TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Monday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2024. There are 344 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion. On this date: In 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII. In 1953, the Arthur Miller drama “The Crucible” opened on Broadway. In 1997, the Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation’s first female secretary of state. In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest in NBA history, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors. In 2008, actor Heath Ledger, age 28, was found dead of an accidental prescription overdose in a New York City apartment.

In 2020, Chinese health authorities urged people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness that had infected hundreds of people and caused at least nine deaths could spread further. Health officials in Washington state said they were actively monitoring 16 people who’d come in close contact with a traveler to China, the first U.S. resident known to be infected with the virus. Today’s birthdays: Celebrity chef Graham Kerr (TV: “The Galloping Gourmet”) is 90. Singer Steve Perry is 75. Actor John Wesley Shipp is 69. Actor Linda Blair is 65. Actor Diane Lane is 59. Actor and rap DJ Jazzy Jeff is 59. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 56. Actor Olivia d’Abo is 55. Actor Balthazar Getty is 49. Actor Christopher Kennedy Masterson is 44. Actor Beverley Mitchell is 43. Rapper Logic is 34. Actor Sami Gayle is 28.