Today in History

Today is Sunday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2012. There are 337 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 29, 1845, Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published in the New York Evening Mirror.

On this date:

In 1820, Britain's King George III died at Windsor Castle.

In 1843, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was born in Niles, Ohio.

In 1856, Britain's Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross to reward military acts of valor during the Crimean War.

In 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the Union.

In 1862, composer Frederick Delius was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

In 1919, the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which launched Prohibition, was certified by Acting Secretary of State Frank L. Polk.

In 1929, The Seeing Eye, a New Jersey-based school which trains guide dogs to assist the blind, was incorporated by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank.

In 1936, the first members of baseball's Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, N.Y.

In 1963, the first members of pro football's Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio. Poet Robert Frost died in Boston at age 88.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House, following the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In 1990, former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in Anchorage, Alaska, on charges stemming from the 1989 oil spill. (Hazelwood was acquitted of the major charges, and convicted of a misdemeanor.)

In 1998, a bomb rocked an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., killing security guard Robert Sanderson and critically injuring nurse Emily Lyons. (The bomber, Eric Rudolph, was captured in May 2003 and is serving a life sentence.)

Ten years ago: In his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said terrorists were still threatening America -- and he warned of "an axis of evil" consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq. Actor Harold Russell, who'd received two Oscars for his sensitive portrayal of a disabled veteran in "The Best Years of Our Lives," died in Needham, Mass., at age 88.

Five years ago: Deeply distrustful of Iran, President George W. Bush said in an interview with National Public Radio "we will respond firmly" if Tehran escalated its military actions in Iraq and threatened American forces or Iraqi citizens. A Palestinian suicide bomber killed three Israelis at a bakery in Eilat in the first such attack inside Israel in nine months. Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized because of medical complications eight months after his gruesome breakdown at the Preakness. Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson was crowned Miss America at the pageant in Las Vegas.

One year ago: With protests raging, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak named his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, as his first-ever vice president as chaos engulfed Cairo. Kim Clijsters finally won her first Australian Open title and the fourth major of her career, after she beat Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Alissa Czisny won her second title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held in Greensboro, N.C. Avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt, 94, died in Princeton, N.J.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Noel Harrison is 78. Author Germaine Greer is 73. Actress Katharine Ross is 72. Actor Tom Selleck is 67. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bettye LaVette is 66. Actor Marc Singer is 64. Actress Ann Jillian is 62. Rock musician Tommy Ramone (Ramones) is 60. Rock musician Louie Perez (Los Lobos) is 59. Rhythm-and-blues/funk singer Charlie Wilson is 59. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 58. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 56. Actress Diane Delano is 55. Actress Judy Norton Taylor ("The Waltons") is 54. Rock musician Johnny Spampinato is 53. Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis is 52. Rock musician David Baynton-Power (James) is 51. Rock musician Eddie Jackson (Queensryche) is 51. Actor Nicholas Turturro is 50. Rock singer-musician Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) is 48. Actor-director Edward Burns is 44. Actress Heather Graham is 42. Actor Sharif Atkins is 37. Actress Sara Gilbert is 37. Actor Sam Jaeger (TV: "Parenthood") is 35. Actor Andrew Keegan is 33. Actor Jason James Richter is 32. Blues musician Jonny Lang is 31. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert ("American Idol") is 30.

Thought for Today: "Misquotations are the only quotations that are never misquoted." -- Hesketh Pearson, British biographer (1887-1964).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.