Today in History

Today is Thursday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2013. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 10, 1863, the London Underground had its beginnings as the Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to the public with service between Paddington and Farringdon Street.

On this date:

In 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, "Common Sense," which argued for American independence from British rule.

In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Mass., collapsed and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers from Scotland and Ireland.

In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union.

In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1901, the Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Texas, produced the Lucas Gusher, heralding the start of the Texas oil boom.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.

In 1947, the musical fantasy "Finian's Rainbow," with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, opened on Broadway.

In 1957, Harold Macmillan became prime minister of Britain, following the resignation of Anthony Eden.

In 1962, an ice avalanche on Nevado Huascaran in Peru resulted in some 4,000 deaths. John W. McCormack became speaker of the House, succeeding the late Samuel T. Rayburn.

In 1971, "Masterpiece Theatre" premiered on PBS with host Alistair Cooke introducing the drama series "The First Churchills." French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in Paris at age 87.

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.

Ten years ago: North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons. With just three days left in office, Illinois Gov. George Ryan pardoned four death row inmates he said had been tortured by Chicago police into falsely confessing to murders in the 1980s.

Five years ago: The United States lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over an incident in which Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf. President George W. Bush, visiting Israel and the Palestinian-controlled West Bank, said a Mideast peace pact would require "painful political concessions by both sides." John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Barack Obama's White House bid. Maila Nurmi, whose "Vampira" TV persona pioneered the spooky-yet-sexy Goth aesthetic, died in Los Angeles at age 85.

One year ago: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary; Ron Paul finished second, with Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum trailing. Alabama was voted No. 1 in the final AP poll for the eighth time, tying Notre Dame for the most of any team in college football, after winning a rematch with LSU in the BCS championship.

Today's Birthdays: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 78. Blues artist Eddy Clearwater is 78. Rock singer-musician Ronnie Hawkins is 78. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie McCovey is 75. Movie director Walter Hill is 73. Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 69. Singer Rod Stewart is 68. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 65. Actor William Sanderson is 65. Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 64. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 62. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 61. Singer Pat Benatar is 60. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 60. Rock musician Michael Schenker is 58. Singer Shawn Colvin is 57. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 54. Actor Evan Handler is 52. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 49. Actress Trini Alvarado is 46. Rock musician Matt Roberts is 35. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 35. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 34. Actress Sarah Shahi is 33.

Thought for Today: "In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism." -- Hannah Arendt, American author and historian (1906-1975).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.