Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2024. There are 349 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address in which he warned against "the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

On this date:

In 1917, Denmark ceded the Virgin Islands to the United States for $25 million.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces launched the first of four battles for Monte Cassino in Italy; the Allies were ultimately successful.

In 1950, the Great Brink's Robbery took place as seven masked men held up a Brink's garage in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders. (Although the entire gang was caught, only part of the loot was recovered.)

In 1955, the submarine USS Nautilus made its first nuclear-powered test run from its berth in Groton, Connecticut.

In 1966, the Simon & Garfunkel album "Sounds of Silence" was released by Columbia Records.

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.

In 1994, the 6.7 magnitude Northridge earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 60 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of Kobe, Japan.

In 2016, Iran released three Americans, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and pastor Saeed Abedini, as part of a prisoner swap that also netted Tehran some $100 billion in sanctions relief.

In 2020, U.S. health officials announced that they would begin screening airline passengers from central China for the new coronavirus; people traveling from Wuhan, China, would have their temperature checked and be asked about symptoms.

In 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov angrily rejected U.S. allegations that Moscow was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine, as Russian troops who were stationed near Ukraine's border launched more drills.

Today's birthdays: Actor James Earl Jones is 93. Talk show host Maury Povich is 85. Pop singer Chris Montez is 82. Actor Joanna David is 77. Actor Jane Elliot ("General Hospital") is 77. Rock musician Mick Taylor is 76. Singer Steve Earle is 69. Singer Paul Young is 68. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 67. Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 65. Movie director-screenwriter Brian Helgeland is 63. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 62. Actor Denis O'Hare is 62. Former first lady Michelle Obama is 60. Actor Joshua Malina is 58. Singer Shabba Ranks is 58. Actor Naveen Andrews is 55. Electronic music DJ Tiesto is 55. Rapper Kid Rock is 53. Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 49. Actor-writer Leigh Whannell is 47. Actor-singer Zooey Deschanel is 44. Dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy (TV: "Dancing with the Stars") is 44. Singer Ray J is 43. Actor Diogo Morgado is 43. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 42. Former NBA player Dwyane Wade is 42. Actor Ryan Gage is 41. DJ-singer Calvin Harris is 40. Folk-rock musician Jeremiah Fraites is 38. Actor Jonathan Keltz is 36. Actor Kelly Marie Tran (Film: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi") is 35. Actor Kathrine Herzer is 27.