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HistoryJanuary 5, 2025

Today marks the anniversary of key historical events: the start of Golden Gate Bridge construction in 1933, the discovery of X-rays in 1896, and the premiere of "Waiting for Godot" in 1953.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic sits on a bench as he trains on a tennis court in Marbella, Spain, on Jan. 2, 2022. Djokovic held a practice session on Tuesday, Jan. 11, a day after he left immigration detention, focusing on defending his Australian Open. There were also new questions raised Tuesday over an immigration form, on which he said he had not traveled in the 14 days before his flight to Australia. The Monte Carlo-based athlete was seen in Spain and Serbia in that two-week period.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic sits on a bench as he trains on a tennis court in Marbella, Spain, on Jan. 2, 2022. Djokovic held a practice session on Tuesday, Jan. 11, a day after he left immigration detention, focusing on defending his Australian Open. There were also new questions raised Tuesday over an immigration form, on which he said he had not traveled in the 14 days before his flight to Australia. The Monte Carlo-based athlete was seen in Spain and Serbia in that two-week period. KMJ/GTRES via AP

Today is Sunday, Jan. 5, the fifth day of 2025. There are 360 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Jan. 5, 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge; the bridge was completed in May 1937.

Also on this date:

In 1896, an Austrian newspaper reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (RENT’-gun) of a new type of radiation that came to be called “X-rays.”

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In 1925, Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as America’s first female governor.

In 1953, Samuel Beckett’s two-act tragicomedy “Waiting for Godot,” considered a classic of the Theater of the Absurd, premiered in Paris.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed assistance to countries to help them resist Communist aggression in what became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.

In 1980, “Rapper’s Delight,” by The Sugarhill Gang, became the first hip-hop song to reach the Billboard Top 40.

In 2022, Australia denied entry to tennis star Novak Djokovic, who was seeking to play for a 10th Australian Open title later in the month; authorities canceled his visa upon his arrival in Melbourne because he failed to meet the requirements for an exemption to COVID-19 vaccination rules.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Robert Duvall is 94. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is 84. Actor Diane Keaton is 79. Actor Vinnie Jones is 60. TV personality Carrie Ann Inaba is 57. Rock singer Marilyn Manson is 56. Actor-filmmaker Bradley Cooper is 50. Actor January Jones is 47. Actor Mike Faist is 33. Actor Walker Scobell is 16.

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