Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2019. There are 340 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 25, 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.

On this date:

In 1533, England's King Henry VIII secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who later gave birth to Elizabeth I.

In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln accepted Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's resignation as commander of the Army of the Potomac, and replaced him with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.

In 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1915, America's first official transcontinental telephone call took place as Alexander Graham Bell, who was in New York, spoke to his former assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in San Francisco, over a line set up by American Telephone & Telegraph.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

In 1936, former Gov. Al Smith, D-N.Y., delivered a radio address in Washington, titled "Betrayal of the Democratic Party," in which he fiercely criticized the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1945, the World War II Battle of the Bulge ended as German forces were pushed back to their original positions. Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first community to add fluoride to its public water supply.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first presidential news conference to be carried live on radio and television.

In 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.

In 1990, an Avianca Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and crashed in Cove Neck, Long Island, New York; 73 of the 158 people aboard were killed. Actress Ava Gardner died in London at age 67.

In 1993, a gunman shot and killed two CIA employees outside agency headquarters in Virginia (Pakistani national Mir Aimal Kansi was later tried and convicted of the shootings, and executed). Sears announced that it would no longer publish its famous century-old catalog.

In 1998, Pope John Paul II ended his historic journey to Cuba.

Ten years ago: The White House used the Sunday talk shows to warn the country could face a long and painful financial recovery, even with major government intervention. The Eastern Conference won the NHL All-Star game 12-11. Jeremy Abbott won his first title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held in Cleveland. "Slumdog Millionaire" won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast of a motion picture; "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" won best for TV comedy and drama casts.

Five years ago: A gunman opened fire at a shopping mall in suburban Baltimore, killing two skate shop employees, 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson; shooter Darion Aguilar then killed himself. On the third anniversary of Egypt's 2011 uprising, giant crowds danced at government-backed rallies and security forces crushed demonstrations by rival Islamists and some secular activists. Li Na beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (3), 6-0 in the Australian Open final. The Anaheim Ducks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 at Dodger Stadium in the NHL's first warm-weather outdoor game. Morris "Morrie" Turner, 90, creator of the "Wee Pals" comic strip and the first African-American cartoonist to be syndicated nationally, died in Sacramento, California.

One year ago: President Donald Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland; after meeting there with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump threatened to cut off U.S. aid to the Palestinians unless they negotiated peace with Israel. The White House unveiled an immigration proposal that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants living in the country illegally in exchange for new restrictions on legal immigration and $25 billion in border security; House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi charged that it was part of an administration effort to "make America white again." In an interview in InStyle magazine, Oprah Winfrey said she was not interested in a presidential bid, adding that she doesn't "have the DNA" for a White House run.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Claude Gray is 87. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 74. Actress Jenifer Lewis is 62. Country musician Mike Burch (River Road) is 53. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kina is 50. Actress China Kantner is 48. Actress Ana Ortiz is 48. Drummer Joe Sirois (Mighty Mighty Bosstones) is 47. Musician Matt Odmark (Jars of Clay) is 45. Actress Mia Kirshner is 44. Actress Christine Lakin is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Alicia Keys is 39. Actor Michael Trevino is 34. Pop musician Calum Hood (5 Seconds to Summer) is 23. Actress Olivia Edward is 12.

Thought for Today: "The telephone, which interrupts the most serious conversations and cuts short the most weighty observations, has a romance of its own." -- Virginia Woolf, English author (1882-1941).