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 Today's
highlight in history:
On Jan. 30, 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals; although the Communists were beaten back, the offensive was seen as a major setback for the U.S. and its allies.
On this date:
In 1649, England's King Charles I was beheaded.
In 1882, the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Hyde Park, N.Y.
In 1883, James Ritty and John Birch received a U.S. patent for the first
cash register.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.
In 1933, the first episode of the "Lone Ranger" radio program was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit.
In 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed by a Hindu extremist.
In 1958, "Sunrise at Campobello," a play by Dore Schary about Franklin D. Roosevelt's struggle against polio, opened on Broadway with Ralph Bellamy as FDR.
In 1962, two members of "The Flying Wallendas" high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit.
In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
In 2005, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Robert McCartney, 33, was killed after intervening in a pub fight between Irish Republican Army members and a friend of his.
Ten years ago: An aviation pact was reached between Washington and Tokyo enabling American travelers to fly to Japan and other Asian points from several more U.S. cities.
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Five years ago: President Bush put allies on notice that diplomacy would give way to a decision on war with Iraq in "weeks, not months." Wary world leaders and congressional critics urged patience and demanded proof of Iraq's transgressions. Richard Reid, the British citizen and al-Qaida follower who had tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes, was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Boston.
One year ago: A propane tank explosion leveled the Little General Store in Ghent, W.Va., killing four people. Two gunmen shot and killed the wife of the Jackson County, Fla., sheriff and a deputy sent to check on her; other deputies opened fire and killed the assailants. Hollywood writer-producer and novelist Sidney Sheldon died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 89.
Today's birthdays: Comedian Dick Martin is 86. Actress Dorothy Malone is 83. Producer-director Harold Prince is 80. Actor Gene Hackman is 78. Actress Tammy Grimes is 74. Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 71. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 71. Country singer Norma Jean is 70. Vice President Dick Cheney is 67. Rock singer Marty Balin is 66. Rhythm-and-blues musician William King (The Commodores) is 59. Singer Phil Collins is 57. Actor Charles S. Dutton is 57. Actress-comedian Brett Butler is 50. Singer Jody Watley is 49. Country singer Tammy Cochran is 36. Actor Christian Bale is 34. Pop-rock singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is 28. Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 28. Actor Jake Thomas is 18.
Thought for today: "The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me."
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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