Today's Highlight in History:
On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states were free.
On this date:
In 1760, the first two volumes of Laurence Sterne's novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" were published in London.
In 1808, a law prohibiting the importation of slaves into the United States went into effect.
In 1890, the first Tournament of Roses was held in Pasadena, Calif.
In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.
In 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic.
In 1960, French Cameroun became an independent republic.
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 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
In 1999, the euro, the new single currency of 11 European countries (later 15), officially came into existence with the start of the New Year. (The euro became legal tender on this date in 2002.) Cuban President Fidel Castro, marking the 40th anniversary of his rise to power, portrayed his socialist nation as a defender of humanity against rapacious capitalism.
In 2000, the arrival of 2000 saw no terrorist attacks, Y2K meltdowns or mass suicides among doomsday cults, but did see seven continents stepping joyously and peacefully into the New Year. On his first full day as acting president, Vladimir Putin assured Russians there would be no "vacuum of power" after Boris Yeltsin's surprise resignation. Wisconsin beat Stanford, 17-9, to become the first Big Ten team to win consecutive Rose Bowls.
In 2004, Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf won a vote of confidence validating his five-year term as president. The University of Southern California defeated the University of Michigan, 28-14, in the Rose Bowl.
In 2005, desperate, homeless villagers on the tsunami-ravaged island of Sumatra mobbed American helicopters carrying aid as the US military launched its largest operation in the region since the Vietnam War. Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, died near Daytona Beach, Fla. at age 80. California Congressman Robert T. Matsui died in Bethesda, Md. at age 63.
In 2008, revelers celebrated the new year around the world; a ball dropped for the 100th year in New York's Times Square. Violence claimed scores of lives in Kenya, Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. diplomat John Granville and his driver were shot to death by Sudanese gunmen in Khartoum. New no-smoking rules went into effect in France, prohibiting people from lighting up in cafes, bars and restaurants. Cyprus and Malta adopted the euro. The Georgia Bulldogs romped past Hawaii 41-10 at the Sugar Bowl, ending the Warriors' perfect season.
In 2009, 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 US 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.
Today's Birthdays January 1: Author J.D. Salinger is 91. Former Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., is 88. Actor Ty Hardin is 80. Documentary maker Frederick Wiseman is 80. Actor Frank Langella is 72. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 68. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 67. Actor Rick Hurst is 64. Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is 63. Country singer Steve Ripley (The Tractors) is 60. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is 56. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 52. Actress Ren Woods is 52. Actress Dedee Pfeiffer is 46. Actress Embeth Davidtz is 44. Country singer Brian Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 44. Actor Morris Chestnut is 41. Actor Verne Troyer is 41.
Today In Entertainment History January 1
In 1950, Sam Phillips opened his first recording studio, the Memphis Recording Service.
In 1953, country star Hank Williams died of a heart attack brought on by alcohol. He was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, W.Va. while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio. The year before, he had been fired from the Grand Ole Opry because of his drinking. Williams was 29.
In 1960, Johnny Cash played his first concert for inmates, at a show at San Quentin Prison in California. Future country star Merle Haggard was in the audience, serving time for burglary.
In 1962, The Beatles failed their first audition in London. Decca Records instead signed Brian Poole and The Tremeloes.
In 1980, Queen Elizabeth made singer Cliff Richard a member of the Order of the British Empire.
In 1985, VH1 went on the air. Its first video was Marvin Gaye's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
In 1992, Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians played what was perhaps its smallest New Year's concert. The crowd consisted of about 100 people on a sidewalk in Hickory, North Carolina. The band's concert at a local hall had been canceled due to poor ticket sales.
In 1993, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" premiered on CBS.
In 1995, Rod Stewart set a new record for the largest attendance for an open-air concert. Three-and-a-half million people turned out for his New Year's concert in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1997, Bryant Gumbel anchored his last "Today" show broadcast. He was replaced by Matt Lauer.
In 1999, actress Alyssa Milano married singer Cinjun Tate of Remy Zero. She filed for divorce eleven months later.
In 2002, Eric Clapton married Melia McEnery at a church in London. He was 56, she was 25. At the same ceremony, their six-month-old daughter was baptized, along with Clapton's 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
In 2005, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil dropped an expletive while wishing drummer Tommy Lee a happy New Year shortly after midnight during a live broadcast of NBC's "The Tonight Show." Motley Crue later sued NBC, claiming the network banned them to placate the FCC.
In 2008, Eddie Murphy married Tracey Edmonds, the ex-wife of Babyface, on a private island off Bora Bora.
Thought for Today: "And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done, full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of it necessary, serious and great things." — Rainer Maria Rilke, German poet (1876-1926).
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