Today In History

Today in History: Thursday, January  19, 2017
AP Highlight in History:
On Jan. 19, 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister of India.

AP Photo

On this date in:
1736 James Watt, inventor of the steam engine, was born in Scotland.
1807 Robert E. Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies, was born in Stratford, Va.
1809 Author Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston.

AP Photo

1861 Georgia seceded from the Union.
1943 Rock singer Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas.
1944 The federal government relinquished control of the nation’s railroads after settling a wage dispute.
1955 A presidential news conference was filmed for TV for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1979 Former Attorney General John Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months in federal prison for Watergate-related crimes.
1981 The United States and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.
2001 In a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years.
2006 An unmanned NASA spacecraft blasted off on a 3 billion-mile journey to Pluto.
2010 In a major upset, Republican Scott Brown captured the U.S. Senate seat held by liberal champion Edward Kennedy for nearly half a century as he defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election.
Today’s Birthdays:
Country singer-actress Dolly Parton turns 71 years old today.

AP Photo/Charles Sykes

Name Profession Age
Fritz Weaver Actor 91
Tippi Hedren Actress (“The Birds”) 87
Robert MacNeil Journalist 86
Michael Crawford Actor, singer 75
Dan Reeves Football coach 73
Ann Compton Broadcast journalist 70
Paula Deen TV chef 70
Desi Arnaz Jr. Actor 64
Paul Rodriguez Comedian 62
Stefan Edberg Tennis Hall of Famer 51
Trey Lorenz R&B singer 48
Drea de Matteo Actress (“The Sopranos”) 45
Frank Caliendo Comedian, impressionist 43
Jodie Sweetin Actress (“Full House”) 35
Shawn Johnson Gymnast 25
Actress Katey Sagal turns 63 years old today.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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