Today in History

Today is Thursday, Jan. 4, the fourth day of 2018. There are 361 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 4, 1868, "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins, considered by some the first full-length English detective novel, began to be serialized in Britain and the U.S. in All the Year Round and Harper's Weekly (it was published in book form in July 1868).

On this date:

In 1717, France, Britain and Holland formed a Triple Alliance against Spain.

In 1896, Utah was admitted as the 45th state.

In 1904, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gonzalez v. Williams, ruled that Puerto Ricans were not aliens and could enter the United States freely; however, the court stopped short of declaring them citizens. (Puerto Ricans received U.S. citizenship in March 1917.)

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, called for legislation to provide assistance for the jobless, elderly, impoverished children and the handicapped.

In 1943, for the second time, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin made the cover of TIME as the magazine's 1942 "Man of the Year."

In 1951, during the Korean War, North Korean and Communist Chinese forces recaptured the city of Seoul.

In 1960, author and philosopher Albert Camus died in an automobile accident in Villeblevin, France, at age 46.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered his State of the Union address in which he outlined the goals of his "Great Society."

In 1967, "The Doors," the self-titled debut album of the rock group featuring the song "Light My Fire," was released by Elektra Records.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1987, 16 people were killed when an Amtrak train bound from Washington, D.C., to Boston collided with Conrail locomotives that had crossed into its path from a side track in Chase, Maryland.

In 1995, the 104th Congress convened, the first entirely under Republican control since the Eisenhower era.

Ten years ago: The government reported that the nation's jobless rate hit 5 percent in December 2007, a two-year high, fanning recession fears. Britney Spears lost custody of her two sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline a day after police and paramedics were called to her home.

Five years ago: The new Congress passed a $9.7 billion bill to help pay flood insurance claims to homeowners, renters and businesses damaged by Superstorm Sandy. No. 10 Texas A&M beat No. 12 Oklahoma, 41-13, in the Cotton Bowl.

One year ago: President Barack Obama urged congressional Democrats to "look out for the American people" in defending his legacy health care overhaul, while Vice President-elect Mike Pence stood firm in telling Republicans that dismantling "Obamacare" was No. 1 on Donald Trump's list. Macy's said it was eliminating more than 10,000 jobs and planned to move forward with 68 store closures after a disappointing holiday shopping season.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Rush is 91. Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula is 88. Opera singer Grace Bumbry is 81. Actress Dyan Cannon is 79. Author-historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is 75. Country singer Kathy Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 63. Actress Ann Magnuson is 62. Rock musician Bernard Sumner (New Order, Joy Division) is 62. Country singer Patty Loveless is 61. Actor Julian Sands is 60. Rock singer Michael Stipe is 58. Actor Patrick Cassidy is 56. Actor Dave Foley is 55. Actress Dot Jones is 54. Actor Rick Hearst is 53. Singer-musician Cait O'Riordan is 53. Actress Julia Ormond is 53. Tennis player Guy Forget is 53. Country singer Deana Carter is 52. Rock musician Benjamin Darvill (Crash Test Dummies) is 51. Actor Josh Stamberg is 48. Actor Jeremy Licht is 47. Actor Damon Gupton is 45. Actress-singer Jill Marie Jones is 43. Alt-country singer Justin Townes Earle is 36. Christian rock singer Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath) is 35. Actress Lenora Crichlow is 33. Comedian-actress Charlyne Yi is 32. Actress-singer Coco Jones is 20.

Thought for Today: "Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste." -- Charlotte Bronte, English author (1816-1855).