Today in History

Today is Thursday, Jan. 5, the fifth day of 2012. There are 361 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon announced that he had ordered development of "an entirely new type of space transportation system," the reusable space shuttle. (The first operational shuttle, Columbia, was launched in 1981.)

On this date:

In 1589, Catherine de Medici of France died at age 69.

In 1781, a British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.

In 1809, the Treaty of the Dardanelles, which ended the Anglo-Turkish War, was concluded by the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire.

In 1895, French Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, convicted of treason, was publicly stripped of his rank. (He was ultimately vindicated.)

In 1896, an Austrian newspaper, Wiener Presse, reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen of a type of radiation that came to be known as X-rays.

In 1925, Nellie T. Ross of Wyoming became America's first female governor.

In 1933, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, died in Northampton, Mass., at age 60.

In 1949, in his State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman labeled his administration the Fair Deal.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed assistance to countries to help them resist Communist aggression; this became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.

In 1970, Joseph A. Yablonski, an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the United Mine Workers of America, was found murdered with his wife and daughter at their Clarksville, Pa., home. (UMWA President Tony Boyle and seven others were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, the killings.) "All My Children" premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1994, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, former speaker of the House of Representatives, died in Boston at age 81.

In 1998, Sonny Bono, the 1960s pop star-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California state line; he was 62.

Ten years ago: Charles Bishop, a 15-year-old student pilot, deliberately crashed a small plane into a skyscraper in Tampa, Fla., killing himself. Italy's foreign minister, Renato Ruggiero, resigned after a spat with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the government's lukewarm reception of the euro.

Five years ago: The White House announced a shuffling of U.S. military leaders in the Iraq war. Adm. William Fallon ended up replacing Gen. John Abizaid as top U.S. commander in the Middle East; Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus succeeded Gen. George Casey as top American general in Iraq; Casey replaced retiring Gen. Peter Schoomaker as Army chief of staff.

One year ago: John Boehner was elected speaker as Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives on the first day of the new Congress. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced he was stepping down. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Today's Birthdays: Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale is 84. Actor Robert Duvall is 81. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll is 80. King Juan Carlos of Spain is 74. Talk show host Charlie Rose is 70. Actress-director Diane Keaton is 66. Actor Ted Lange (lanj) is 64. Rhythm-and-blues musician George "Funky" Brown (Kool and the Gang) is 63. Rock musician Chris Stein (Blondie) is 62. Former CIA Director George Tenet is 59. Actress Pamela Sue Martin is 59. Actor Clancy Brown is 53. Singer Iris Dement is 51. Actor Ricky Paull Goldin is 47. Actor Vinnie Jones is 47. Rock musician Kate Schellenbach (Luscious Jackson) is 46. Dancer-choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba is 44. Actress Heather Paige Kent is 43. Rock singer Marilyn Manson is 43. Actor Bradley Cooper is 37. Actress January Jones is 34. Actress Brooklyn Sudano is 31.

Thought for Today: "It is easy to be tolerant of the principles of other people if you have none of your own." -- Herbert Samuel, English political leader (1870-1963).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.