Today in History

Today is Friday, Jan. 24, the 24th day of 2020. There are 342 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 24, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.

On this date:

In 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of '49.

In 1935, beer was first sold in cans in Richmond, Virginia, by the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Co.

In 1939, at least 28,000 people were killed by an earthquake that devastated the city of Chillan in Chile.

In 1945, Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among a group of captives executed by the Germans at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria.

In 1965, British statesman Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

In 1984, Apple Computer began selling its first Macintosh model, which boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome display, a clock rate of 8 megahertz and 128k of RAM.

In 1985, the space shuttle Discovery was launched from Cape Canaveral on the first secret, all-military shuttle mission.

In 1987, gunmen in Lebanon kidnapped educators Alann Steen, Jesse Turner, Robert Polhill and Mitheleshwar Singh. (All were eventually released.)

In 1989, confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair.

In 1993, retired Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 84.

In 2003, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn as the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security.

In 2018, former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who had admitted molesting some of the nation's top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison. Singer Elton John announced that he would be retiring from the road after an upcoming three-year global tour.

Ten years ago: In an audio message, Osama bin Laden endorsed the failed attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day and threatened new attacks against the United States. Afghanistan postponed parliamentary elections. The Indianapolis Colts beat the New York Jets 30-17 in the AFC championship game. The New Orleans Saints of the NFC made it to their first Super Bowl after battering the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime. Bowler Kelly Kulick became the first woman to win a PBA Tour title, beating Chris Barnes in the final of the 45th Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas. Actor Pernell Roberts, 81, died in Malibu, California.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama condemned the murder of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa by the Islamic State group and called for the immediate release of another Japanese hostage, journalist Kenji Goto (Goto was beheaded by his captors days later). Parts of the Northeast got their first real taste of winter as a storm dumped rain, sleet and snow as it moved up the coast. "Birdman" received the Producers Guild of America's highest film award.

One year ago: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called home all Venezuelan diplomats from the United States and closed its embassy, a day after ordering all U.S. diplomats out of the country; the Trump administration had said the order wasn't legal because the U.S. now recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido, and not Maduro, as Venezuela's legitimate leader. The Senate voted down competing Democratic and Republican plans for ending a 34-day partial government shutdown, but the setbacks prompted bipartisan talks aimed at temporarily halting the longest-ever closure of federal agencies.

Today's Birthdays: Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 84. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 81. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 79. Singer Aaron Neville is 79. Actor Michael Ontkean is 74. Actor Daniel Auteuil is 70. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 70. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 69. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is 67. Actor William Allen Young is 66. Bandleader-musician Jools Holland is 62. Actress Nastassja Kinski is 59. Rhythm-and-blues singer Theo Peoples is 59. Country musician Keech Rainwater (Lonestar) is 57. Comedian Phil LaMarr is 53. Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 52. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sleepy Brown (Society of Soul) is 50. Actor Matthew Lillard is 50. Actress Merrilee McCommas is 49. Blues/rock singer Beth Hart is 48. Actor Ed Helms is 46. Actor Mark Hildreth is 42. Actress Christina Moses is 42. Actress Tatyana Ali is 41. Rock musician Mitchell Marlow (Filter) is 41. Actress Carrie Coon is 39. Actor Daveed Diggs is 38. Actor Justin Baldoni is 36. Actress Mischa Barton is 34.

Thought for Today: "I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." -- Bob Dylan.

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