TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Tuesday, Jan. 24, the 24th day of 2023. There are 341 days left in the year.
ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY
On Jan. 24, 1984, Apple Computer began selling its first Macintosh model, which boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome display, a clock rate of 8 megahertz and 128k of RAM.
1848 — James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of ‘49.
1943 — President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.
1945 — Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among a group of captives executed by the Germans at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria.
1965 — British statesman Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.
1978 — A nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, Cosmos 954, plunged through Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated, scattering radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada.
1985 — The space shuttle Discovery was launched from Cape Canaveral on the first secret, all-military shuttle mission.
2003 — Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn as the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security.
2011 — A suicide bomber attacked Moscow’s busiest airport, killing 37 people; Chechen separatists claimed responsibility.
Ten years ago — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the lifting of a ban on women serving in combat. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee opened a hearing into President Barack Obama’s nomination of Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state.
One year ago — The Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert to potentially deploy to Europe as part of a NATO “response force” amid growing concern that Russia could soon make a military move on Ukraine.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 87. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 84. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 82. Singer Aaron Neville is 82. Actor Michael Ontkean is 77. Actor Daniel Auteuil is 73. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 73. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 72. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in is 69. Actor William Allen Young is 69. Bandleader-musician Jools Holland is 65. Actor Nastassja Kinski is 62. R&B singer Theo Peoples is 62. Country musician Keech Rainwater (Lonestar) is 60. Comedian Phil LaMarr is 56. Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 55. R&B singer Sleepy Brown (Society of Soul) is 53. Actor Matthew Lillard is 53. Actor Merrilee McCommas is 52. Blues/rock singer Beth Hart is 51. Actor Ed Helms is 49. Actor Mark Hildreth is 45. Actor Christina Moses is 45. Actor Tatyana Ali is 44. Actor Carrie Coon is 42. Actor Daveed Diggs is 41. Actor Justin Baldoni is 39. Actor Mischa Barton is 37.