Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
Today, January 20th, is a particularly important date in American history, being the traditional day when incoming presidents are sworn in, marking new eras. But these are too numerous to mention each individually, so only certain one which were different or unique, one way or another, will be mentioned here.
According to legend, it was on this day in 1156 that freeholder Lalli slayed English crusader Bishop Henry with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland. On this day in 1265, the first English Parliament was called into session by the Earl of Leicester. In 1320 on this day, Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek became the King of Poland. Edward Balliol abdicated as King of Scots on this day in 1356. On this day in 1502, the present-day location of Rio de Janeiro was explored for the first time by Europeans. The Battle of Millstone, New Jersey, took place on this day in 1777. In 1807, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte convened the French Sanhedrin in Paris, which addressed Jewish practice and attempted to adapt civil laws that affected Jewish people. On this day in 1841, China ceded Hong Kong to the British. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded on this day in 1920. On this day in 1921, the Fundamental Law formally declared the sovereignty of the nation of Turkey (Türkiye) from the remnants of the fallen Ottoman Empire. The Wannsee Conference in Berlin took place on this day in 1942, when leading Nazi officials met to discuss specific details regarding the extermination of Europe's Jews as the "Final Solution" of the "Jewish question." On this day in 1961, famed American poet Robert Frost gave a reading of his poem "The Gift Outright" at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. On this day in 1980, American President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Olympics in Moscow set for later that year, and called for the Olympics to be moved from Moscow, in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Iran Hostage Crisis ended on this day in 1981, just minutes after Ronald Reagan had taken the oath of office as president. American researchers announced that they had cloned calves that might be able to produce medicinal milk on this day in 1998. Also on this day in 1998 in Chile, a judge agreed to hear a lawsuit which accused Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet of genocide. In 1999 on this day, yhe China News Service announced that the Chinese government was tightening restrictions on internet use. The rules were aimed at 'Internet Bars.' On this day in 2000, Greece and Turkey signed five accords aimed to build confidence and ease tensions between the two nations.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
250 - St Fabian ends his reign as Catholic Pope (236-50)
820 - Book of mother, published
1045 - Giovanni di Sabina elected Pope Sylvester III
According to legend, it was on this day in 1156 that freeholder Lalli slayed English crusader Bishop Henry with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland. On this day in 1265, the first English Parliament was called into session by the Earl of Leicester. In 1320 on this day, Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek became the King of Poland. Edward Balliol abdicated as King of Scots on this day in 1356. On this day in 1502, the present-day location of Rio de Janeiro was explored for the first time by Europeans.
1503 - Casa Contratacion (Board of Trade) found (Spain) to deal with American affairs
1513 - Christian II succeeds Johan I as Danish/Norwegian king
1523 - Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
1576 - The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almansa.
1613 - Peace of Knarodends War of Kalmar between Denmark & Sweden
1648 - Cornerstone of Amsterdam townhall laid
1667 - Treaty of Andrussovo-ends 13 year war between Poland & Russia
The Battle of Millstone, New Jersey, took place on this day in 1777. Brigadier General Philemon Dickinson leads 400 raw men from the New Jersey militia and 50 Pennsylvania riflemen under Captain Robert Durkee in an attack against a group of 500 British soldiers foraging for food led by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Abercromby near Van Nest's Mills in Millstone, New Jersey. The mills lay at a strategic point between New Brunswick and Princeton, New Jersey, where General George Washington had defeated the British on January 3. After that victory, Washington had decided to divide his forces in order to harass British installments in the New Jersey towns of New Brunswick and Amboy. The British, who were stealing flour and supplies from Van Nest's Mills with which to supply their troops in New Brunswick, had set up small cannon defenses at a bridge crossing the Millstone River. The Patriots caught the British forces by surprise when they, avoiding the cannons, forded the deep and icy water. In the ensuing 20-minute battle, Dickinson reported that the Patriots captured 107 horses, 49 wagons, 115 cattle, 70 sheep, 40 barrels of flour—106 bags and many other things. They also took 49 prisoners. General Washington reported to John Hancock that the British removed a good many dead and wounded in light Waggons, estimated to be 24 or 25 in total compared to the 4 or 5 losses sustained by the Patriots.
