HISTORY Saturday, January 18, 2020

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Today is Thursday, Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2020. There are 350 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 16, 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. (Allied forces prevailed on Feb. 28, 1991.)

On this date:

In 1547, Ivan IV of Russia (popularly known as “Ivan the Terrible”) was crowned Czar.

In 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman decreed that 400,000 acres of land in the South would be divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves. (The order, later revoked by President Andrew Johnson, is believed to have inspired the expression, “Forty acres and a mule.”)

In 1912, a day before reaching the South Pole, British explorer Robert Scott and his expedition found evidence that Roald Amundsen of Norway and his team had gotten there ahead of them.

In 1920, Prohibition began in the United States as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect, one year to the day after its ratification. (It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.)

In 1969, two manned Soviet Soyuz spaceships became the first vehicles to dock in space and transfer personnel.

In 1978, NASA named 35candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America’s first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America’s first black astronaut in space.

In 1987, Hu Yaobang resigned as head of China’s Communist Party, declaring he’d made mistakes in dealing with student turmoil and intellectual challenges to the system.

In 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.)

In 1992, officials of the government of El Salvador and rebel leaders signed a pact in Mexico City ending 12years of civil war that had left at least 75,000people dead.

In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off for what turned out to be its last flight; on board was Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon (ee-LAHN’ rah-MOHN’). (The mission ended in tragedy on Feb. 1, when the shuttle broke up during its return descent, killing all seven crew members.)

In 2004, pop star Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty to child molestation charges during a court appearance in Santa Maria, Calif.; the judge scolded Jackson for being 21minutes late. (Jackson was eventually acquitted.)

In 2007, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., launched his successful bid for the White House.

Ten years ago: As precious water and food began reaching parched and hungry earthquake survivors on the streets of Haiti’s ruined capital Port-au-Prince, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Haitian President Rene Preval (reh-NAY’ preh-VAHL’) and promised that U.S. quake relief efforts would be closely coordinated with local officials. Glen W. Bell Jr., 86, founder of the Taco Bell chain, died in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Five years ago: Anti-terrorism raids across Europe netted dozens of suspects as authorities rushed to thwart more attacks by people with links to Mideast Islamic extremists. The NCAA agreed to restore 112football wins it had stripped from Penn State and Joe Paterno in the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal and to reinstate the venerated late coach as the winningest in major college football history.

One year ago: As she battled to keep Brexit on track, British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Donald Trump to postpone his scheduled Jan. 29State of the Union speech, citing concerns about whether the partially-shuttered government could provide adequate security; Republicans said the move was a ploy to deny Trump the stage. (Trump delivered the speech a week later than scheduled.) A suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State militants killed at least 16people in northern Syria, including two U.S. service members and two American civilians.

Today’s Birthdays: Author William Kennedy is 92. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 90. Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 86. Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt is 85. Singer Barbara Lynn is 78. Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 77. Singer Katherine Anderson Schaffner (The Marvelettes) is 76. Country singer Jim Stafford is 76. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 73. Movie director John Carpenter is 72. Actress-dancerchoreographer Debbie Allen is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Maxine Jones (En Vogue) is 61. Singer Sade (shah-DAY’) is 61. Pop/rock singersongwriter Jill Sobule is 61. Rock musician Paul Webb (Talk Talk) is 58. Actor David Chokachi (CHOH’-kuhchee) is 52. Former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is 51. Actor-writerdirector Josh Evans is 49. Actorcomedian Jonathan Mangum is 49. Actor Richard T. Jones is 48. Actress Josie Davis is 47. Model Kate Moss is 46. Actor-playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda is 40. Country musician James Young (The Eli Young Band) is 40. Rock musician Nick Valensi (The Strokes) is 39. Actress Renee Felice Smith is 35. NFL quaterback Joe Flacco is 35. Actress Yvonne Zima is 31.

Thought for Today: “I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them.” — E.V. Lucas, English writer and publisher (18681938).

