On Jan. 19, 1960, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of America was signed by both countries in Washington, D.C. (Domestic opposition to the treaty led to the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi (nah-boo-soo-keh kee-shee)).
On this date:
In 1736, James Watt, inventor of the steam engine, was born in Scotland.
In 1807, Confederate general Robert E. Lee was born in Westmoreland County, Va.
In 1809, author, poet and critic Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston.
In 1853, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premiered in Rome.
In 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union.
In 1920, the U.S. Senate voted against the country joining the League of Nations.
In 1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in seven hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.
In 1938, the Spanish Nationalist air force bombed Barcelona and Valencia, killing 700 civilians and wounding hundreds more.
In 1944, the federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads after settling a wage dispute.
In 1955, a presidential news conference was filmed for television for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister of India. [She was allowed to retain the "Bride Of Frankenstein" title. — Ed.]
In 1975, China published a new constitution that adopted the precepts and policies of Mao Zedong.
In 1977, U.S. President Gerald Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who had been convicted of treason for her World War II Japanese propaganda broadcasts as Tokyo Rose. Also in 1977, snowfall was recorded in Miami and the Bahamas. It was the first recorded snowfall in Miami.
In 1979, former Attorney General John Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months in federal prison for Watergate-related crimes.
In 1980, retired Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas died in Washington, D.C. at age 81.
In 1981, the United States and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.
In 1990, Arthur J. Goldberg, former Supreme Court justice, labor secretary and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was found dead in his Washington apartment at age 81.
In 1994, ice skater Tonya Harding's former husband, Jeff Gillooly, was arrested and charged with conspiracy in the attack two weeks earlier on Harding rival Nancy Kerrigan.
In 1995, Russian forces captured the presidential palace in the rebel republic of Chechnya.
In 1997, Yasser Arafat returned to Hebron for the first time in more than 30 years, joining 60,000 Palestinians in celebrating the handover of the last West Bank city in Israeli control.
In 2000, Michael Skakel (SKAY'-kul), a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy, was charged with bludgeoning to death 15-year-old Martha Moxley in Greenwich (GREH'-nich), Conn. in 1975, when he was also 15. (Skakel was later convicted, and is appealing.) A dormitory fire at Seton Hall University in New Jersey killed three people and injured 62. Former Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi died in Tunisia at age 65.
In 2001, in a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years.
In 2003, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the Bush administration might allow Saddam Hussein to seek safe haven in another country as a way to avoid war.
In 2004, John Kerry won Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses; Howard Dean, who finished third, delivered a fist-pumping, bellowing concession speech that was viewed as politically damaging.
A freighter capsized near the western Norwegian port of Bergen, killing 18.In 2005, previewing his second inauguration, President George W. Bush pledged to seek unity in a nation divided by political differences, saying, "I am eager and ready for the work ahead." Condoleezza Rice won strong but not unanimous endorsement as secretary of state from a Senate panel. The American Cancer Society reported that cancer had passed heart disease as the top killer of Americans age 85 and younger. Former chairman and chief executive of Citicorp Walter B. Wriston died in New York at age 85.
In 2006, an unmanned NASA spacecraft blasted off on a 3 billion-mile journey to Pluto.
In 2008, Republican John McCain won a hard-fought South Carolina primary; Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama split the spoils in the Nevada caucuses. A soldier was killed south of Baghdad in a roadside bomb attack; his was the first American death to occur on a newly introduced, heavily armored vehicle known as MRAP. Death claimed former Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer at age 73. Also in 2008, U.S. President George Bush said that although the economy is growing, the rate of growth has slowed and "there's a risk of a downturn." He called it "a challenging period for our economy."
In 2009, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal restoring natural gas shipments to Ukraine and paving the way for an end to the nearly two-week cutoff of most Russian gas to a freezing Europe. Iranian intelligence officials said their forces had dismantled a U.S.-backed spy network involving several nations aimed at toppling the country's Islamic regime. Also in 2009, rescue teams dug through the rubble of a Sao Paolo, Brazil, church looking for survivors. At least seven people died and about 100 were hurt when the church's concrete roof collapsed during services.
Today's Birthdays: Former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar is 90. Actress Jean Stapleton is 87. Actor Fritz Weaver is 84. Actress Tippi Hedren is 80. Former PBS newsman Robert MacNeil is 79. Movie director Richard Lester is 78. Singer Phil Everly is 71. Actor-singer Michael Crawford is 68. Actress Shelley Fabares is 66. Country singer Dolly Parton is 64. ABC newswoman Ann Compton is 63. TV chef Paula Deen is 63. Rock singer Martha Davis is 59. Singer Dewey Bunnell (America) is 58. Actor Desi Arnaz Jr. is 57. Comedian Paul Rodriguez is 55. Conductor Sir Simon Rattle is 55. Actress Katey Sagal is 53. Reggae musician Mickey Virtue (UB40) is 53. Rock musician Jeff Pilson (Foreigner) is 52. Actor Paul McCrane is 49. Actor William Ragsdale is 49. Tennis player Stefan Edberg is 44. Rock singer Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe) is 42. Singer Trey Lorenz is 41. Actor Shawn Wayans is 39. Rock singer-musician John Wozniak (Marcy Playground) is 39. Actress Drea (DRAY-uh') de Matteo is 38. Comedian-impressionist Frank Caliendo is 36. Actress Marsha Thomason is 34. Actress Jodie Sweetin is 28. Actor Logan Lerman is 18. Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson is 18.
Those Born On This Date Include: English metallurgist Henry Bessemer (1813); French post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne (1839); billiards player Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone (1913); singer and Broadway actor John Raitt (1917); Ebony magazine founder John H. Johnson (1918).
Today In Entertainment History
For January 19:
In 1943, singer Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas.
In 1974, a nine-mile traffic jam kept fans from attending performances by Bob Dylan and The Band in Miami. Many ticketholders didn't get in until the show was half over, prompting a few demonstrations.
In 1976, promoter Bill Sargent offered The Beatles at least $30 million to reunite for a concert in the US Sargent estimated that the reunion show could gross up to $300 million. They refused.
In 1977, Aretha Franklin sang "God Bless America" at a special inaugural concert for President-elect Jimmy Carter, who took the oath of office the next day.
In 1980, Michael Jackson got his first gold record, for "Off the Wall."
In 1989, Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle teamed up for a version of "Stand By Your Man" in honor of President-elect George Bush. Other celebrities at the Inaugural Gala included Clint Eastwood, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.
In 1993, Fleetwood Mac reunited for the Inaugural Gala for President-elect Bill Clinton. Also in 1993, singer Tom Waits was allowed to keep the $2.5 million that a judge awarded him after he sued Frito-Lay for using a sound-alike in a commercial. The Supreme Court refused to change the amount of the award.
In 1998, rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins died in Jackson, Tennessee, of complications from a recent series of strokes. He was 65.
In 2000, actress Hedy Lamarr was found dead in her Orlando, Fla. home; she was 85.
In 2006, singer Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack in Reston, Virginia. He was 64.
In 2008, death claimed actress Suzanne Pleshette in Los Angeles at age 70, & John Stewart, a former member of the Kingston Trio, in San Diego at age 68.
Thought for Today: "Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." — Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-American actress (1914-2000).
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