Today in History

Today is Saturday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2022. There are 343 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion.

On this date:

In 1901, Britain's Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

In 1938, Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town" was performed publicly for the first time in Princeton, New Jersey.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy.

In 1947, America's first commercially licensed television station west of the Mississippi, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, made its official debut.

In 1995, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy died at the Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, at age 104.

In 1997, the Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation's first female secretary of state.

In 1998, Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, California, to being the Unabomber responsible for three deaths and 29 injuries in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole.

In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest in NBA history, in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

In 2007, a double car bombing of a predominantly Shiite commercial area in Baghdad killed 88 people. Iran announced it had barred 38 nuclear inspectors on a United Nations list from entering the country in apparent retaliation for U.N. sanctions imposed the previous month.

In 2008, actor Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead of an accidental prescription overdose in a New York City apartment.

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp within a year. (The facility remained in operation as lawmakers blocked efforts to transfer terror suspects to the United States; President Donald Trump later issued an order to keep the jail open and allow the Pentagon to bring new prisoners there.)

In 2020, Chinese health authorities urged people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness that had infected hundreds of people and caused at least nine deaths could spread further. Health officials in Washington state said they were actively monitoring 16 people who'd come in close contact with a traveler to China, the first U.S. resident known to be infected with the virus.

Ten years ago: Longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who'd won more games than anyone in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation, died at age 85.

Five years ago: After a combative start to his presidency, Donald Trump delivered a more unifying message and sought to reassure Americans he was ready to begin governing a divided nation.

One year ago: Senate leaders announced that opening statements in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump over the Capitol riot would begin the week of Feb. 8; it would be the first time a former president would face such charges after leaving office. Former Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his successful pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record, died at 86. Former "Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw said he was retiring from NBC News after working at the network for 55 years.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Piper Laurie is 90. Celebrity chef Graham Kerr (TV: "The Galloping Gourmet") is 88. Author Joseph Wambaugh is 85. Singer Steve Perry is 73. Country singer-musician Teddy Gentry (Alabama) is 70. Movie director Jim Jarmusch is 69. Actor John Wesley Shipp is 67. Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Bossy is 65. Actor Linda Blair is 63. Actor Diane Lane is 57. Actor and rap DJ Jazzy Jeff is 57. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 54. Actor Olivia d'Abo is 53. Actor Katie Finneran is 51. Actor Gabriel Macht is 50. Actor Balthazar Getty is 47. Actor Christopher Kennedy Masterson is 42. Jazz singer Lizz Wright is 42. Pop singer Willa Ford is 41. Actor Beverley Mitchell is 41. Rock singer-musician Ben Moody is 41. Actor Kevin Sheridan is 40. Actor-singer Phoebe Strole is 39. Rapper Logic is 32. Tennis player Alize Cornet is 32. Actor Sami Gayle is 26.