Friday, January 17, 2020

Today is Friday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2020. There are 349days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History:

On Jan. 17, 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2devastated the city of Kobe (koh-bay), Japan.

On this date:

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

In 1916, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America had its beginnings as department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker hosted a luncheon of pro and amateur golfers in New York City. (The PGA of America was formally established on April 10, 1916.)

In 1917, Denmark ceded the Virgin Islands to the United States for $25 million.

In 1945, Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.

In 1955, the submarine USS Nautilus made its first nuclear-powered test run from its berth in Groton (GRAH’tuhn), Connecticut.

In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address in which he warned against “the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.

In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., ruled 5-4that the use of home video cassette recorders to tape television programs for private viewing did not violate federal copyright laws.

In 1994, the 6.7magnitude Northridge earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 60people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In 1996, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and nine followers were handed long prison sentences for plotting to blow up New York-area landmarks.

In 1997, a court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country’s history.

In 2001, faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people; Gov. Gray Davis signed an emergency order authorizing the state to buy power.

Ten years ago: Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to a Rome synagogue, where he and Jewish leaders sparred over the World War II-era record of Pope Pius XII. Erich Segal, author of the best-selling novel “Love Story,” died in London at age 72. At the Golden Globes, top honors went to James Cameron’s “Avatar” as well as the TV series “Glee” and “Mad Men.”

Five years ago: Pope Francis braved an approaching tropical storm to travel to the far eastern Philippines to comfort survivors of the deadly Typhoon Haiyan. Bill Cosby performed to a welcoming Denver audience, despite a protest by some 100 people chanting “Rape is not a joke!” and “No means no!” outside the Buell Theatre.

One year ago: As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers were set to depart on a previously undisclosed trip to Afghanistan and Brussels, President Donald Trump denied use of a military plane for the trip, calling it a “public relations event” and saying it would be best if Pelosi stayed in Washington to negotiate an end to the government shutdown; the move came a day after Pelosi called on Trump to postpone his State of the Union address due to the shutdown. A judge in Chicago acquitted three police officers of trying to cover up the fatal 2014police shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver, known for her rapturous odes to nature and animal life, died at her Florida home; she was 83.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Betty White is 98. Former FCC chairman Newton N. Minow is 94. Actor James Earl Jones is 89. Talk show host Maury Povich is 81. Pop singer Chris Montez is 78. Rhythm-and-blues singer William Hart (The Delfonics) is 75. Actress Joanna David is 73. Actress Jane Elliot is 73. Rock musician Mick Taylor is 72. Rhythm-andblues singer Sheila Hutchinson (The Emotions) is 67. Singer Steve Earle is 65. Singer Paul Young is 64. Actorcomedian Steve Harvey is 63. Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 61. Movie director-screenwriter Brian Helgeland is 59. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 58. Actor Denis O’Hare is 58. Former first lady Michelle Obama is 56. Actor Joshua Malina is 54. Singer Shabba Ranks is 54. Rock musician Jon Wysocki is 52. Actor Naveen Andrews is 51. Electronic music DJ Tiesto is 51. Rapper Kid Rock is 49. Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 45. Actor-writer Leigh Whannel is 43. Actress-singer Zooey Deschanel is 40. Dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 40. Singer Ray J is 39. Actor Diogo Morgado is 39. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 38. Former NBA player Dwyane Wade is 38. Actor Ryan Gage is 37. DJ-singer Calvin Harris is 36. Folk-rock musician Jeremiah Fraites is 34. Actor Jonathan Keltz is 32. Actress Kelly Marie Tran (Film: “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) is 31. Actress Kathrine (cq) Herzer is 23.

Thought for Today: “The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever.” — Herb Caen, American newspaper columnist (1916-1997). Today is Saturday, Jan. 18, the 18th day of 2020. There are 348 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 18, 1993, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50states for the first time.

On this date:

In 1778, English navigator Captain James Cook reached the present-day Hawaiian Islands, which he named the “Sandwich Islands.”

