JANUARY 25TH

Today is Sunday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2009.
There are 340 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• On Jan. 25, 1759, Scottish poet Robert Burns was born in Alloway.

On this date:

• In 1787, Shays's Rebellion suffered a setback when debt-ridden farmers led by Capt. Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Mass.
• In 1858, Britain's Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Crown Prince Frederick William (the future German Emperor and King of Prussia) at St. James's Palace.
• In 1890, the United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio. Reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes.
• In 1909, the opera "Elektra" by Richard Strauss premiered in Dresden, Germany.
• In 1915, Alexander Graham Bell inaugurated U.S. transcontinental telephone service between New York and San Francisco.
• In 1947, American gangster Al Capone died in Miami Beach, Fla., at age 48.
• In 1959, American Airlines began jet flights between New York and Los Angeles on the Boeing 707.
• In 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first presidential news conference carried live on radio and television.
• In 1969, Vietnam War peace talks resumed in Paris, with the inclusion of representatives from South Vietnam and the Viet Cong.
• In 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.

Ten years ago:

• The Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that the 2000 census could not use statistical sampling to enhance its accuracy.
• In Louisville, Ky., a man who'd lost his left hand received the first hand transplant in the United States.
• A powerful earthquake rocked Colombia, killing more than 1,000 people.

Five years ago:

• NASA's Opportunity rover zipped its first pictures of Mars to Earth, showing a surface smooth and dark red in some places, and strewn with fragmented slabs of light bedrock in others.
• Outgoing U.S. weapons inspector David Kay told National Public Radio his inability to find illicit arms in Iraq raised serious questions about U.S. intelligence-gathering.
• Mikhail Saakashvili was inaugurated as Georgia's president.
• "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" snared best dramatic film at the Golden Globes; HBO's six-hour adaptation of "Angels in America" won best miniseries or TV movie.

One year ago:

• President Bush urged Congress to quickly pass an economic stimulus package void of extraneous spending, saying only quick action would kickstart the sputtering economy.
• Democrat Dennis Kucinich abandoned his presidential bid to focus on a tough race for re-election to Congress.

Today's Birthdays:

• Journalist-author Edwin Newman is 90.
• Actor Gregg Palmer is 82.
• The former president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, is 81.
• Actor Dean Jones is 78.
• Country singer Claude Gray is 77.
• The former president of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino, is 76.
• Blues singer Etta James is 71.
• Movie director Tobe Hooper is 66.
• Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 64.
• Actress Jenifer Lewis is 52.
• Actress Dinah Manoff is 51.
• Country musician Mike Burch (River Road) is 43.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Kina is 40.
• Actress China Kantner is 38.
• Actress Ana Ortiz is 38.
• Musician Matt Odmark (Jars of Clay) is 35.
• Actress Mia Kirshner is 34.
• Actress Christine Lakin is 30.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Alicia Keys is 28.

Thought for Today:

"There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing."
Robert Burns, Scottish poet (1759-1796).

"Let's all be careful out there!"