TODAY IN HISTORY: The Gulf War

On this date in 1547,

Ivan the Terrible was crowned the first czar of Russia. French settlers were given land

In 1642,

in Acadia.

In 1866,

patented.

In 1920, In 1927, In 1939, In 1944, In 1965, In 1976, In 1991, In 2000, In 2003, In 2005, In 2009,

clamp-on roller skates were

prohibition began in the United States. It ended in 1933.

17-year-old Toronto swimmer George Young became the first person to cross the 35 kilometres from Santa Catalina Island to Los Angeles. He needed 15 hours and 45 minutes to complete the swim, which earned him $25,000.

the first “Superman” comic strip by Toronto-born Joe Shuster appeared.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in London.

Prime Minister Lester Pearson and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Canada-U.S. Automotive Agreement. The Auto Pact, as it became known, provided a large measure of free trade in motor vehicles and parts between the two countries. It also produced a major boost for the Canadian auto industry over the next 35 years. The Auto Pact died in 2001 after the World Trade Organization ruled it violated international trade laws.

Peter Frampton’s live album “Frampton Comes Alive!” was released. His first four solo albums sold poorly, but this double album was the guitarist’s breakthrough, staying at No. 1 for 10 weeks and earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

the Persian Gulf War began when jet fighters from the U.S.-led coalition bombed Baghdad. Because of the time difference, it was the early morning of Jan. 17 in the Persian Gulf when the attack began. A defiant Iraqi president Saddam Hussein promised to wage “the mother of all battles.”

Celtic musician John Morris Rankin, of the Cape Breton musical group “The Rankins,” died when his truck plunged into the icy Gulf of St. Lawrence near Margaree Harbour, N.S. He was 40.

the space shuttle “Columbia” blasted off. On board was Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. The mission ended in tragedy on Feb. 1, when the shuttle broke up during its return descent, killing all seven crew members.

a 66-year-old Romanian woman gave birth to a baby girl, becoming the oldest mother ever on record.

singer Boy George of the Culture Club was sentenced to 15 months in jail after being convicted of falsely imprisoning a male escort by handcuffing him to a wall in a London apartment.