1778 - 1st American military court martial trial begins, Cambridge, Mass
1781 - 1st edition of Pieter It Hoens "Post of Neder-Rhijn" published
1783 - Hostilities cease in Revolutionary War
1785 - Samuel Ellis advertises to sell Oyster Island (Ellis Is), no takers
1788 - Pioneer African Baptist church organizes in Savannah, Ga
1801 - John Marshall appointed US chief justice
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1807, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte convened the French Sanhedrin in Paris, which addressed Jewish practice and attempted to adapt civil laws that affected Jewish people. The Sanhedrin was a council of Jewish leaders and scholars that included rabbis and laymen. The name "Sanhedrin" was used to imply that the council had the authority of the original Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish people's main legislative and judicial body in antiquity.
1809 - 1st US geology book published by William Maclure
1839 - In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats a Peruvian and Bolivian alliance.
1840 - Dumont D'Urville discovers Adélie Land, Antarctica
1840 - Dutch King Willem II crowned
On this day in 1841, China ceded Hong Kong to the British. Jan 20, 1841: Hong Kong ceded to the Britis During the First Opium War, China cedes the island of Hong Kong to the British with the signing of the Chuenpi Convention, an agreement seeking an end to the first Anglo-Chinese conflict. In 1839, Britain invaded China to crush opposition to its interference in the country's economic and political affairs. One of Britain's first acts of the war was to occupy Hong Kong, a sparsely inhabited island off the coast of southeast China. In 1841, China ceded the island to the British, and in 1842 the Treaty of Nanking was signed, formally ending the First Opium War. Britain's new colony flourished as an East-West trading center and as the commercial gateway and distribution center for southern China. In 1898, Britain was granted an additional 99 years of rule over Hong Kong under the Second Convention of Peking. In September 1984, after years of negotiations, the British and the Chinese signed a formal agreement approving the 1997 turnover of the island in exchange for a Chinese pledge to preserve Hong Kong's capitalist system. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was peaceably handed over to China in a ceremony attended by numerous Chinese and British dignitaries. The chief executive under the new Hong Kong government, Tung Chee Hwa, formulated a policy based upon the concept of "one country, two systems," thus preserving Hong Kong's role as a principal capitalist center in Asia.
1850 - Investigator, 1st ship to effect northwest passage, leaves England
1860 - Dutch troops conquer Watampone in Celebes
1866 - Prim's Insurrection in Spain ends
1868 - Florida constitutional convention meets in Tallahassee
Women's Rights Activist Elizabeth Cady StantonWomen's Rights Activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton 1869 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton becomes 1st woman to testify before US Congress
1870 - "City of Boston" vanishes at sea with all 177 aboard
1870 - Hiram R. Revels elected to fill unexpired term of Jefferson Davis
1872 - California Stock Exchange Board organized
1879 - British troops under Lord Chelmsford set camp at Isandlwana
1883 - Billy Barnes takes a hat-trick, England v Aust MCG
1887 - US Senate approves naval base lease of Pearl Harbor
1892 - 1st basketball game played (Mass)
1910 - Ottawa Senators sweep Edmonton in 2 for Stanley Cup (2nd of 1910)
1920 - Dutch 2nd Chamber passes school laws
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded on this day in 1920. On this day in 1921, the Fundamental Law formally declared the sovereignty of the nation of Turkey (Türkiye) from the remnants of the fallen Ottoman Empire.
