Today in History

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency.

On this date:

In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1811, Sen. Timothy Pickering, a Federalist from Massachusetts, became the first member of the U.S. Senate to be censured after he'd improperly revealed the contents of an executive document.

In 1929, the United States and Canada reached agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.

In 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.

In 1967, Republican Ronald Reagan took the oath of office as the new governor of California in a ceremony that took place in Sacramento shortly just after midnight.

In 1971, 66 people were killed in a pileup of spectators leaving a soccer match at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 miles an hour as a way of conserving gasoline in the face of an OPEC oil embargo. (The 55 mph limit was effectively phased out in 1987; federal speed limits were abolished in 1995.)

In 2007, the state funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford began with an elaborate service at Washington National Cathedral, then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In 2015, California began issuing driver's licenses to immigrants who were in the country illegally. Little Jimmy Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter who was the oldest cast member of the Grand Ole Opry, died at age 94.

In 2016, a heavily armed group led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, beginning a 41-day standoff to protest the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of setting fires on public land and to demand the federal government turn over public lands to local control.

In 2018, Sen. Al Franken formally resigned from the Senate a month after the Minnesota Democrat announced his plan to leave Congress amid a series of sexual misconduct allegations. NBC News announced that Hoda Kotb would be the co-anchor of the first two hours of the "Today" show, replacing Matt Lauer following his firing due to sexual misconduct allegations.

Ten years ago: The Justice Department opened a full criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA videotapes of the interrogation of two al-Qaida suspects. (A special prosecutor later cleared the CIA's former top clandestine officer and others.) Oil prices soared to $100 a barrel for the first time. Late-night talk shows returned to the air two months into a writers strike. (David Letterman and Craig Ferguson had reached agreements to allow writers to work on their shows; Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel returned without theirs.)

Five years ago: The United Nations gave a grim new count of the human cost of Syria's civil war, saying the death toll had exceeded 60,000 in 21 months. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton left a New York hospital, three days after doctors discovered a blood clot in her head. No. 22 Louisville toppled No. 4 Florida, 33-23, in the Sugar Bowl.

One year ago: Twitter said it had banned the personal account of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of the platform's COVID-19 misinformation policy. The tracking service FlightAware said more than 2,600 U.S. flights were canceled, on top of the more than 2,700 flights canceled a day earlier, as wintry weather combined with the pandemic to frustrate air travelers trying to return home after the holidays.

Today's Birthdays: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is 81. TV host Jack Hanna is 76. Actor Wendy Phillips is 71. Actor Cynthia Sikes is 69. Actor Gabrielle Carteris is 62. Movie director Todd Haynes is 62. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher David Cone is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez is 60. Actor Tia Carrere is 56. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 55. Model Christy Turlington is 54. Actor Taye Diggs is 52. Actor Renee Elise Goldsberry is 52. Rock singer Doug Robb (Hoobastank) is 48. Actor Dax Shepard is 48. Actor Paz Vega is 47. Ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff (TV: "Dancing with the Stars") is 45. Rock musician Jerry DePizzo Jr. (O.A.R.) is 44. R&B singer Kelton Kessee (IMX) is 42. Pop singer-musician Ryan Merchant (Capital Cities) is 42. Actor Kate Bosworth is 40. Actor Anthony Carrigan is 40. Actor Peter Gadiot is 38. Jazz singer-musician Trombone Shorty is 37. Singer-songwriter Mandy Harvey (TV: "America's Got Talent") is 35. R&B singer-rapper Bryson Tiller is 30. San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is 24.