This day in history

[January 10, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2009. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 10, 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, "Common Sense."

On this date:

In 1810, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, divorced his wife, Josephine.

In 1861, Florida seceded from the Union.

In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.

In 1957, Harold Macmillan became prime minister of Britain, following the resignation of Anthony Eden.

In 1967, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.

In 1978, the Soviet Union launched two cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz 27 capsule for a rendezvous with the Salyut 6 space laboratory.

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.

In 1989, Cuba began withdrawing its troops from Angola, more than 13 years after its first contingents arrived.

Ten years ago: Republicans and Democrats disagreed over whether to call witnesses in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, with Republicans pressing to hear testimony from Monica Lewinsky and others, and Democrats saying such testimony could unnecessarily prolong the proceedings.

Five years ago: North Korea said it had shown its "nuclear deterrent" to an unofficial U.S. delegation that visited the disputed Yongbyon nuclear complex. Michelle Kwan won her seventh straight title and eighth overall at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Atlanta; Johnny Weir skated to his first men's title. Actor-writer Spalding Gray, 62, vanished from his New York apartment (his body was found two months later in the East River). Novelist Alexandra Ripley died in Richmond, Va., at age 70.

One year ago: The United States on Thursday lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over an incident in which Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf. President George W. Bush, visiting Israel and the Palestinian West Bank, said a Mideast peace pact would require "painful political concessions by both sides." John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Barack Obama's White House bid. Maila Nurmi, whose "Vampira" TV persona pioneered the spooky-yet-sexy Goth aesthetic, died in Los Angeles at age 85.

Today's birthdays: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 74. Blues artist Eddy Clearwater is 74. Rock singer-musician Ronnie Hawkins is 74. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie McCovey is 71. Singer Scott McKenzie is 70. Movie director Walter Hill is 69. Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 65. Singer Rod Stewart is 64. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 61. Actor William Sanderson is 61. Boxer George Foreman is 60. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 58. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 57. Singer Pat Benatar is 56. Rock musician Michael Schenker is 54. Singer Shawn Colvin is 53. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 50. Actor Evan Handler is 48. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 45. Actress Trini Alvarado is 42. Rock musician Matt Roberts (3 Doors Down) is 31. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 31. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 30. Actress Sarah Shahi is 29.

Thought for today: "Sex is the Tabasco sauce which an adolescent national palate sprinkles on every course in the menu." -- Mary Day Winn, American writer (1888-1965)

[Associated Press]

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