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Today in History: January 1

1 Origin of the Christian Era

404 Last gladiator competition in Rome

1586 Sir Francis Drake launches a surprise attack on the heavily fortified city of Santo Domingo in Hispanola.

1788 The Times, London's oldest running newspaper, publishes its first edition.

1808 A U.S. law banning the import of slaves comes into effect, but is widely ignored.

1824 The Camp Street Theatre opens as the first English-language playhouse in New Orleans.

1863 Confederate General Braxton Bragg and Union General William Rosecrans readjust their troops as the Battle of Murfreesboro continues.

1891 Facilities opened on Ellis Island, New York, to cope with the vast flood of immigrants coming into the United States.

1915 The German submarine U-24 sinks the British battleship Formidable in the English Channel.

1918 The first gasoline pipeline begins operation. Along the 40 miles and three inches of pipe from Salt Creek to Casper, Wyoming.

1937 At a party at the Hormel Mansion in Minnesota, a guest wins $100 for naming a new canned meat--Spam.

2019 Millions of women create a 300 mile 'Women's Wall' across state of Kerala, India, in support of women's access to temple of Sabarimala

2020 Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

Born on January 1

1735 Paul Revere, U.S. patriot.

1752 Betsy Ross, flag maker.

1895 J. Edgar Hoover, founding director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

JOKE of the Day

A little boy and his grandfather are raking leaves.

The boy sees a worm trying to crawl into an anthill. "I bet fifty bucks that I can get that worm into that anthill!" says the boy. "Your on," says the grandfather. "That worm is too wiggly."
The boy runs into the house, comes back with a can of hairspray, and sprays it on the worm until the worm is as straight and stiff as a board. The old man pays his grandson fifty dollars.
At dinner time, the man gives the boy another fifty dollars. "I though you already gave me my fifty bucks!" says the boy. "I did," says the grandfather. "This is from your granny."?