Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 24, the 24th day of 2023. There are 341 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 24, 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.

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

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 1978, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, Cosmos 954, plunged through Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated, scattering radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada.

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

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

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

In 2011, a suicide bomber attacked Moscow's busiest airport, killing 37 people; Chechen separatists claimed responsibility.

In 2020, Fifteen-year-old Coco Gauff upset defending champ Naomi Osaka in the third round of the Australian Open.

Ten years ago: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the lifting of a ban on women serving in combat. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee opened a hearing into President Barack Obama's nomination of Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state. In Chicago, David Coleman Headley, an American drug dealer who had faced life in prison, was sentenced instead to 35 years for helping plan the deadly 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India - a punishment prosecutors said reflected his broad cooperation with U.S. investigators. New Orleans Hornets owner Tom Benson announced he was changing his team's nickname to the Pelicans for the start of next season.

Five years ago: 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. Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. Scientists in China announced that they had used the cloning technique that produced Dolly the sheep to create healthy monkeys; it was the first such achievement in primates.

One year ago: The Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert to potentially deploy to Europe as part of a NATO "response force" amid growing concern that Russia could soon make a military move on Ukraine. Judges approved a request for a special grand jury by the Georgia prosecutor investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others broke the law by trying to pressure Georgia officials to throw out Joe Biden's presidential election victory. An analysis found that high school graduation rates dipped in at least 20 states after the first full school year disrupted by the pandemic.

Today's birthdays: Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 87. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 84. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 82. Singer Aaron Neville is 82. Actor Michael Ontkean is 77. Actor Daniel Auteuil is 73. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 73. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 72. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in is 69. Actor William Allen Young is 69. Bandleader-musician Jools Holland is 65. Actor Nastassja Kinski is 62. R&B singer Theo Peoples is 62. Country musician Keech Rainwater (Lonestar) is 60. Comedian Phil LaMarr is 56. Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 55. R&B singer Sleepy Brown (Society of Soul) is 53. Actor Matthew Lillard is 53. Actor Merrilee McCommas is 52. Blues/rock singer Beth Hart is 51. Actor Ed Helms is 49. Actor Mark Hildreth is 45. Actor Christina Moses is 45. Actor Tatyana Ali is 44. Actor Carrie Coon is 42. Actor Daveed Diggs is 41. Actor Justin Baldoni is 39. Actor Mischa Barton is 37.