Today in History

1072
Robert Guiscard and his brother Roger take Palermo in Sicily.
1645
The Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, is beheaded on Tower Hill, accused of acting as an enemy of the British Parliament.
1724
King Philip V shocks all of Europe when he abdicates his throne in favor of his eldest son, Louis.
1811
An uprising of over 400 slaves is put down in New Orleans. Sixty-six blacks are killed and their heads are strung up along the roads of the city.
1847
General Stephen Kearny and Commodore Robert Stockton retake Los Angeles in the last California battle of the Mexican War.
1861
Florida secedes from the Union.
1863
London's Underground begins operations.
1870
John D. Rockefeller and his brother William establish the Standard Oil Company of Ohio.
1899
Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo renounces the Treaty of Paris, which annexed the Philippines to the United States.
1901
The Automobile Club of America installs signs on major highways.

1903
Argentina bans the importation of American beef because of sanitation problems.
1911
Two German cruisers, the Emden and the Nurnberg, suppress a native revolt on island of Ponape in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific when they fire on the island and land troops.
1912
The world's first flying-boat airplane, designed by Glenn Curtiss, makes its maiden flight at Hammondsport.
1917
Germany is rebuked as the Entente officially rejects a proposal for peace talks and demands the return of occupied territories from Germany.
1918
In Washington, the House of Representatives passes legislation for women's suffrage.

1920
The Treaty of Versailles goes into effect.
1923
The United States withdraws its last troops from Germany.
1940
German planes attack 12 ships off the British coast; sinking 3 ships and killing 35 people.
1941
The Soviets and Germany agree on the East European borders and the exchange of industrial equipment.
1946
Chiang Kai-shek and the Yenan Communist forces halt fighting in China.

1964
Panama breaks ties with the U.S. and demands a revision of the canal treaty.
1984
The United States and the Vatican establish full diplomatic relations for the first time in 117 years.
1985
Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes President of Nicaragua, vowing to continue the country's transformation to a socialist state with close ties to the USSR and Cuba.
2007
A general strike begins in Guinea; eventually, it will lead to the resignation of the country's president, Lansana Conte.
Today in History: Born on January 10
1834

Lord Acton [John E.E. Dalberg], English historian, editor of The Rambler.
1864

George Washington Carver, chemist, agronomist, helped change the agricultural economy of the South.
1945

Rod Stewart, singer, songwriter ("Maggie May," "Tonight's the Night").
1949

George Foreman, world heavyweight champion boxer.
1949

Linda Lovelace (Linda Boreman), pornographic actress made famous by the movie Deep Throat, she later became an anti-pornography activist.
1072
Robert Guiscard and his brother Roger take Palermo in Sicily.
1645
The Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, is beheaded on Tower Hill, accused of acting as an enemy of the British Parliament.
1724
King Philip V shocks all of Europe when he abdicates his throne in favor of his eldest son, Louis.
1811
An uprising of over 400 slaves is put down in New Orleans. Sixty-six blacks are killed and their heads are strung up along the roads of the city.
1847
General Stephen Kearny and Commodore Robert Stockton retake Los Angeles in the last California battle of the Mexican War.
1861
Florida secedes from the Union.
1863
London's Underground begins operations.
1870
John D. Rockefeller and his brother William establish the Standard Oil Company of Ohio.
1899
Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo renounces the Treaty of Paris, which annexed the Philippines to the United States.
1901
The Automobile Club of America installs signs on major highways.

1903
Argentina bans the importation of American beef because of sanitation problems.
1911
Two German cruisers, the Emden and the Nurnberg, suppress a native revolt on island of Ponape in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific when they fire on the island and land troops.
1912
The world's first flying-boat airplane, designed by Glenn Curtiss, makes its maiden flight at Hammondsport.
1917
Germany is rebuked as the Entente officially rejects a proposal for peace talks and demands the return of occupied territories from Germany.
1918
In Washington, the House of Representatives passes legislation for women's suffrage.

1920
The Treaty of Versailles goes into effect.
1923
The United States withdraws its last troops from Germany.
1940
German planes attack 12 ships off the British coast; sinking 3 ships and killing 35 people.
1941
The Soviets and Germany agree on the East European borders and the exchange of industrial equipment.
1946
Chiang Kai-shek and the Yenan Communist forces halt fighting in China.

1964
Panama breaks ties with the U.S. and demands a revision of the canal treaty.
1984
The United States and the Vatican establish full diplomatic relations for the first time in 117 years.
1985
Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes President of Nicaragua, vowing to continue the country's transformation to a socialist state with close ties to the USSR and Cuba.
2007
A general strike begins in Guinea; eventually, it will lead to the resignation of the country's president, Lansana Conte.

Joke of the Day

“The other day I held the door open for a clown. I thought it was a nice jester.”