TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2019. There are 363 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History
On Jan. 2, 1900, U. S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the “Open Door Policy” to facilitate trade with China.
On this date
In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U. S. Constitution.
In 1792, the first classes began at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
In 1929, the United States and Canada reached agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.
In 1935, Bruno Hauptmann went on trial in Flemington, New Jersey, on charges of kidnapping and murdering the 20-month- old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. (Hauptmann was found guilty, and executed.)
In 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachuset t s launched his successful bid for the presidency.
In 1967, Republican Ronald Reagan took the oath of office as the new governor of California in a ceremony that took place in Sacramento shortly just after midnight.
In 1974, President Richard Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 miles an hour as a way of conserving gasoline in the face of an OPEC oil embargo. (The 55 mph limit was effectively phased out in 1987; federal speed limits were abolished in 1995.) “Singing cowboy” star Tex Ritter died in Nashville at age 68.
In 1983, the original Broadway production of the musical “Annie” closed after a run of 2,377 performances.
In 1986, former baseball owner Bill Veeck (vehk), remembered for his well-publicized stunts and promotional gimmicks, including an exploding scoreboard and a midget pinchhitter, died in Chicago at age 71.
In 2000, Retired Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., known early in his career for modernizing the Navy and later for ordering the spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam, died in Durham, N.C. at age 79.
In 2006, a methane gas explosion at the Sago (SAY’-goh) Mine in West Virginia claimed the lives of 12 miners, but one miner, Randal McCloy, Jr., was eventually rescued. The roof of a skating rink collapsed in the German town of Bad Reichenhall ( bahd RYK’- ehn- hahl), killing 15 people.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush branded Hamas rocket attacks on Israel an “act of terror” and outlined his own condition for a cease-fire in Gaza. Presidentelect Barack Obama and his family arrived in Chicago after a holiday vacation in Hawaii. AirTran Airways apologized to nine Muslims kicked off a New Year’s Day flight to Florida. Actor John Travolta’s 16-year- old son, Jett, died at the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas. Peyton Manning won a record-tying third Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award. No. 7 Utah finished a perfect season with a 31-17 upset of No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Five years ago: Fifty-two passengers trapped for more than a week on an icebound Russian research ship in the Antarctic were rescued when a Chinese helicopter swooped in and plucked them from the ice a dozen at a time. In the Sugar Bowl, No. 11 Oklahoma took down third-ranked Alabama 45-31.
Today’s Birthdays: Country musician Harold Bradley is 93. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is 77. TV host Jack Hanna is 72. Actress Wendy Phillips is 67. Actress Cynthia Sikes is 65. Actress Gabrielle Carteris is 58. Movie director Todd Haynes is 58. Retired MLB All- Star pitcher David Cone is 56. Actress Tia Carrere is 52. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 51. Model Christy Turlington is 50. Actor Taye Diggs is 48. Actress Renee Elise Goldsberry is 48. Rock musician Scott Underwood is 48. Rock singer Actor Dax Shepard is 44. Actress Paz Vega is 43. Country musician Chris Hartman is 41. Ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 41. Actress Kate Bosworth is 36. Jazz singer-musician Trombone Shorty is 33.