In 1911, the first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely brought his Curtiss biplane in for a safe landing on the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Harbor.

In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference, held to negotiate peace treaties ending the First World War, opened in Versailles (vehr-SY’), France.

In 1936, Nobel Prize-winning author Rudyard Kipling, 70, died in London.

In 1943, during World War II, Jewish insurgents in the Warsaw Ghetto launched their initial armed resistance against Nazi troops, who eventually succeeded in crushing the rebellion. The Soviets announced they’d broken through the long Nazi siege of Leningrad (it was another year before the siege was fully lifted). A U.S. ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread — aimed at reducing bakeries’ demand for metal replacement parts — went into effect.

In 1949, Charles Ponzi, engineer of one of the most spectacular mass swindles in history, died destitute at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at age 66.

In 1957, a trio of B-52’s completed the first non-stop, round-the-world flight by jet planes, landing at March Air Force Base in California after more than 45hours aloft.

In 1967, Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the “Boston Strangler,” was convicted of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. (Sentenced to life, DeSalvo was killed in prison in 1973.)

In 1990, Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was arrested in an FBI sting on drug-possession charges (he was later convicted of a misdemeanor).

In 1991, financially strapped Eastern Airlines shut down after more than six decades in business.

In 1996, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson filed for divorce from Michael Jackson.

In 2005, the world’s largest commercial jet, the Airbus A380 “superjumbo” capable of flying up to 800passengers, was unveiled in Toulouse, France.

Ten years ago: Taliban militants wearing explosive vests launched a brazen daylight assault on the center of Kabul with suicide bombings and gunbattles that paralyzed the Afghan capital for hours. Mehmet Ali Agca (MEH’-met AH’-lee AH’-juh), the man who shot and seriously wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981, emerged from a prison on the outskirts of Ankara, Turkey, after more than 29years behind bars. Crime novelist Robert B. Parker died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at age 77.

Five years ago: Pope Francis ended his Asian pilgrimage with an appeal for the future of the Catholic Church, urging an estimated 3million rain-soaked Filipinos to protect their young from sin and vice so they can instead become missionaries of the faith. Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown 3:19into overtime to lift the Seattle Seahawks to an improbable 28-22 victory over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. In the AFC, Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount ran in three more to lead the New England Patriots into the Super Bowl with a 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

One year ago: The White House announced that President Donald Trump would hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in February to try to coax the North to give up its nuclear program. (The talks collapsed, with both sides pointing to U.S. sanctions as a sticking point.) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi canceled plans to travel by commercial plane to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan, saying Trump had caused a security risk by talking about the trip. Jason Van Dyke, the white Chicago police officer who gunned down black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014, was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. An explosion occurred as a crowd of people in a town north of Mexico City filled containers with gasoline leaking from an illegally-tapped pipeline; at least 130people were killed.

Today’s Birthdays: Movie director John Boorman is 87. Former Sen. Paul Kirk, D-Mass., is 82. Singersongwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 79. Comedian-singer-musician Brett Hudson is 67. Actor-director Kevin Costner is 65. Country singer-actor Mark Collie is 64. Actor Mark Rylance is 60. Actress Alison Arngrim (TV: “Little House on the Prairie”) is 58. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is 57. Actress Jane Horrocks is 56. Comedian Dave Attell (uhTEHL’) is 55. Actor Jesse L. Martin is 51. Rapper DJ Quik is 50. Rock singer Jonathan Davis (Korn) is 49. Former NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous is 47. Singer Christian Burns (BBMak) is 46. Actor Derek Richardson is 44. Actor Jason Segel is 40. Actress Samantha Mumba is 37. Country singer Kristy Lee Cook (TV: “American Idol”) is 36. Actress Devin Kelley is 34. Actress Ashleigh Murray (TV: “Riverdale”) is 32. Actor Zeeko Zaki is 30. Tennis player Angelique Kerber is 32. Actor Mateus Ward is 21.

Thought for Today: “None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license.” — John Milton, English poet (16081674).