1921 - British submarine K5 leaves with man & mouse
1921 - Dagestan ASSR forms in RSFSR
1921 - Mountain Autonomous Republic established in RSFSR
1921 - Turkey declared in remnants of Ottoman Empire
Minister and US Senator Hiram R. RevelsMinister and US Senator Hiram R. Revels 1922 - Arthur Honegger's ballet "Skating Rink" premieres, Paris
1925 - USSR & Japan sign treaty of Peking, Seychelles back to USSR
1926 - 2nd German government of Luther begins
1929 - 1st feature talking motion picture taken outdoors, "In Old Arizona"
1930 - 1st radio broadcast of "Lone Ranger" (WXYZ-Detroit)
1934 - Japan sends Henry Pu Yi as regent to emperor of Manchuria
1936 - Edward VIII succeeds British king George V
1937 - -45°F (-43°C), Boca, California (state record)
1937 - 1st Inauguration day on Jan 20th, (held every 4th years there-after)
1939 - Charles Ives' 1st Sonate "Concord," premieres
1939 - Hitler proclaims to German parliament to exterminate all European Jews
1941 - Bela Bartok's 6th string quartet, premieres in NYC
1942 - Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain
1942 - Japanese invade Burma
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A picture taken of Auschwitz during my visit to the camp in 2013.
The Wannsee Conference in Berlin took place on this day in 1942, when leading Nazi officials met to discuss specific details regarding the extermination of Europe's Jews as the "Final Solution" of the "Jewish question." In July 1941, Herman Goering, writing under instructions from Hitler, had ordered Reinhard Heydrich, SS general and Heinrich Himmler's number-two man, to submit "as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative, material, and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired final solution of the Jewish question." Heydrich met with Adolf Eichmann, chief of the Central Office of Jewish Emigration, and 15 other officials from various Nazi ministries and organizations at Wannsee, a suburb of Berlin. The agenda was simple and focused: to devise a plan that would render a "final solution to the Jewish question" in Europe. Various gruesome proposals were discussed, including mass sterilization and deportation to the island of Madagascar. Heydrich proposed simply transporting Jews from every corner Europe to concentration camps in Poland and working them to death. Objections to this plan included the belief that this was simply too time-consuming. What about the strong ones who took longer to die? What about the millions of Jews who were already in Poland? Although the word "extermination" was never uttered during the meeting, the implication was clear: anyone who survived the egregious conditions of a work camp would be "treated accordingly." Months later, the "gas vans" in Chelmno, Poland, which were killing 1,000 people a day, proved to be the "solution" they were looking for--the most efficient means of killing large groups of people at one time. The minutes of this conference were kept with meticulous care, which later provided key evidence during the Nuremberg war crimes trials.
Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 1943 - Lead SD, temp is 52°F, while 1.5 miles away Deadwood SD records -16°F
1943 - Operation-Weiss: Assault of German, Italian, Bulgarian & Croatian
1944 - RAF drops 2300 ton bombs on Berlin
1945 - FDR sworn-in for an unprecedented 4th term as president
1945 - Hungary ends its involvement in the Second World War, agreeing to an armistice with the Allies.
1946 - F Gouin follows De Gaulle as temporary leader of French government
1947 - Brigadier General Edwin K Wright, USA, becomes deputy director of CIA
1949 - J. Edgar Hoover gives Shirley Temple a tear gas fountain pen
1949 - Pres Harry Truman announces his point 4 program
1950 - "Dance Me a Song" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 35 performances
1950 - Suriname becomes independent part in Realm of Netherlands
1952 - British army occupies Ismailiya, Suez Canal Zone
1952 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open
1953 - 1st US telecast transmitted to Canada-from Buffalo NY
1953 - 1st live coast-to-coast inauguration address (Eisenhower)
33rd US President Harry Truman33rd US President Harry Truman 1954 - -70°F (-57°C), Rogers Pass, Montana (US 48 state record)
1954 - Dmitri Sjostakovitsj' "Concertino opus 94," premieres
1954 - The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
1955 - 1st atomic sub, USS Nautilus, launched at Groton Conn
1956 - Buddy Holly records "Blue Days Black Night" in Nashville
1957 - Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open
1957 - Gomulka wins Poland's parliamentary election
1957 - Morton Gould's "Declaration," premieres in Washington, DC
1958 - Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open
1958 - KUED TV channel 7 in Salt Lake City, UT (PBS) begins broadcasting
1959 - Dmitri Sjostakovitsj' Moscow-Tsjerjomoesjki, premieres in Moscow
1960 - Patrice Lumumba sentenced to 6 months in Belgian Congo
1961 - Arthur M Ramsay becomes archbishop of Canterbury
1961 - Francis Poulenc's "Gloria," premieres in Boston
Statue of American President John F. Kennedy in Fort Worth, Texas.
