Today in History

Today is Monday, Jan. 5, the fifth day of 2015. There are 360 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 5, 1925, Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as America's first female governor, succeeding her late husband, William, following a special election.

On this date:

In 1781, a British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Virginia.

In 1895, French Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, convicted of treason, was publicly stripped of his rank. (He was ultimately vindicated.)

In 1905, the National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals was incorporated in New York State.

In 1914, auto industrialist Henry Ford announced he was going to pay workers $5 for an 8-hour day, as opposed to $2.34 for a 9-hour day. (Employees still worked six days a week; the 5-day work week was instituted in 1926.)

In 1933, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, died in Northampton, Massachusetts, at age 60. Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Work was completed four years later.)

In 1949, in his State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman labeled his administration the Fair Deal.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed assistance to countries to help them resist Communist aggression in what became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.

In 1964, during a visit to the Holy Land, Pope Paul VI met with Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople in Jerusalem.

In 1970, Joseph A. Yablonski, an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the United Mine Workers of America, was found murdered with his wife and daughter at their Clarksville, Pennsylvania, home. (UMWA President Tony Boyle and seven others were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, the killings.) "All My Children" premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1975, "The Wiz," a musical version of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" featuring an all-black cast, opened on Broadway.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Elizabeth Dole to succeed Drew Lewis as secretary of transportation; Dole became the first woman to head a Cabinet department in Reagan's administration, and the first to head the DOT.

In 1994, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, former speaker of the House of Representatives, died in Boston at age 81.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush opened a new drive for caps on medical malpractice awards, contending the limits would lower health care costs. The bodies of 18 young Iraqi Shiites taken off a bus and executed in Dec. 2005 were found in a field near Mosul. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, a Marine charged with desertion in Iraq after mysteriously disappearing from his post was again declared a deserter -- this time for failing to report to his U.S. base. (Hassoun turned himself in to military authorities in June 2014.) Eris, the largest dwarf planet of the solar system, was identified by astronomers at the Palomar Observatory in California.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama scolded 20 of his highest-level officials over the thwarted Christmas Day terror attack on an airliner bound for Detroit, taking them jointly to task for "a screw-up that could have been disastrous" and should have been avoided. The U.S. and British embassies in Yemen reopened their doors after a two-day closure prompted by security concerns.

One year ago: The Iraqi military tried to dislodge al-Qaida militants in Sunni-dominated Anbar province, unleashing airstrikes and besieging the regional capital. Acting with a court order, the family of Jahi McMath, a 13-year-old California girl declared brain dead after a tonsillectomy, removed her from a California hospital to be cared for elsewhere.

Today's Birthdays: Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale is 87. Actor Robert Duvall is 84. Juan Carlos, former King of Spain, is 77. Singer-musician Athol Guy (The Seekers) is 75. Talk show host Charlie Rose is 73. Actress-director Diane Keaton is 69. Actor Ted Lange is 67. Rhythm-and-blues musician George "Funky" Brown (Kool and the Gang) is 66. Rock musician Chris Stein (Blondie) is 65. Former CIA Director George Tenet is 62. Actress Pamela Sue Martin is 62. Actor Clancy Brown is 56. Singer Iris Dement is 54. Actor Ricky Paull Goldin is 50. Actor Vinnie Jones is 50. Rock musician Kate Schellenbach (Luscious Jackson) is 49. Dancer-choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba is 47. Actress Heather Paige Kent is 46. Rock singer Marilyn Manson is 46. Actor Shea Whigham is 46. Actor Derek Cecil (TV: "House of Cards"; "Treme") is 42. Actor Bradley Cooper is 40. Actress January Jones is 37. Actress Brooklyn Sudano is 34.

Thought for Today: "It is the job that is never started that takes longest to finish." -- J.R.R. Tolkien, English author (1892-1973).

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