Today in History

Today is Saturday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2014. There are 340 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 25, 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

On this date:

In 1533, England's King Henry VIII secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who later gave birth to Elizabeth I.

In 1787, Shays's Rebellion suffered a setback when debt-ridden farmers led by Capt. Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Mass.

In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln accepted Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's resignation as commander of the Army of the Potomac, and replaced him with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.

In 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1915, Alexander Graham Bell inaugurated U.S. transcontinental telephone service between New York and San Francisco.

In 1936, former Gov. Al Smith, D-N.Y., delivered a radio address in Washington, titled "Betrayal of the Democratic Party," in which he fiercely criticized the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1947, American gangster Al Capone died in Miami Beach, Fla., at age 48.

In 1956, Hank Greenberg and Joe Cronin were elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first presidential news conference to be carried live on radio and television.

In 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate. Idi Amin seized power in Uganda by ousting President Milton Obote in a military coup.

In 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.

In 1994, maintaining his innocence, singer Michael Jackson settled a child molestation lawsuit against him; terms were confidential, although the monetary figure was reportedly $22 million. The United States launched Clementine, an unmanned spacecraft that was to study the moon before it was "lost and gone forever."

Ten years ago: NASA's Opportunity rover zipped its first pictures of Mars to Earth, showing a surface smooth and dark red in some places, and strewn with fragmented slabs of light bedrock in others. Outgoing U.S. weapons inspector David Kay told National Public Radio his inability to find illicit arms in Iraq raised serious questions about U.S. intelligence-gathering. Mikhail Saakashvili was inaugurated as Georgia's president. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" snared best dramatic film at the Golden Globes; HBO's six-hour adaptation of "Angels in America" won best miniseries or TV movie.

Five years ago: The White House used the Sunday talk shows to warn the country could face a long and painful financial recovery, even with major government intervention. The Eastern Conference won the NHL All-Star game 12-11. Jeremy Abbott won his first title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held in Cleveland. "Slumdog Millionaire" won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast of a motion picture; "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" won best for TV comedy and drama casts.

One year ago: The U.S. Department of Education declared that students with disabilities had to be given a fair shot to play on a traditional sports team or have their own leagues. Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators marched through Washington to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to protest the landmark decision that legalized abortion.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Gregg Palmer is 87. The former president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, is 86. Actor Dean Jones is 83. Country singer Claude Gray is 82. Movie director Tobe Hooper is 71. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 69. Actress Jenifer Lewis is 57. Actress Dinah Manoff is 56. Country musician Mike Burch (River Road) is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kina is 45. Actress China Kantner is 43. Actress Ana Ortiz is 43. Musician Matt Odmark (Jars of Clay) is 40. Actress Mia Kirshner is 39. Actress Christine Lakin is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Alicia Keys is 33. Actor Michael Trevino (TV: "The Vampire Diaries") is 29.

Thought for Today: "Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it. Hate needs no instruction, but wants only to be provoked." -- Katherine Anne Porter, American author (1894-1980).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.