Today in History

Today is Sunday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2022. There are 363 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency.

On this date:

In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1811, Sen. Timothy Pickering, a Federalist from Massachusetts, became the first member of the U.S. Senate to be censured after he'd improperly revealed the contents of an executive document.

In 1900, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the "Open Door Policy" to facilitate trade with China.

In 1929, the United States and Canada reached agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.

In 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.

In 1967, Republican Ronald Reagan took the oath of office as the new governor of California in a ceremony that took place in Sacramento shortly just after midnight.

In 1971, 66 people were killed in a pileup of spectators leaving a soccer match at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 miles an hour as a way of conserving gasoline in the face of an OPEC oil embargo. (The 55 mph limit was effectively phased out in 1987; federal speed limits were abolished in 1995.)

In 2007, the state funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford began with an elaborate service at Washington National Cathedral, then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In 2015, California began issuing driver's licenses to immigrants who were in the country illegally. Little Jimmy Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter who was the oldest cast member of the Grand Ole Opry, died at age 94.

In 2016, a heavily armed group led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, beginning a 41-day standoff to protest the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of setting fires on public land and to demand the federal government turn over public lands to local control.

In 2018, Sen. Al Franken formally resigned from the Senate a month after the Minnesota Democrat announced his plan to leave Congress amid a series of sexual misconduct allegations. NBC News announced that Hoda Kotb would be the co-anchor of the first two hours of the "Today" show, replacing Matt Lauer following his firing due to sexual misconduct allegations.

Ten years ago: Gordon Hirabayashi, a Japanese-American sociologist who spent 90 days in jail for refusing to be interned during World War II, died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at age 93. (Hirabayashi's conviction was overturned in 1987 by a U.S. court which concluded that the U.S. government's internment policies had been based on political expediency, and not on any risk to national security.)

Five years ago: A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

One year ago: President Donald Trump, in a phone call with Georgia's Republican secretary of state, pressured Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state, repeatedly citing disproven claims of fraud; in a recording of the conversation, Trump was heard raising the prospect of a "criminal offense" if officials did not change the vote count. Joining Trump's effort to overturn the election, eleven Republican senators and senators-elect said they would vote against certain state electors on Jan. 6 unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the results. International inspectors said Iran planned to enrich uranium up to 20% at an underground nuclear facility; Iran's program would then be a technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Paul Westphal, a Hall of Fame basketball player who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and later coached in the league and in college, died in Arizona at the age of 70.

Today's Birthdays: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is 80. TV host Jack Hanna is 75. Actor Wendy Phillips is 70. Actor Cynthia Sikes is 68. Actor Gabrielle Carteris is 61. Movie director Todd Haynes is 61. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher David Cone is 59. Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez is 59. Actor Tia Carrere is 55. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 54. Model Christy Turlington is 53. Actor Taye Diggs is 51. Actor Renee Elise Goldsberry is 51. Rock singer Doug Robb (Hoobastank) is 47. Actor Dax Shepard is 47. Actor Paz Vega is 46. Ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff (TV: "Dancing with the Stars") is 44. Rock musician Jerry DePizzo Jr. (O.A.R.) is 43. R&B singer Kelton Kessee (IMX) is 41. Pop singer-musician Ryan Merchant (Capital Cities) is 41. Actor Kate Bosworth is 39. Actor Anthony Carrigan is 39. Actor Peter Gadiot is 37. Jazz singer-musician Trombone Shorty is 36. Singer-songwriter Mandy Harvey (TV: "America's Got Talent") is 34. R&B singer-rapper Bryson Tiller is 29. San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is 23.