There are 345 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
- On Jan. 20, 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
On this date:
- In 1801, Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President John Adams to be chief justice of the United States. (He was sworn in on Feb. 4, 1801.)
- In 1841, the island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. (It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.)
- 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 (his demise having been hastened by his physician); he was succeeded by Edward VIII.
- In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.
- In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Jews.
- In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for an unprecedented fourth term.
- In 1949, President Harry S. Truman was sworn in for a second term of office. In his inaugural address, Truman branded communism a "false philosophy" as he outlined his program for U.S. world leadership.
- In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States; Spiro Agnew took the oath of vice president.
- In 1989, George H.W. Bush was sworn in as the 41st president of the United States; Dan Quayle took the oath of vice president.
Ten years ago:
- For a second day, President Bill Clinton's legal team argued its case before the Senate, saying that House-passed articles of impeachment were "flawed and unfair."
Five years ago:
- President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address, asserted that America was strengthening its economy and successfully combatting terrorism.
- Dick Gephardt quit the Democratic presidential race.
- Martha Stewart's stock-trading trial formally began in New York. (Stewart ended up serving a five-month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale.)
- The Salvation Army announced a donation likely to exceed $1.5 billion from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder.
One year ago:
- The Los Angeles Times announced its top editor, James O'Shea, had been fired after he rejected a management order to cut $4 million from the newsroom budget, 14 months after his predecessor was also ousted in a budget dispute.
- Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was sworn in for a second term.
- The New England Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sent them back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons.
- The New York Giants won a 23-20 overtime victory over Green Bay in the NFC championship.
Today's Birthdays:
- Country singer Slim Whitman is 85.
- Actress Patricia Neal is 83.
- Comedian Arte Johnson is 80.
- Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 79.
- Actress Dorothy Provine is 72.
- Singer Eric Stewart is 64.
- Movie director David Lynch is 63.
- Actor Daniel Benzali is 59.
- Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 57.
- Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 57.
- Comedian Bill Maher is 53.
- Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 51.
- Actor James Denton ("Desperate Housewives") is 46.
- Rock musician Greg K. (The Offspring) is 44.
- Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 44.
- Actor Rainn Wilson ("The Office") is 43.
- Actress Stacey Dash is 42.
- TV personality Melissa Rivers is 41.
- Singer Xavier is 41.
- Singer Edwin McCain is 39.
- Actor Skeet Ulrich is 39.
- Rap musician ?uestlove (questlove) (The Roots) is 38.
- Rock musician Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) is 30.
- Actor Evan Peters is 22.
Thought for Today:
"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
Alexis de Tocqueville, French author (1805-1859).
"Let's all be careful out there!"