Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Jan. 18, the 18th day of 2016. There are 348 days left in the year. This is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 18, 1911, the first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely brought his Curtiss biplane in for a safe landing on the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Harbor.

On this date:

In 1778, English navigator Captain James Cook reached the present-day Hawaiian Islands, which he named the "Sandwich Islands."

In 1862, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, died in Richmond, Virginia, at age 71, shortly before he could take his seat as an elected member of the Confederate Congress.

In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference, held to negotiate peace treaties ending the First World War, opened in Versailles, France.

In 1936, Nobel Prize-winning author Rudyard Kipling, 70, died in London.

In 1943, during World War II, Jewish insurgents in the Warsaw Ghetto launched their initial armed resistance against Nazi troops, who eventually succeeded in crushing the rebellion. A U.S. ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread -- aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts -- went into effect.

In 1957, a trio of B-52's completed the first non-stop, round-the-world flight by jet planes, landing at March Air Force Base in California after more than 45 hours aloft.

In 1967, Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Massachusetts, of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. (Sentenced to life, DeSalvo was killed in prison in 1973.)

In 1970, David Oman McKay, the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at the age of 96.

In 1988, a China Southwest Airlines Ilyushin 18 crashed while on approach to Chongqing Airport, killing all 108 people on board.

In 1993, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 states for the first time.

In 1996, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson filed for divorce from Michael Jackson.

In 2001, President Bill Clinton, in a farewell from the Oval Office, told the nation that America had "done well" during his presidency, with record-breaking prosperity and a cleaner environment.

Ten years ago: The Supreme Court gave New Hampshire a chance to salvage its restrictions on abortion, reaffirming that states can require parental involvement in abortion decisions but also ordering a lower court to fix problems with New Hampshire's 2003 notification law. (New Hampshire ended up repealing the never-implemented law in 2007; a new law was enacted in 2012.) Knicks forward Antonio Davis climbed into the stands during a game because he believed his wife was involved in an altercation with a Bulls fan; Davis was ejected without a scuffle during New York's 106-104 overtime loss at Chicago. (He was suspended for five games.)

Five years ago: Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington for a four-day state visit; President Barack Obama welcomed him with a private dinner in the White House residence. The first director of the Peace Corps, R. Sargent Shriver, died in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 95.

One year ago: Pope Francis ended his Asian pilgrimage with an appeal for the future of the Catholic Church, urging an estimated 3 million rain-soaked Filipinos to protect their young from sin and vice so they can instead become missionaries of the faith. Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown 3:19 into overtime to lift the Seattle Seahawks to an improbable 28-22 victory over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. In the AFC, Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount ran in three more to lead the New England Patriots into the Super Bowl with a 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director John Boorman is 83. Former Sen. Paul Kirk, D-Mass., is 78. Singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 75. Comedian-singer-musician Brett Hudson is 63. Actor-director Kevin Costner is 61. Country singer Mark Collie is 60. Actor Mark Rylance is 56. Actress Alison Arngrim (TV: "Little House on the Prairie") is 54. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is 53. Actress Jane Horrocks is 52. Comedian Dave Attell is 51. Actor Jesse L. Martin is 47. Rapper DJ Quik is 46. Rock singer Jonathan Davis (Korn) is 45. Former NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous is 43. Singer Christian Burns (BBMak) is 42. Actor Derek Richardson is 40. Actor Jason Segel is 36. Actress Samantha Mumba is 33. Country singer Kristy Lee Cook (TV: "American Idol") is 321. Actress Devin Kelley is 30. Actor Mateus Ward is 17.

Thought for Today: "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." -- John Milton, English poet (1608-1674).

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