Today In History

Today is Saturday, Jan. 6, the sixth day of 2018. There are 359 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1968: A surgical team at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, led by Dr. Norman Shumway performed the first U.S. adult heart transplant, placing the heart of a 43-year-old man in a 54-year-old patient (the recipient died 15 days later).

ON THIS DATE

› 1838: Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail gave the first successful public demonstration of their telegraph in Morristown, New Jersey.

› 1912: New Mexico became the 47th state.

› 1950: Britain recognized the Communist government of China.

› 1974: Year-round daylight saving time began in the United States on a trial basis as a fuel-saving measure in response to the OPEC oil embargo.

› 1993: Authorities rescued Jennifer Stolpa and her infant son, Clayton, after Jennifer’s husband, James, succeeded in reaching help, ending the family’s eight-day ordeal after becoming lost in the snow-covered Nevada desert.

› 1994: figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the leg by an assailant at Detroit’s Cobo Arena.

› 2001: With Vice President Al Gore presiding in his capacity as president of the Senate, Congress formally certified George W. Bush the winner of the bitterly contested 2000 presidential election.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Country musician Joey, the CowPolka King (Riders in the Sky) is 69. Former FBI director Louis Freeh is 68. Rock singer-musician Kim Wilson (The Fabulous Thunderbirds) is 67. Actor-comedian Rowan Atkinson is 63. World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez is 61. Actor Scott Bryce is 60. Rhythm and blues singer Kathy Sledge is 59. TV chef Nigella Lawson is 58. Rhythm and blues singer Eric Williams (BLACKstreet) is 58. Movie director John Singleton is 50. Actor Aron Eisenberg is 49. TV personality Julie Chen is 48. Actor Danny Pintauro (TV: “Who’s the Boss?”) is 42. Actress Cristela Alonzo is 39. Actress Rinko Kikuchi is 37. Actor Eddie Redmayne is 36. Retired NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas is 36. Actress-comedian Kate McKinnon is 34. Rock singer Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) is 32.