On this day in 1961, famed American poet Robert Frost gave a reading of his poem "The Gift Outright" at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. On this day, 87-year-old Robert Frost recited his poem "The Gift Outright" at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. Although Frost had written a new poem for the occasion, titled "Dedication," faint ink in his typewriter made the words difficult to read, so he recited "The Gift Outright" from memory. Frost was born in California in 1874, the son of a journalist who died when Frost was 11. Frost's mother brought him to Massachusetts, where he graduated as co-valedictorian of his high school class. He attended Dartmouth and Harvard but didn't complete a degree at either school. Three years after high school, her married his fellow high school valedictorian, Elinor White. Frost tried unsuccessfully to run a New England farm, and the family, which soon included four children, struggled with poverty for two decades. Increasingly depressed, Frost moved his family to England to make a fresh start in 1912. There, he published a poetry collection called A Boy's Will in 1913, which won praise from English critics and helped him win a U.S. publishing contract for his second book, North of Boston (1914). The American public took a liking to the 40-year-old Frost, who returned to the United States when World War I broke out and bought another farm in New Hampshire. He continued to publish books, and taught and lectured at Amherst, University of Michigan, Harvard, and Dartmouth. He endured personal tragedy when a son committed suicide and a daughter had a mental breakdown. While Frost never graduated from a university, he had collected 44 honorary degrees before he died in 1963.
1961 - Yugoslav ex-vice-president Milovan Djilas flees
1962 - "Kean" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 92 performances
1964 - "Meet The Beatles" album released in US
1965 - Beatles appear on Shindig (ABC-TV)
1965 - Byrds record "Mr Tambourine Man"
1965 - JPL proposes modified Apollo flight to fly around Mars & return
1965 - Generalissimo Francisco Franco meets with Jewish representatives to discuss legitimizing Jewish communities in Spain
1968 - Houston ends UCLA's 47-game basketball winning streak, 71-69
1968 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming
1968 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Tim Wood
1968 - The Houston Cougars defeat the UCLA Bruins 71-69 to win the Game of the Century.
