On this day, Jan. 16

ALMANAC

1890 A.W. Mellon and his brother, Richard B. Mellon, acquired their first stock in the Pittsburgh Reduction Co.

1942 Actor Carole Lombard, 33, her mother, Elizabeth, and 20 other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas while en route to California from a war bond promotion tour. 1979 Richard Thornburgh was sworn in as Pennsylvania governor in Harrisburg, pledging “integrity, frugality, simplicity and humanity.” 1989 Three days of rioting began in Miami when a police officer fatally shot Clement Lloyd, a Black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of Lloyd’s passenger, Allan Blanchard. (The officer, William Lozano, was convicted of manslaughter but then was acquitted in a retrial.)

2000 The Federal Courthouse in Pittsburgh began a $50 million renovation.

Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology).

— Compiled by Rick Nowlin Today’s birthdays: Author William Kennedy, 94. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz, 92. Opera singer Marilyn Horne, 88. Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt, 87. Singer Barbara Lynn, 80. Country singer Ronnie Milsap, 79. Singer Katherine Anderson Schaffner (The Marvelettes), 78. Country singer Jim Stafford, 78. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, 75. Movie director John Carpenter, 74. Actor-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen, 72. R&B singer Maxine Jones (En Vogue), 63. Singer Sade, 63. Pop/rock singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, 63. Rock musician Paul Webb (Talk Talk), 60. Actor David Chokachi, 54. Former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, 53. Actor-writer-director Josh Evans, 51. Actor-comedian Jonathan Mangum, 51. Actor Richard T. Jones, 50. Actor Josie Davis, 49. Model Kate Moss, 48. Actor-playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, 42. Country musician James Young (The Eli Young Band), 42. Rock musician Nick Valensi (The Strokes), 41. Actor Renee Felice Smith, 37. NFL and former University of Pittsburgh quarterback Joe Flacco, 37. Actor Yvonne Zima, 33.

Thought for today: “A fanatic is a man that does what he thinks th’ Lord wud do if He knew th’ facts iv th’ case.”

— Finley Peter Dunne, American humorist (1867-1936)