This day in history

[January 20, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2009. There are 345 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 20, 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

On this date:

In 1801, Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President John Adams to be chief justice of the United States. (He was sworn in on Feb. 4, 1801.)

In 1841, the island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. (It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.)

In 1887, the U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

In 1936, Britain's King George V died (his demise having been hastened by his physician); he was succeeded by Edward VIII.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.

In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Jews.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for an unprecedented fourth term.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman was sworn in for a second term of office. In his inaugural address, Truman branded communism a "false philosophy" as he outlined his program for U.S. world leadership.

In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States; Spiro Agnew took the oath of vice president.

In 1989, George H.W. Bush was sworn in as the 41st president of the United States; Dan Quayle took the oath of vice president.

Ten years ago: For a second day, President Bill Clinton's legal team argued its case before the Senate, saying that House-passed articles of impeachment were "flawed and unfair."

Five years ago: President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address, asserted that America was strengthening its economy and successfully combatting terrorism. Dick Gephardt quit the Democratic presidential race. Martha Stewart's stock-trading trial formally began in New York. (Stewart ended up serving a five-month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale.) The Salvation Army announced a donation likely to exceed $1.5 billion from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder.

One year ago: The Los Angeles Times announced its top editor, James O'Shea, had been fired after he rejected a management order to cut $4 million from the newsroom budget, 14 months after his predecessor was also ousted in a budget dispute. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was sworn in for a second term. The New England Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sent them back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons. The New York Giants won a 23-20 overtime victory over Green Bay in the NFC championship.

Today's birthdays: Country singer Slim Whitman is 85. Actress Patricia Neal is 83. Comedian Arte Johnson is 80. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 79. Actress Dorothy Provine is 72. Singer Eric Stewart is 64. Movie director David Lynch is 63. Actor Daniel Benzali is 59. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 57. Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 57. Comedian Bill Maher is 53. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 51. Actor James Denton ("Desperate Housewives") is 46. Rock musician Greg K. (The Offspring) is 44. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 44. Actor Rainn Wilson ("The Office") is 43. Actress Stacey Dash is 42. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 41. Singer Xavier is 41. Singer Edwin McCain is 39. Actor Skeet Ulrich is 39. Rap musician ?uestlove (questlove) (The Roots) is 38. Rock musician Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) is 30. Actor Evan Peters is 22.

Thought for today: "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." -- Alexis de Tocqueville, French author (1805-1859)

[Associated Press]

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