This day in history

[January 23, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Friday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2009. There are 342 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 23, 1968, North Korea seized the Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, charging its crew with being on a spying mission. (The crew was released 11 months later.)

On this date:

In 1789, Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1943, critic Alexander Woollcott suffered a fatal heart attack during a live broadcast of the CBS radio program "People's Platform."

In 1950, the Israeli Knesset approved a resolution affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In 1964, the 24th amendment to the Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified.

In 1973, President Richard M. Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War.

In 1989, surrealist artist Salvador Dali died in his native Figueres, Spain, at age 84.

In 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was abducted in Karachi, Pakistan, by a group demanding the return of prisoners from the Afghan campaign; he was later slain.

In 2005, former "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson died in Malibu, Calif., at age 79.

Ten years ago: A federal judge ordered Monica Lewinsky to submit to an interview sought by House prosecutors in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. During his visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II urged his flock in the Americas to make the region a "continent of life."

Five years ago: The Illinois Supreme Court upheld former Gov. George Ryan's powers to commute sentences, keeping 32 spared inmates off death row. The enduring situation comedy "Friends" filmed its final episode in front of an invitation-only audience. Bob Keeshan, TV's "Captain Kangaroo," died in Windsor, Vt., at age 76.

One year ago: Tens of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt from Gaza after Palestinian militants used land mines to breach a barrier dividing the border town of Rafah. French Open winner Michael Chang was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and IMG creator Mark McCormack and Tennis Week magazine founder Eugene Scott were selected posthumously.

Today's birthdays: Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., is 85. Actress Jeanne Moreau is 81. Actress Chita Rivera is 76. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 75. Actor Gil Gerard is 66. Actor Rutger Hauer is 65. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jerry Lawson (The Persuasions) is 65. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., is 62. Singer Anita Pointer is 61. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 59. Rock musician Bill Cunningham is 59. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 56. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 52. Singer Anita Baker is 51. Reggae musician Earl Falconer (UB40) is 50. Actress Gail O'Grady is 46. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Nelson is 38. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 35. Rock musician Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie) is 34.

Thought for today: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." -- Proverbs 17:22

[Associated Press]

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