Today in History

Today is Monday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2018. There are 364 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 1, 1818, the first edition of the Gothic novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" by English author Mary Shelley, 20, was published anonymously in London.

On this date:

In 1785, The Daily Universal Register -- which later became the Times of London -- published its first issue.

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 1943, the Walt Disney wartime animated short "Der Fuehrer's Face," starring Donald Duck in a satire of Nazi Germany, was released.

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 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two new countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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: Revelers celebrated New Year 2008 around the world; a ball dropped for the 100th year in New York's Times Square. U.S. diplomat John Granville and his driver were shot to death by Sudanese gunmen in Khartoum. (Four men were later convicted of the attack.) New no-smoking rules went into effect in France, prohibiting people from lighting up in cafes, bars and restaurants. The Georgia Bulldogs romped past Hawaii 41-10 at the Sugar Bowl, ending the Warriors' perfect season.

Five years ago: The Senate approved a compromise in the small hours to avert the "fiscal cliff" and sent it to the House, which approved it in a late-night vote; President Barack Obama announced he would sign the measure. In Maryland, same-sex marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line. No. 8 Stanford held off Wisconsin 20-14 in the 99th Rose Bowl. Singer Patti Page, 85, died in Encinitas, California.

One year ago: A gunman killed 39 New Year's revelers at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, in an attack claimed by Islamic State (a suspect is facing trial). At least 57 inmates were killed in a prison riot in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas. Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations as its new secretary-general.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., is 96. Documentary maker Frederick Wiseman is 88. Actor Frank Langella is 80. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 76. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 75. Actor Rick Hurst is 72. Country singer Steve Ripley (The Tractors) is 68. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is 64. The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, is 62. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 60. Actress Renn Woods is 60. Actress Dedee Pfeiffer is 54. Country singer Brian Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 52. Actor Morris Chestnut is 49. Actor Verne Troyer is 49. Rhythm and blues singer Tank is 42. Model Elin Nordegren is 38. Actor Jonas Armstrong is 37. Actress Eden Riegel is 37. Olympic gold medal ice dancer Meryl Davis is 31. Rock musician Noah Sierota (Echosmith) is 22.

Thought for Today: "The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes." -- G.K. Chesterton, English poet-essayist (1874-1936).