Today in History: Jan. 22

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2025. There are 343 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion. (The court would overrule Roe v. Wade in 2022, in the decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.)

Also on this date:

In 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of more than 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy.

In 1947, America’s first commercially licensed television station west of the Mississippi, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, made its official debut.

In 1953, the Arthur Miller drama “The Crucible” opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.

In 1973, former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at his Texas ranch at the age of 64.

In 1998, Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, California, to being the Unabomber responsible for three deaths and 23 injuries in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole.

In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest single-game point total in NBA history, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

In 2008, actor Heath Ledger, age 28, was found dead of an accidental prescription overdose in a New York City apartment.

Today’s birthdays: Celebrity chef Graham Kerr (TV: “The Galloping Gourmet”) is 91. Singer Steve Perry is 76. Film director Jim Jarmusch is 72. Actor Linda Blair is 66. Actor Diane Lane is 60. DJ Jazzy Jeff is 60. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 57. Actor Olivia d’Abo is 56. Actor Gabriel Macht is 53. Actor Balthazar Getty is 50. Rapper Logic is 35. Actor Sami Gayle is 29. WNBA point guard Caitlin Clark is 23.