, Dec. 17, 1992, Washington, D.C. Canadian Amb. Derek Burney and U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills applaud during the signing. The president predicted an explosion of growth throughout North America as he signed the agreement. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_921217088-260x174.jpg)
![Actor Boris Karloff, right, gets a look at what he looked like in movies not too many years ago, at a party in Karloff's honor at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, an old mansion where magicians meet, April 18, 1967. Manuel Welton is inside the Frankenstein costume. (AP Photo/Harold P. Matosian)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AP_6704180113-260x174.jpg)
![U.S. District Judge John Sirica, upper center, presides as court clerk James Capitanio, standing right, reads the jurys verdict in the Watergate cover-up trial in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1975, in a drawing by Steven Kidd for the Associated Press. At lower center is James Neal, the special prosecutor. (AP Photo)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AP_75010103005-260x174.jpg)
Today is Tuesday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2019.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Jan. 1, 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic.
On this date:
In 1818, the first edition of the Gothic novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” by English author Mary Shelley, 20, was published anonymously in London.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be “forever free.”
In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.
In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, West Virginia, while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.
In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color TV program as it presented live coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.
In 1975, a jury in Washington found Nixon administration officials John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and Robert C. Mardian guilty of charges related to the Watergate cover-up (Mardian’s conviction for conspiracy was later overturned on appeal).
In 1979, the United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In 1984, the breakup of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.
In 1985, the music cable channel VH-1 made its debut with a video of Marvin Gaye performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
In 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two new countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
In 2014, the nation’s first legal recreational pot shops opened in Colorado at 8 a.m. Mountain time.
Ten years ago: An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of one of Hamas’ top five decision-makers, instantly killing him and 18 others. The U.S. formally transferred control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities in a pair of ceremonies that also handed back Saddam Hussein’s former palace. Russia made good on its threat to cut off all natural gas supplies to Ukraine. Six-term Rhode Island Sen. Claiborne Pell died at age 90. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the Winter Classic at chilly Wrigley Field. No. 5 Southern California defeated No. 6 Penn State 38-24 in the 95th Rose Bowl.
Five years ago: The nation’s first legal recreational pot shops opened in Colorado at 8 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Actress Juanita Moore, 99, died in Los Angeles. No. 4 Michigan State romped to a 24-20 victory over No. 5 Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl. No. 15 Central Florida pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the bowl season by outlasting No. 6 Baylor 52-42 in the Fiesta Bowl.
One year ago: Former Fox News Channel anchor and 1989 Miss America Gretchen Carlson was named chairwoman of the Miss America Organization’s board of directors, with three other past pageant winners joining her on the board. In the first Rose Bowl to go into overtime, Georgia advanced to college football’s national championship game with a 54-48 win over Oklahoma. Alabama advanced by beating top-ranked Clemson, 24-6, in the Sugar Bowl. Peter Martins, the longtime leader of the New York City Ballet, announced his retirement in the midst of an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct. California launched legal sales of recreational marijuana, with customers linking up early for ribbon cuttings and promotions.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.