This day in history

[January 17, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2011. There are 348 days left in the year. This is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address, in which he warned: "We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

On this date:

In 1562, French Protestants were recognized under the Edict of St. Germain.

In 1893, the 19th president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, died in Fremont, Ohio, at age 70. Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown as a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Lili'uokalani (lee-LEE'-oo-oh-kah-LAH'-nee) to abdicate.

In 1917, the United States paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.

In 1945, Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.

In 1950, the Great Brink's Robbery took place as seven masked men held up a Brink's garage in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders. (Although the entire 11-member gang was later caught, only part of the loot was recovered.)

In 1971, the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.

In 1989, five children were shot to death at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by a drifter, Patrick Purdy, who then killed himself.

In 1994, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 72 people.

In 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of Kobe (koh-bay), Japan.

Ten years ago: Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people; Gov. Gray Davis signed an emergency order authorizing the state to buy power.

Five years ago: The U.S. Supreme Court protected Oregon's assisted-suicide law, ruling that doctors there who helped terminally ill patients die could not be arrested under federal drug laws. Hostage American reporter Jill Carroll appeared in a silent 20-second video aired by Al-Jazeera television, which said her abductors had given the United States 72 hours to free female prisoners in Iraq or she would be killed. (Carroll was freed unharmed on March 30, 2006.) California executed convicted killer Clarence Ray Allen a day after his 76th birthday.

One year ago: President Barack Obama appeared at a rally in Boston for Democratic senatorial candidate Martha Coakley, who was running in a special election. (Coakley ended up losing to Republican Scott Brown.) Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to a Rome synagogue, where he and Jewish leaders sparred over the World War II-era record of Pope Pius XII. Erich Segal, author of the best-selling novel "Love Story," died in London at age 72. At the Golden Globes, top honors went to James Cameron's "Avatar" as well as the TV series "Glee" and "Mad Men."

Today's birthdays: Actress Betty White is 89. Former Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach is 89. Former FCC chairman Newton N. Minow is 85. Hairdresser Vidal Sassoon is 83. Actor James Earl Jones is 80. Talk show host Maury Povich is 72. International Boxing Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali is 69. Pop singer Chris Montez is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer William Hart (The Delfonics) is 66. Rock musician Mick Taylor is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sheila Hutchinson (The Emotions) is 58. Singer Steve Earle is 56. Singer Paul Young is 55. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 54. Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 52. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 49. First Lady Michelle Obama is 47. Actor Joshua Malina is 45. Singer Shabba Ranks is 45. Rock musician Jon Wysocki (Staind) is 43. Actor Naveen Andrews is 42. Rapper Kid Rock is 40. Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 36. Actress Zooey Deschanel is 31. Singer Ray J is 30. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 29.

Thought for today: "If there is one basic element in our Constitution, it is civilian control of the military." -- President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972)

[Associated Press]

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