On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency as he announced his intention to enter the New Hampshire Democratic primary.
In 1492, Muhammad XII, the sultan of Granada, the last Arab stronghold in Spain, surrendered to Spanish forces.
In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
In 1811, Timothy Pickering, a Federalist from Massachusetts, became the first U.S. senator to be censured after being accused of publicly revealing secret presidential documents.
In 1900, Secretary of State John Hay announced the "Open Door Policy" to facilitate trade with China.
In 1929, the United States and Canada reached agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.
In 1935, Bruno Hauptmann went on trial in Flemington, N.J., on charges of kidnapping and murdering the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. (Hauptmann was found guilty, and executed.)
In 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces.
In 1959, the Soviet Union launched its space probe Luna 1, the first manmade object to fly past the moon, its apparent intended target.
In 1965, the New York Jets signed Alabama quarterback Joe Namath to a contract reportedly worth $427,000.
In 1991, Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., becoming the first African-American woman to head a city of Washington's size and prominence.
In 1999, a U.N.-chartered cargo plane carrying nine people was downed in Angola's central highland war zone; there were no survivors.
In 2000, retired Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., known early in his career for modernizing the Navy and later for ordering the spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam, died in Durham, N.C., at age 79.
In 2004, insurgents shot down a US helicopter west of Baghdad, killing one soldier. British flights to Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were canceled as a security precaution. The NASA spacecraft Stardust flew through the halo of the distant comet Wild 2.
In 2005, NFL teams joined Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and other sports figures around the world in assisting the relief mission for the tsunami-earthquake catastrophe in southern Asia.
In 2006, a methane gas explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia claimed the lives of 12 miners, but one miner, Randal McCloy, Jr., was eventually rescued.
In 2008, the Justice Department opened a full criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes. Pakistan pushed back parliamentary elections until Feb. 18, 2008 -- a six-week delay prompted by rioting that followed the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Oil prices soared to $100 a barrel for the first time.
In 2009, President George W. Bush branded Hamas rocket attacks on Israel an "act of terror" and outlined his own condition for a cease-fire in Gaza. President-elect Barack Obama and his family arrived in Chicago after a holiday vacation in Hawaii. AirTran Airways apologized to nine Muslims kicked off a New Year's Day flight to Florida. Peyton Manning won a record-tying third NFL Most Valuable Player award. No. 7 Utah finished a perfect season with a 31-17 upset of No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Today's Birthdays:Country musician Harold Bradley is 84. Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is 68. TV host Jack Hanna is 63. Actress Wendy Phillips is 58. Actress Gabrielle Carteris is 49. Movie director Todd Haynes is 49. Retired All-Star pitcher David Cone is 47. Actress Tia Carrere is 43. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 42. Model Christy Turlington is 41. Actor Taye Diggs is 39. Rock musician Scott Underwood (Train) is 39. Rock singer Doug Robb (Hoobastank) is 35. Actor Dax Shepard is 35. Actress Paz Vega is 34. Country musician Chris Hartman is 32. Rock musician Jerry DePizzo Jr. (O.A.R.) is 31. R&B singer Kelton Kessee (IMX) is 29. Actress Kate Bosworth is 27.
Today In Entertainment History January 2
In 1971, George Harrison became the first former Beatle to hit number one on the US album chart, with "All Things Must Pass."
In 1974, singer Tex Ritter died of a heart attack in Nashville at the age of 68.
In 1979, former Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious went on trial for the murder of his girlfriend. He didn't live to hear the verdict. He died a month later.
In 1983, the musical play "Annie," based on the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip, closed on Broadway after 2,377 performances.
In 1990, actor Alan Hale, best known as the skipper on "Gilligan's Island," died of cancer. His ashes were scattered at sea.
In 1997, guitarist Randy California of Spirit disappeared after being caught in a current off the coast of Hawaii.
In 2008, late-night talk shows returned to the air two months into a writers strike. (David Letterman and Craig Ferguson had interim agreements allowing writers to work on their shows; Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel returned without theirs.)
In 2009, actor John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, died at the family's vacation home in the Bahamas.
Thought for Today: "It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." — Ursula K. Le Guin, American author.
No comments:
Post a Comment