Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2017. There are 364 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On Jan. 1, 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. The Rose Bowl was played in Durham, North Carolina, because of security concerns in the wake of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor; Oregon State defeated Duke, 20-16.

On this date:

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be "forever free."

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

In 1935, The Associated Press inaugurated Wirephoto, the first successful service for transmitting photographs by wire to member newspapers.

In 1945, France was admitted to the United Nations.

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

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

In 1975, a jury in Washington found Nixon administration officials John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and Robert C. Mardian guilty of charges related to the Watergate cover-up (Mardian's conviction for conspiracy was later overturned on appeal).

In 1979, the United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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 1992, Boutros Boutros-Ghali succeeded Javier Perez de Cuellar as secretary-general of the United Nations.

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

In 2014, the nation's first legal recreational pot shops opened in Colorado at 8 a.m. Mountain time.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush joined thousands of other mourners in paying respects to former President Gerald R. Ford. An Indonesian Boeing 737 jetliner crashed, killing all 102 people on board. Ban Ki-moon became the 8th U.N. secretary-general. Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves died at age 74. Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, 24, was slain in a drive-by shooting (gang member Willie Clark was later convicted of killing Williams and was sentenced to life in prison). The 9th-ranked Boise State Broncos completed a perfect season with a 43-42 overtime victory over No. 7 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. No. 8 Southern California beat No. 3 Michigan 32-18 in the Rose Bowl.

Five years ago: A Mount Rainier National Park ranger, Margaret Anderson, was shot and killed by the driver of a car that blew through a checkpoint. (Searchers later found the body of the gunman, 24-year-old Benjamin Colton Barnes, in a snowy creek; an autopsy showed he had died of drowning with hypothermia as a factor.)

One year ago: Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign said it had raised $37 million in the previous three months and more than $112 million in all of 2015 to support her bid for the Democratic nomination. Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl; Stanford beat Iowa 45-16 in the Rose Bowl; Mississippi toppled Oklahoma State 48-20 in the Sugar Bowl. Death claimed former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator Dale Bumpers at age 90; former U.S. Rep. Mike Oxley at age 71; and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond at age 85.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., is 95. Actor Ty Hardin is 87. Documentary maker Frederick Wiseman is 87. Actor Frank Langella is 79. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 75. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 74. Actor Rick Hurst is 71. Country singer Steve Ripley (The Tractors) is 67. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is 63. The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, is 61. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 59. Actress Ren Woods is 59. Actress Dedee Pfeiffer is 53. Actress Embeth Davidtz is 51. Country singer Brian Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 51. Actor Morris Chestnut is 48. Actor Verne Troyer is 48. Elin Nordegren is 37. Actor Jonas Armstrong is 36. Actress Eden Riegel is 36. Olympic gold medal ice dancer Meryl Davis is 30. Rock musician Noah Sierota (Echosmith) is 21.

Thought for Today: "If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am." -- Cyril Cusack, Irish actor (1910-1993).