Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2018. There are 342 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 23, 1968, North Korea seized the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, commanded by Lloyd "Pete" Bucher, charging its crew with being on a spying mission; one sailor was killed and 82 were taken prisoner. (Cmdr. Bucher and his crew were released the following December after enduring 11 months of brutal captivity at the hands of the North Koreans.)

On this date:

In 1368, China's Ming dynasty, which lasted nearly three centuries, began as Zhu Yuanzhang was formally acclaimed emperor following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty.

In 1516, King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who with his late queen consort, Isabella of Castile, sponsored the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, died in Madrigalejo, Spain.

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called "Lame Duck Amendment," was ratified as Missouri approved it.

In 1944, Norwegian painter Edvard Munch ("The Scream") died near Oslo at age 80.

In 1950, the Israeli Knesset approved a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In 1964, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified as South Dakota became the 38th state to endorse it.

In 1977, the original TV mini-series "Roots," based on the Alex Haley novel, began airing on ABC.

In 1978, rock musician Terry Kath, a key member of the group Chicago, accidentally shot himself to death following a party in Woodland Hills, California; he was 31.

In 1989, surrealist artist Salvador Dali died in his native Figueres, Spain, at age 84.

In 1998, a judge in Fairfax, Virginia, sentenced Aimal Khan Kasi to death for an assault rifle attack outside CIA headquarters in 1993 that killed two men and wounded three other people. (Kasi was executed in November 2002.)

Ten years ago: Tens of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt from the Gaza Strip after militants blew up a barrier dividing the border town of Rafah. Michael Chang, winner of the 1989 French Open, was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and IMG creator Mark McCormack and Tennis Week magazine founder Eugene Scott were selected posthumously.

Five years ago: Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered fiery rejoinders to Republican critics of the Obama administration's handling of the deadly attack on a U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Cardinal Jozef Glemp, 83, the longtime head of Poland's influential Roman Catholic church at a time when it played a key role in the fight against communism, died in Warsaw.

One year ago: President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, using one of his first actions in office to reject a proposed accord that was eagerly sought by American allies in Asia. Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo was sworn in as CIA director immediately after the Senate confirmed his nomination, 66-32. Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick were elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Chita Rivera is 85. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 84. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 75. Actor Gil Gerard is 75. Actor Rutger Hauer is 74. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jerry Lawson is 74. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., is 71. Singer Anita Pointer is 70. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 68. Rock musician Bill Cunningham is 68. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 65. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is 65. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 61. Singer Anita Baker is 60. Reggae musician Earl Falconer (UB40) is 59. Actor Boris McGiver is 56. Actress Gail O'Grady is 55. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 54. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Nelson is 47. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 44. Rock musician Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie) is 43. Christian rock musician Nick DePartee (Kutless) is 33. Singer-actress Rachel Crow is 20.

Thought for Today: "What is important is to spread confusion, not eliminate it." -- Salvador Dali (1904-1989).