Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2024. There are 343 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified as South Dakota became the 38th state to endorse it.

On this date:

In 1368, China's Ming dynasty, which lasted nearly three centuries, began as Zhu Yuanzhang was formally acclaimed emperor, following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty.

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1950, the Israeli Knesset approved a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War, and would be formally signed four days later in Paris.

In 1977, the TV mini-series "Roots," based on the Alex Haley novel, began airing on ABC.

In 1998, fighting scandal allegations involving Monica Lewinsky, President Clinton assured his Cabinet during a meeting that he was innocent and urged them to concentrate on their jobs.

In 2002, John Walker Lindh, a U.S.-born Taliban fighter, was returned to the United States to face criminal charges that he'd conspired to kill fellow Americans. (Lindh was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing support for the Taliban; he was released in May 2019 after serving more than 17 years.)

In 2012, in a rare defeat for law enforcement, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed to bar police from installing GPS technology to track suspects without first getting a judge's approval.

In 2018, LeBron James, at 33, became the youngest player in NBA history with 30,000 career points.

In 2020, Chinese state media said the city of Wuhan would be shutting down outbound flights and trains, trying to halt the spread of a new virus that had sickened hundreds of people and killed at least 17. The World Health Organization said the viral illness in China was not yet a global health emergency.

In 2021, Hal Holbrook, the actor who toured the world for more than 50 years as Mark Twain in a one-man show and appeared as "Deep Throat" in "All the President's Men," died at 95, and Larry King, known for decades of broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes, died at 87.

Today's birthdays: Actor Chita Rivera is 91. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 90. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 81. Actor Gil Gerard is 81. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., is 77. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 74. Rock musician Bill Cunningham (The Box Tops) is 74. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 71. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is 71. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 67. Singer Anita Baker is 66. Reggae musician Earl Falconer (UB40) is 65. Actor Peter Mackenzie is 63. Actor Boris McGiver is 62. Actor Gail O'Grady is 61. Actor Mariska Hargitay is 60. R&B singer Marc Nelson is 53. CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell is 50. Actor Tiffani Thiessen is 50. Rock musician Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie) is 49. Actor Lindsey Kraft is 44. Singer-actor Rachel Crow is 26.