Today in History

Today is Thursday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2014. There are 342 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified as South Dakota became the 38th state to endorse it.

On this date:

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called "Lame Duck Amendment," was ratified as Missouri approved it.

In 1937, 17 people went on trial in Moscow during Josef Stalin's "Great Purge." (All were convicted of conspiracy; all but four were executed.)

In 1944, Norwegian painter Edvard Munch ("The Scream") died near Oslo at age 80.

In 1950, the Israeli Knesset approved a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In 1960, the U.S. Navy-operated bathyscaphe Trieste carried two men to the deepest known point in the Pacific Ocean, reaching a depth of more than 35,000 feet.

In 1964, Arthur Miller's play "After the Fall," widely regarded as a thinly-disguised account of Miller's failed marriage to Marilyn Monroe, opened in New York.

In 1968, North Korea seized the Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, charging its crew with being on a spying mission. (The crew was released 11 months later.)

In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War, and would be formally signed four days later in Paris.

In 1989, surrealist artist Salvador Dali died in his native Figueres, Spain, at age 84.

Ten years ago: The Illinois Supreme Court upheld former Gov. George Ryan's powers to commute sentences, keeping 32 spared inmates off death row. The enduring situation comedy "Friends" filmed its final episode in front of an invitation-only audience. Bob Keeshan, TV's "Captain Kangaroo," died in Windsor, Vt., at age 76.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama quietly ended the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that performed abortions or provided information on the option. New York Gov. David Paterson chose Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

One year ago: Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered fiery rejoinders to Republican critics of the Obama administration's handling of the deadly attack on a U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Cardinal Jozef Glemp, 83, the longtime head of Poland's influential Roman Catholic church at a time when it played a key role in the fight against communism, died in Warsaw.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Jeanne Moreau is 86. Actress Chita Rivera is 81. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 80. Actor Gil Gerard is 71. Actor Rutger Hauer is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jerry Lawson (The Persuasions) is 70. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., is 67. Singer Anita Pointer is 66. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 64. Rock musician Bill Cunningham is 64. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 61. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is 61. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 57. Singer Anita Baker is 56. Reggae musician Earl Falconer (UB40) is 55. Actress Gail O'Grady is 51. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Nelson is 43. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 40. Rock musician Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie) is 39. Christian rock musician Nick DePartee (Kutless) is 29. Singer-actress Rachel Crow is 16.

Thought for Today: "What is important is to spread confusion, not eliminate it." -- Salvador Dali (1904-1989).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.