Today in History

Today is Sunday, Jan. 15, the 15th day of 2012. There are 351 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 15, 1862, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Abraham Lincoln's choice of Edwin M. Stanton to be secretary of war, replacing Simon Cameron.

On this date:

In 1559, England's Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1777, the people of New Connecticut declared their independence. (The republic later became the state of Vermont.)

In 1929, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta.

In 1943, work was completed on the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of War (now Defense).

In 1947, the mutilated remains of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, who came to be known as the "Black Dahlia," were found in a vacant Los Angeles lot; her slaying remains unsolved.

In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio got married at San Francisco City Hall. (The marriage, however, lasted only about nine months.)

In 1961, a U.S. Air Force radar tower off the New Jersey coast collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean during a severe storm, killing all 28 men aboard.

In 1967, the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League 35-10 in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, retroactively known as Super Bowl I.

In 1971, the recently completed Aswan High Dam in Egypt was dedicated during a ceremony attended by President Anwar Sadat and Soviet President Nikolai Podgorny.

In 1987, entertainer Ray Bolger, perhaps best known for playing the Scarecrow in the 1939 MGM musical "The Wizard of Oz," died in Los Angeles at age 83.

In 1992, the Yugoslav federation, founded in 1918, effectively collapsed as the European Community recognized the republics of Croatia and Slovenia.

In 2009, US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger ditched his Airbus 320 in the Hudson River after a flock of birds disabled both the plane's engines; all 155 people aboard survived.

Ten years ago: Attorney General John Ashcroft said that John Walker Lindh, the 20-year-old Californian who had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, would be charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and could face life in prison if convicted. (Lindh received a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to supplying services to the Taliban and carrying explosives in commission of a felony.) Arthur Andersen LLP said it was firing senior auditor David B. Duncan, who had organized a "rushed disposal" of Enron documents after federal regulators requested information about the failing energy company. Former Chicago mayor and Illinois Supreme Court chief justice Michael Bilandic died at age 78.

Five years ago: The Iraqi government hanged two of Saddam Hussein's henchmen, including a half-brother, Barzan Ibrahim, who was accidentally decapitated by the noose. "Babel" won best movie drama and "Dreamgirls" was named best musical or comedy at the Golden Globes; "Grey's Anatomy" was named best TV drama series and "Ugly Betty" best TV comedy.

One year ago: Several international envoys -- but crucially none from the world powers -- got a look inside an Iranian nuclear site at the invitation of the Tehran government before a new round of talks on Iran's disputed atomic activities. Miss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan won the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas. Actress Susannah York, 72, died in London.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Margaret O'Brien is 75. Actress Andrea Martin is 65. Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 55. Actor James Nesbitt is 47. Singer Lisa Lisa (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam) is 45. Actor Chad Lowe is 44. Alt-country singer Will Oldham (aka "Bonnie Prince Billy") is 42. Actress Regina King is 41. Actor Eddie Cahill is 34. Rapper/reggaeton artist Pitbull is 31. Electronic dance musician Skrillex is 24.

Thought for Today: "A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan." -- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.