1969 - Richard M Nixon inaugurated as president
1969 - U of Az reports 1st optical id of pulsar (in Crab Nebula)
1970 - 20th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 142-135 at Philadelphia
1970 - 23rd NHL All-Star Game: East beat West 4-1 at St Louis
Spanish Dictator Francisco FrancoSpanish Dictator Francisco Franco 1970 - Super Fight, computer mock championship between Ali & Marciano
1971 - Ard Schenk skates world record 1000m (1:18.8)
1971 - John Lennon meets Yoko Ono's parents in Japan
1974 - 4th NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 15-13
1974 - 7th ABA All-Star Game: East 128 beats West 112 at Virginia
1974 - A college basketball game ends 210-67
1974 - Essex Comm College beats Englewood Cliffs 210-67 in basketball
1975 - 5th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 17-10
1975 - Terrence McNally's "Ritz," premieres in NYC
1976 - 29th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 7-5 at Phila
1977 - George H W Bush, ends term as 11th director of CIA
1977 - Mr Knoche, serves as acting director of CIA
1978 - Columbia Pictures pays $9.5 million for movie rights to "Annie"
Picture of a bust of late American President Jimmy Carter
On this day in 1980, American President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Olympics in Moscow set for later that year, and called for the Olympics to be moved from Moscow, in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In a letter to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and a television interview, U.S. President Jimmy Carter proposes that the 1980 Summer Olympics be moved from the planned host city, Moscow, if the Soviet Union failed to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within a month. The Iran Hostage Crisis ended on this day in 1981, just minutes after Ronald Reagan had taken the oath of office as president. Just after Reagan's inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. On November 4, 1979, the crisis began when militant Iranian students, utraged that the U.S. government had allowed the ousted shah of Iran to travel to New York City for medical treatment, seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran. The Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's political and religious leader, took over the hostage situation, refusing all appeals to release the hostages, even after the U.N. Security Council demanded an end to the crisis in an unanimous vote. However, two weeks after the storming of the embassy, the Ayatollah began to release all non-U.S. captives, and all female and minority Americans, citing these groups as among the people oppressed by the government of the United States. The remaining 52 captives remained at the mercy of the Ayatollah for the next 14 months. President Jimmy Carter was unable to diplomatically resolve the crisis, and on April 24, 1980, he ordered a disastrous rescue mission in which eight U.S. military personnel were killed and no hostages rescued. Three months later, the former shah died of cancer in Egypt, but the crisis continued. In November 1980, Carter lost the presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan. Soon after, with the assistance of Algerian intermediaries, successful negotiations began between the United States and Iran. On the day of Reagan's inauguration, the United States freed almost $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and the hostages were released after 444 days. The next day, Jimmy Carter flew to West Germany to greet the Americans on their way home.
1980 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne
Artist & Musician Yoko OnoArtist & Musician Yoko Ono 1980 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner
1980 - Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh Steelers beat LA Rams, 31-19 in Pasadena, MVP: Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh, QB
1981 - Adm Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret), ends term as 12th director of CIA
1981 - Frank C Carlucci, ends term as deputy director of CIA
1982 - 7 miners killed in an explosion in Craynor Ky
1982 - Honduras constitution goes into effect
1982 - Piet Dankert elected chairman of European Parliament
1984 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Rosalynn Sumners
1985 - Cold front strikes US, at least 40 die (-27°F (-33°C) in Chicago)
1985 - Super Bowl XIX: SF 49ers beat Miami Dolphins, 38-16 in Stanford Super Bowl MVP: Joe Montana, San Francisco, QB
1986 - 1st federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr
1986 - Chunnel announced (railroad tunnel under Canal)
Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr. 1986 - Milt coup in Lesotho under gen-mjr Lekhanya & premier Leabua Jonathan
1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite taken hostage in Beirut, Lebanon
1987 - Rhino Records 1st #1-Billy Vera & Beaters' "At This Moment"
1988 - Andre Hoffman skates world record 1500m (1:52.06)
1988 - Arizona committee opens hearing on impeachment of Gov Evan Mecham
1989 - George H W Bush inaugurated as 41st US President & Dan Quayle becomes 44th Vice President
1989 - Wayne Holdsworth takes a wicket 1st ball in 1st-class cricket
1989 - Reagan becomes 1st pres elected in a "0" year, since 1840, to leave office alive
1990 - 47th Golden Globes: Born on 4th of July, Driving Miss Daisy win
1990 - US 64th manned space mission STS 32 (Columbia 10) returns from space
1990 - Black January - crackdown of Azerbaijani pro-independence demonstrations by Soviet army in Baku.
1991 - "Black & Blue" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 829 performances
1991 - "Les Miserables," opens at Pantages Theatre, LA
1991 - "Peter Pan" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC or 45 performances
1991 - "Shogun - The Musical" closes at Marquis Theater NYC after 72 perfs
1991 - 13th UCP Telethon
1991 - Buffalo Bills beat LA Raiders 51-3 for AFC title
1991 - Jane Geddes wins LPGA Jamaica Golf Classic
1991 - US Patriot missiles begins shooting down Iraqi missiles
1991 - Matt Barr's field goal with no time left gives NY Giant 15-13 Victory over defending champs SF 49ers, for NFC title
1991 - Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.
