Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2017. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On Jan. 10, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, asked Congress to impose a surcharge on both corporate and individual income taxes to help pay for his "Great Society" programs as well as the war in Vietnam. That same day, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.

On this date:

In 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, "Common Sense," which argued for American independence from British rule.

In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union.

In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1917, legendary Western frontiersman and showman William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody died at his sister's home in Denver at age 70.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London. The first manmade contact with the moon was made as radar signals transmitted by the U.S. Army Signal Corps were bounced off the lunar surface.

In 1947, the musical fantasy "Finian's Rainbow," with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, opened on Broadway.

In 1957, Harold Macmillan became prime minister of Britain, following the resignation of Anthony Eden.

In 1971, "Masterpiece Theatre" premiered on PBS with host Alistair Cooke introducing the drama series "The First Churchills." French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in Paris at age 87.

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton, attending a NATO summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, announced completion of an agreement to remove all long-range nuclear missiles from the former Soviet republic of Ukraine.

In 2000, America Online announced it was buying Time Warner for $162 billion (the merger, which proved disastrous, ended in Dec. 2009).

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush said he took responsibility for any mistakes in Iraq and announced an increase in U.S. troops there to quell violence. The Democratic-controlled House voted 315-116 to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

Five years ago: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire Republican primary; Ron Paul finished second, with Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum trailing. Alabama was voted No. 1 in the final AP poll for the eighth time, tying Notre Dame for the most of any team in college football, after winning a rematch with LSU in the BCS championship.

One year ago: French President Francois Hollande and other dignitaries held a special ceremony to honor those killed in Islamic extremist attacks around Paris in 2015. David Bowie, the chameleon-like star who transformed the sound and the look of rock with his audacious creativity and his sexually ambiguous makeup and costumes, died in New York. At the Golden Globes, "The Revenant" won best motion picture drama while "The Martian" was recognized as best comedy film.

Today's Birthdays: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 82. Blues artist Eddy Clearwater is 82. Rock singer-musician Ronnie Hawkins is 82. Baseball Hall of Famer Willie McCovey is 79. Movie director Walter Hill is 77. Actor William Sanderson is 73. Singer Rod Stewart is 72. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 69. Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 68. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 66. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 65. Singer Pat Benatar is 64. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 64. Rock musician Michael Schenker is 62. Singer Shawn Colvin is 61. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 58. Actor Evan Handler is 56. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 53. Actress Trini Alvarado is 50. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 39. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 38. Actress Sarah Shahi is 37. American roots singer Valerie June is 35.

Thought for Today: "In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism." -- Hannah Arendt, American author and historian (1906-1975).