Today in History

Today is 6XQGD\ -DQ , the 17th day of 2021. There are 348 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 17, 1 6, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and nine followers were handed long prison sentences for plotting to blow up 1ew

On this date:

In 1806, Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Martha, gave birth to James Madison Randolph, the first child born in the :hite House.

In 1 16, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America had its beginnings as department store magnate Rodman :anamaker hosted a luncheon of pro and amateur golfers in 1ew

In 1 44, during :orld :ar II, Allied forces launched the first of four battles for Monte Cassino in Italy; the Allies were ultimately successful.

In 1 53, a prototype of the Chevrolet Corvette was unveiled during the General Motors Motorama at the :aldorf Astoria Hotel in 1ew

In 1 55, the submarine USS 1autilus made its first nuclear-powered test run from its berth in Groton (GRAH’-tuhn), Connecticut.

In 1 61, President 'wight '. (isenhower delivered his farewell address in which he warned against ³the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial comple[.´

In 1 77, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. e[ecution in a decade.

In 1 84, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., ruled 5-4 that the use of home video cassette recorders to tape television programs for private viewing did not violate federal copyright laws.

In 1 4, the 6.7 magnitude 1orthridge earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 60 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In 1 5, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of .obe (koh-bay), Japan.

In 1 7, a court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country’s history.

In 2008, Bobby )ischer, the chess grandmaster who became a Cold :ar icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky as world champion in 1 72, died in ReykMavik, Iceland, at age 64.

Ten years ago: Apple Inc. announced that its C(O, Steve Jobs, was taking his second medical leave of absence in two years. (Jobs died nine months later.) Rock promoter 'on .irshner, 76, died in Boca Raton, )lorida.

)ive years ago: Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, 'emocrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders engaged in their most contentious debate to date, tangling repeatedly in Charleston, South Carolina, over who was tougher on gun control and :all Street and how to shape the future of health care in America. Iran released three Americans, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, :ashington Post reporter Jason Re]aian and pastor Saeed Abedini, as part of a prisoner swap that also netted Tehran some 100 billion in sanctions relief.

One year ago: U.S. health officials announced that they would begin screening airline passengers from central China for the new coronavirus; people traveling from :uhan, China, would have their temperature checked and be asked about symptoms. :ith the /unar 1ew