TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS SATURDAY, JAN. 7, the seventh day of 2017. There are 358 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1942, Japanese forces began besieging American and Filipino troops in Bataan during World War II. (The fall of Bataan three months later was followed by the notorious Death March.)

In 1610, astronomer Galileo Galilei began observing three of Jupiter’s moons (he spotted a fourth moon almost a week later).

In 1789, America held its first presidential election as voters chose electors who, a month later, selected George Washington to be the nation’s first chief executive.

In 1800, the 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, was born in Summerhill, New York.

In 1904, the Marconi International Marine Communication Company of London announced that the telegraphed letters “CQD” would serve as a maritime distress call (it was later replaced with “SOS”). In 1927, commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London. In 1959, the United States recognized the new government of Cuba, six days after Fidel Castro led the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista. In 1963, the U.S. Post Office raised the

cost of a first-class stamp from 4 to 5 cents.

In 1979, Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

In 1989, Emperor Hirohito of Japan died in Tokyo at age 87; he was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Akihito.

In 1999, for the second time in history, an impeached American president went on trial before the Senate. President Bill Clinton faced charges of perjury and obstruction of justice; he was acquitted.

In 2015, masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper that had caricatured the Prophet Mohammad, methodically killing 12 people before escaping. (Two suspects were killed two days later.)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Author William Peter Blatty is 89. Singer Kenny Loggins is 69. Actor David Caruso is 61. Talk show host Katie Couric is 60. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 58. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is 54. Actor Nicolas Cage is 53. Actor Doug E. Doug is 47. Actor Kevin Rahm is 46. Actor Jeremy Renner is 46. Country singer-musician John Rich is 43. Actor Dustin Diamond is 40. Actor Reggie Austin is 38. Actress Lauren Cohan is 35. Actor Brett Dalton is 34. Actor Liam Aiken is 27. Actress Camryn Grimes is 27. Actor Max Morrow is 26. Actor Marcus Scribner is 17.