Today In History

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2021. There are 345 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1986: The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

ON THIS DATE

› 1887: The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

› 1937: President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.

› 1964: Capitol Records released the album “Meet the Beatles!”

› 1981: Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

› 1994: Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. (Faulkner joined the cadet corps in August 1995 under court order but soon dropped out, citing isolation and stress from the legal battle.)

› 2009: Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation’s 44th, as well as first African-American, president.

› 2017: Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 91. Olympic gold medal figure skater Carol Heiss is 81. Singer Eric Stewart is 76. Movie director David Lynch is

75. Actor Daniel Benzali is 71. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 69. Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 69. Comedian Bill Maher (MAR) is 65. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is

63. Actor James Denton is 58. Rock musician Greg K. (The Offspring) is 56. Actor Stacey Dash is 54. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 53. Actor Reno Wilson is 52. Singer Edwin McCain is 51. Actor Skeet Ulrich is 51. Rap musician ?uestlove (The Roots) is 50. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is 49. Rock musician Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) is 42. Singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee is 37. Country singer Brantley Gilbert is 36. Rock singer Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) is 35. Actor Evan Peters is 34.