Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2014. There are 364 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be "forever free."

On this date:

In 1660, Englishman Samuel Pepys wrote the first entry of his famous diary.

In 1785, The Daily Universal Register -- which later became the Times of London -- published its first issue.

In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.

In 1913, the U.S. Parcel Post system went into operation.

In 1939, the technology company Hewlett-Packard was founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a garage in Palo Alto, Calif.

In 1942, 26 countries, including the United States, signed the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging "not to make a separate armistice or peace" with members of the Axis.

In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, W.Va., while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.

In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color TV program as it presented live coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

In 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic.

In 1972, Kurt Waldheim became secretary-general of the United Nations.

In 1984, the breakup of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.

Ten years ago: Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler of Pakistan, won a vote of confidence from both houses of parliament and the country's four provincial assemblies validating his five-year term as president. The University of Southern California defeated the University of Michigan, 28-14, in the Rose Bowl.

Five years ago: An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of one of Hamas' top five decision-makers, instantly killing him and 18 others. The U.S. formally transferred control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities in a pair of ceremonies that also handed back Saddam Hussein's former palace. Russia made good on its threat to cut off all natural gas supplies to Ukraine. Six-term Rhode Island Sen. Claiborne Pell died at age 90. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the Winter Classic at chilly Wrigley Field. No. 5 Southern California defeated No. 6 Penn State 38-24 in the 95th Rose Bowl.

One year ago: The Senate approved a compromise in the small hours to avert the "fiscal cliff" and sent it to the House, which approved it in a late-night vote. In Maryland, same-sex marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In Pakistan, gunmen on motorcycles sprayed a van carrying employees from a community center with bullets, killing five female teachers and two aid workers. A New Year's stampede in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, claimed 64 lives. No. 8 Stanford held off Wisconsin 20-14 in the 99th Rose Bowl. Singer Patti Page, 85, died in Encinitas, Calif.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., is 92. Actor Ty Hardin is 84. Documentary maker Frederick Wiseman is 84. Actor Frank Langella is 76. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 72. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 71. Actor Rick Hurst is 68. Country singer Steve Ripley (The Tractors) is 64. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is 60. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 56. Actress Ren Woods is 56. Actress Dedee Pfeiffer is 50. Actress Embeth Davidtz is 48. Country singer Brian Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 48. Actor Morris Chestnut is 45. Actor Verne Troyer is 45. Actress Eden Riegel is 33.

Thought for Today: "The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes." -- G.K. Chesterton, English poet-essayist (1874-1936).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.