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Sunday, January 25, 2009

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!"

DAILY CHUCKLE 9-025







"Let's all be careful out there!"