1992 - Australia beat India 2-0 to win the World Series Cup
1992 - Score begins selling international soccer cards
1993 - Adm Studeman, serves as acting director of CIA
42nd US President Bill Clinton42nd US President Bill Clinton 1993 - Bill Clinton inaugurated as 42nd US President
1995 - "Love! Valor! Compassion!" opens at Walter Kerr NYC for 276 perfs
1995 - 1994-95 NHL Season begin after a lengthy strike
1995 - Russian ruble drops to 3,947 per dollar (record)
1996 - 46th NHL All-Star Game: East beat West 5-4 at Fleet Center Boston
1996 - Australia defeat Sri Lanka 2-0 to win World Series Cup
1996 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Michelle Kwan
1996 - WPAT FM NYC radio station switches to English-Spanish format
1997 - Comet Hale-Bopp crosses Mars' orbit
1997 - Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in New Orleans LA on KKND 106.7 FM
1997 - Pakistan defeat West Indies 2-0 to win Aust one-day Series
1998 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts Mama & Papas & Eagles
1998 - Warner Brothers TV Network begins Tueday night programming
American researchers announced that they had cloned calves that might be able to produce medicinal milk on this day in 1998. Also on this day in 1998 in Chile, a judge agreed to hear a lawsuit which accused Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet of genocide. In 1999 on this day, yhe China News Service announced that the Chinese government was tightening restrictions on internet use. The rules were aimed at Internet cafés in particular. On this day in 2000, Greece and Turkey signed five accords aimed to build confidence and ease tensions between the two nations.
2001 - Philippine president Joseph Estrada is ousted in the EDSA II Revolution and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
44th US President Barack Obama44th US President Barack Obama 2009 - Barack Obama, inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becomes the United States' first African-American president
2013 - Austria votes to maintain compulsory military service in a referendum
2013 - The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens win the NFC and AFC championship games to reach Super Bowl XLVII
1265 - The first English parliament met in Westminster Hall. 1801 - John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States. 1839 - Chile defeated a confederation of Peru and Bolivia in the Battle of Yungay. 1841 - The island of Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain. It returned to Chinese control in July 1997. 1885 - The roller coaster was patented by L.A. Thompson. 1886 - The Mersey Railway Tunnel was officially opened by the Prince of Wales. 1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base. 1891 - James Hogg took office as the first native-born governor of Texas. 1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School. 1929 - The movie "In Old Arizona" was released. The film was the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors. 1937 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to be inaugurated on January 20th. The 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution officially set the date for the swearing in of the President and Vice President. 1942 - Nazi officials held the Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews. 1944 - The British RAF dropped 2,300 tons of bombs on Berlin. 1952 - In Juarez, Mexico, Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter from the United States. 1953 - "Studio One" became the first television show to be transmitted from the United States to Canada. 1954 - The National Negro Network was formed on this date. Forty radio stations were charter members of the network. 1961 - Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller were divorced. They were married on June 29, 1956. 1972 - The number of unemployed in Britain exceeded 1 million. 1981 - Iran released 52 Americans that had been held hostage for 444 days. The hostages were flown to Algeria and then to a U.S. base in Wiesbaden, West Germany. The release occurred minutes after the U.S. presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. 1985 - The most-watched Super Bowl game in history was seen by an estimated 115.9 million people. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. Super Bowl XIX marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute. 1986 - The U.S. observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. 1986 - Britain and France announced their plans to build the Channel Tunnel. 1986 - New footage of the 1931 "Frankenstein" was found. The footage was originally deleted because it was considered to be too shocking. 1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon. He was there attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages. He was not freed until November 1991. 1994 - Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. Faulkner joined the cadet corps in August 1995 under court order but soon dropped out. 1996 - Yasser Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian Authority and his supporters won two thirds of the 80 seats in the Legislative Council. 1997 - Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his second term as president of the United States. 1998 - American researchers announced that they had cloned calves that may produce medicinal milk. 1998 - In Chile, a judge agreed to hear a lawsuit that accused Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet with genocide. 1999 - The China News Service announced that the Chinese government was tightening restrictions on internet use. The rules were aimed at 'Internet Bars.' 2000 - Greece and Turkey signed five accords aimed to build confidence between the two nations. 2002 - Michael Jordan (Washington Wizards) played his first game in Chicago as a visiting player. The Wizards beat the Bulls 77-69.
