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 Today's
highlight in history:
On Jan. 18, 1912, English explorer Robert F. Scott and his expedition reached the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it. (Scott and his party perished during the return trip.)
On this date:
In 1778, English navigator Capt. James Cook reached the Hawaiian Islands, which he dubbed the "Sandwich Islands."
In 1862, the 10th president of the United States, John Tyler, died in Richmond, Va., at age 71.
In 1871, William I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor in Versailles, France.
In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference, held to negotiate peace treaties ending World War I, opened in Versailles, France.
In 1936, author Rudyard Kipling died in Burwash, England.
In 1943, a wartime ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread in the U.S. - aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts
- went into effect.
In 1943, during World War II, the Soviets announced they had broken through the long Nazi siege of Leningrad (it was another year before the siege was fully lifted).
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, Mass., of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. (Sentenced to life, DeSalvo was killed in prison in 1973.)
In 1990, a jury in Los Angeles acquitted former preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child molestation charges.
Ten years ago: Pope John Paul II named 22 new cardinals, including Archbishop Francis Eugene George of Chicago and James Francis Stafford, the former archbishop of Denver. The motion picture "Titanic" won four Golden Globes, including best drama and best director for James Cameron; "Ally McBeal" beat out "Seinfeld" as the best TV comedy.
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Five years ago: Top U.N. officials warned Iraq it was running out of time to cooperate and avoid war. Protesters nationwide and overseas demonstrated in opposition to possible war in Iraq. Michelle Kwan won her sixth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championships title and seventh overall; Michael Weiss won his third U.S. men's title.
One year ago: Truck driver Tyrone Williams was spared the death penalty and sentenced in Houston to life in prison for his role in the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants crammed in a sweltering tractor-trailer. The heated controversy at ABC's top show, "Grey's Anatomy," boiled over as the network rebuked co-star Isaiah Washington for an anti-gay comment and Washington issued a lengthy apology.
Today's birthdays: Movie director John Boorman is 75. Singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 67. Comedian-singer-musician Brett Hudson is 55. Actor-director Kevin Costner is 53. Country singer Mark Collie is 52. Actress Jane Horrocks is 44. Comedian Dave Attell is 43. Actor Jesse L. Martin ("Law & Order") is 39. Rapper DJ Quik is 38. Rock singer Jonathan Davis (Korn) is 37. Singer Christian Burns (BBMak) is 35. Actor Derek Richardson is 32. Actor Jason Segel is 28. Actress Samantha Mumba is 25.
Thought for today: "Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears."
-- Rudyard Kipling, British author and poet (1865-1936)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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