TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2020. There are 337 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 29, 2002, in his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said terrorists were still threatening America — and he warned of “an axis of evil” consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

On this date:

■ In 1820, King George III died at Windsor Castle at age 81; he was succeeded by his son, who became King George IV.

■ In 1856, Britain’s Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross to reward military acts of valor during the Crimean War.

■ In 1936, the first inductees of baseball’s Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, New York.

■ In 1975, a bomb exploded inside the U.S. State Department in Washington, causing considerable damage, but injuring no one; the radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility.

■ In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win five Super Bowl titles, beating the San Diego Chargers, 49-26, in Super Bowl XXIX.

■ In 2005, jetliners from China landed in rival Taiwan for the first time in 56 years. Serena Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the Australian Open final.

■ In 2006, ABC “World News Tonight” co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a camera operator were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Ten years ago: In a face-toface confrontation, President Barack Obama chastised Republican lawmakers during a GOP event in Baltimore for opposing him on taxes, health care and the economic stimulus, while they accused him in turn of brushing off their ideas and driving up the national debt. Five years ago: Nine

Democrats joined 53 Republicans in passing a Senate bill to construct the Keystone XL oil pipeline in defiance of a presidential veto threat.

One year ago: The largest utility in the U.S., Pacific Gas & Electric, filed for bankruptcy as it faced billions of dollars in potential damages from wildfires in California.

Today’s Birthdays: Writer-composer-lyricist Leslie Bricusse is 89. Feminist author Germaine Greer is

81. Actress Katharine Ross is 80. Feminist author Robin Morgan is 79. Actor Tom Selleck is 75. Rhythm-andblues singer Bettye LaVette is

74. Rock musician Louie Perez (Los Lobos) is 67. Rhythm-and-blues/funk singer Charlie Wilson is 67. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 66. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 64. Actress Judy Norton (TV: “The Waltons”) is 62. Rock musician Johnny Spampinato is 61. Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis is 60. Actor Nicholas Turturro is 58. Actress Heather Graham is

50. Blues musician Jonny Lang is 39. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert (TV: “American Idol”) is 38. Country singer Eric Paslay is 37.

Thought for Today:

“Misquotations are the only quotations that are never misquoted.” — Hesketh Pearson, British biographer (1887-1964).