Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 7, the seventh day of 2015. There are 358 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 7, 1927, commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.

On this date:

In 1610, astronomer Galileo Galilei began observing three of Jupiter's moons (he spotted a fourth moon almost a week later).

In 1789, America held its first presidential election as voters chose electors who, a month later, selected George Washington to be the nation's first chief executive.

In 1800, the 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, was born in Summerhill, New York.

In 1894, one of the earliest motion picture experiments took place at the Thomas Edison studio in West Orange, New Jersey, as Fred Ott was filmed taking a pinch of snuff and sneezing.

In 1904, the Marconi International Marine Communication Company of London announced that the telegraphed letters "CQD" would serve as a maritime distress call (it was later replaced with "SOS").

In 1942, the Japanese siege of Bataan began during World War II. (The fall of Bataan three months later was followed by the notorious Death March.)

In 1949, George C. Marshall resigned as U.S. Secretary of State; President Harry S. Truman chose Dean Acheson to succeed him.

In 1955, singer Marian Anderson made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera." The opening of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa was televised for the first time.

In 1963, the U.S. Post Office raised the cost of a first-class stamp from 4 to 5 cents.

In 1979, Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

In 1989, Emperor Hirohito of Japan died in Tokyo at age 87; he was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Akihito.

In 1999, for the second time in history, an impeached American president went on trial before the Senate. President Bill Clinton faced charges of perjury and obstruction of justice; he was acquitted.

Ten years ago: A military jury at Fort Hood, Texas, acquitted Army Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins of involuntary manslaughter in the alleged drowning of an Iraqi civilian, but convicted him of assault in the Jan. 2004 incident. (Perkins was sentenced to six months in prison.) Rosemary Kennedy, the oldest sister of President John F. Kennedy and the inspiration for the Special Olympics, died at a Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, hospital at age 86. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston announced they were separating after 4 1/2 years of marriage.

Five years ago: A worker for a transformer-making company in St. Louis showed up at the plant and opened fire, killing three people and wounding five before killing himself. Thousands of Egyptian Christians went on a rampage after six members of their community were gunned down as they left midnight Mass for Coptic Christians in the southern Egyptian town of Nag Hamadi. No. 1 Alabama held on for a 37-21 win over No. 2 Texas in the BCS championship played in Pasadena, California.

One year ago: Brutal polar air that made the Midwest shiver over the past few days spread to the East and the Deep South, shattering records that in some cases had stood for more than a century. A U.S. Air Force Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in a coastal area of eastern England during a training mission, killing all four crew members aboard.

Today's Birthdays: Author William Peter Blatty is 87. Magazine publisher Jann Wenner is 69. Singer Kenny Loggins is 67. Singer-songwriter Marshall Chapman is 66. Latin pop singer Juan Gabriel is 65. Actress Erin Gray is 65. Actor Sammo Hung is 63. Actor David Caruso is 59. Talk show host Katie Couric is 58. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 56. Rock musician Kathy Valentine is 56. Actor David Marciano is 55. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is 54. Actress Hallie Todd is 53. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is 51. Actor Nicolas Cage is 51. Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) is 50. Actor Doug E. Doug is 45. Actor Kevin Rahm is 44. Actor Jeremy Renner is 44. Country singer-musician John Rich is 41. Actor Dustin Diamond is 38. Singer/rapper Aloe Blacc is 36. Actress Lauren Cohan is 33. Actor Brett Dalton (TV: "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") is 32. Actor Robert Ri'chard is 32. Actress Lyndsy Fonseca is 28. Actor Liam Aiken is 25. Actress Camryn Grimes is 25. Actor Max Morrow is 24. Actor Marcus Scribner (TV: "black-ish") is 15.

Thought for Today: "Nothing in science has any value to society if it is not communicated, and scientists are beginning to learn their social obligations." -- Anne Roe Simpson, American psychologist (1904-1991).

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