1265 - The first English parliament met in Westminster Hall. 1801 - John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States. 1839 - Chile defeated a confederation of Peru and Bolivia in the Battle of Yungay. 1841 - The island of Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain. It returned to Chinese control in July 1997. 1885 - The roller coaster was patented by L.A. Thompson. 1886 - The Mersey Railway Tunnel was officially opened by the Prince of Wales. 1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base. 1891 - James Hogg took office as the first native-born governor of Texas. 1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School. 1929 - The movie "In Old Arizona" was released. The film was the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors. 1937 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to be inaugurated on January 20th. The 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution officially set the date for the swearing in of the President and Vice President. 1942 - Nazi officials held the Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews. 1944 - The British RAF dropped 2,300 tons of bombs on Berlin. 1952 - In Juarez, Mexico, Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter from the United States. 1953 - "Studio One" became the first television show to be transmitted from the United States to Canada. 1954 - The National Negro Network was formed on this date. Forty radio stations were charter members of the network. 1961 - Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller were divorced. They were married on June 29, 1956. 1972 - The number of unemployed in Britain exceeded 1 million. 1981 - Iran released 52 Americans that had been held hostage for 444 days. The hostages were flown to Algeria and then to a U.S. base in Wiesbaden, West Germany. The release occurred minutes after the U.S. presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. 1985 - The most-watched Super Bowl game in history was seen by an estimated 115.9 million people. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. Super Bowl XIX marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute. 1986 - The U.S. observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. 1986 - Britain and France announced their plans to build the Channel Tunnel. 1986 - New footage of the 1931 "Frankenstein" was found. The footage was originally deleted because it was considered to be too shocking. 1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon. He was there attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages. He was not freed until November 1991. 1994 - Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. Faulkner joined the cadet corps in August 1995 under court order but soon dropped out. 1996 - Yasser Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian Authority and his supporters won two thirds of the 80 seats in the Legislative Council. 1997 - Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his second term as president of the United States. 1998 - American researchers announced that they had cloned calves that may produce medicinal milk. 1998 - In Chile, a judge agreed to hear a lawsuit that accused Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet with genocide. 1999 - The China News Service announced that the Chinese government was tightening restrictions on internet use. The rules were aimed at 'Internet Bars.' 2000 - Greece and Turkey signed five accords aimed to build confidence between the two nations. 2002 - Michael Jordan (Washington Wizards) played his first game in Chicago as a visiting player. The Wizards beat the Bulls 77-69.
1801 John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1841 As a result of the First Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to the British. 1942 The Nazis formulated their "Final Solution" regarding the Jews at the Wannsee Conference. 1964 The Beatles released their first album in the United States, Meet the Beatles. 1981 52 American hostages seized from the American Embassy in Tehran were released after 444 days in captivity. 1981 President Reagan became the oldest president to take office (69 years and 349 days). 1986 Martin Luther King, Jr., day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time. 2009 Hundreds of thousands of people watched in front of the Capitol as President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are sworn into office. Obama makes history as the first African-American U.S. president. 2012 Singer Etta James died less than a week before her 74th birthday. Read more: This Day in History: January 20 | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory#ixzz2qwUMgNJw
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jan20.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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