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There are 334 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
- On Jan. 31, 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I.
On this date:
- In 1606, Guy Fawkes, convicted of treason for his part in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.
- In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of all the Confederate armies.
- In 1917, during World War I, Germany served notice it was beginning a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
- In 1919, baseball Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Ga.
- In 1929, revolutionary Leon Trotsky and his family were expelled from the Soviet Union.
- In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces began a successful invasion of Kwajalein Atoll and other parts of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
- In 1945, Pvt. Eddie Slovik, 24, became the first U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion as he was shot by an American firing squad in France.
- In 1949, the first TV daytime soap opera, "These Are My Children," began broadcasting from the NBC station in Chicago. (It lasted all of four weeks.)
- In 1971, astronauts Alan Shepard Jr., Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon.
- In 2000, an Alaska Airlines jet plummeted into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 people aboard.
Ten years ago:
- The Denver Broncos repeated as NFL champions, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl 33.
- Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham presented what they called convincing proof that the AIDS virus originated in chimpanzees and spread to people in Africa.
Five years ago:
- Six U.S.-bound flights from England, Scotland and France were canceled because of security concerns.
- Justine Henin-Hardenne won her third Grand Slam title, defeating Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open.
- John Elway and Barry Sanders were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on their first attempt; they were joined by Bob Brown and Carl Eller.
One year ago:
- President George W. Bush, speaking at the Nevada Policy Research Institute, said he would not jeopardize security gains in Iraq by withdrawing U.S. forces too quickly.
- A drifter pleaded guilty to murdering a young woman who'd gone missing while hiking in the north Georgia mountains; Gary Michael Hilton was swiftly sentenced to life in prison in the death of Meredith Emerson.
Today's Birthdays:
- Actress Carol Channing is 88.
- Actress Jean Simmons is 80.
- Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks is 78.
- Composer Philip Glass is 72.
- Actor Stuart Margolin is 69.
- Actress Jessica Walter is 68.
- Former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., is 68.
- Blues singer-musician Charlie Musselwhite is 65.
- Actor Glynn Turman is 63.
- Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan is 62.
- Singer-musician KC (KC and the Sunshine Band) is 58.
- Rock singer Johnny Rotten is 53.
- Actress Kelly Lynch is 50.
- Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 50.
- Singer-musician Lloyd Cole is 48.
- Actor John Dye is 46.
- Rock musician Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) is 45.
- Rock musician Al Jaworski (Jesus Jones) is 43.
- Actress Minnie Driver is 39.
- Actress Portia de Rossi is 36.
- Actor-comedian Bobby Moynihan is 32.
- Actress Kerry Washington is 32.
- Singer Justin Timberlake is 28.
Thought for Today:
"Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have."
Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel, American theologian, author and educator (1907-1990).
"Let's all be careful out there!"
