This day in history

[February 04, 2010]  Today is Monday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2010. There are 354 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Jan. 11, 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began an 18-hour trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., that made her the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.

On this date:

In 1805, the Michigan Territory was created by an act of Congress.

In 1815, Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1861, Alabama seceded from the Union.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon National Monument (it became a national park in 1919).

In 1913, the first sedan-type automobile, a Hudson, went on display at the 13th National Automobile Show in New York.

In 1942, Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

In 1943, the United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report that said smoking may be hazardous to one's health.

In 1977, France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a PLO official behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 1995, 52 people were killed when a Colombian airliner crashed as it was preparing to land near the Caribbean resort of Cartagena -- however, a 9-year-old girl, Erika Delgado, survived.

Ten years ago: Whittling away more of the federal government's power over states, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that state employees cannot go into federal court to sue over age discrimination. Carlton Fisk and Tony Perez were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush nominated federal judge Michael Chertoff to be homeland security chief, succeeding Tom Ridge. Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi publicly acknowledged for the first time that parts of Iraq probably wouldn't be safe enough for people to vote in upcoming elections. James Griffin, founding member of the 1970s pop group Bread, died in Franklin, Tenn., at 61.

One year ago: In a rare Sunday session, the Senate advanced legislation that would set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness. A passenger ferry sank in a storm off Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing some 230 people. The movie "Slumdog Millionaire" won four Golden Globes, including best drama; the late Heath Ledger won best supporting actor for "The Dark Knight" while Kate Winslet received two acting awards for "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader." Theater and movie director Tom O'Horgan died in Venice, Fla., at 84.

Today's birthdays: Producer Grant Tinker is 85. Producer David L. Wolper is 82. Actor Rod Taylor is 80. Composer Mary Rodgers is 79. The former prime minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, is 76. Actor Mitchell Ryan is 76. Actor Felix Silla is 73. Rock musician Clarence Clemons (E Street Band) is 68. Movie director Joel Zwick is 68. Country singer Naomi Judd is 64. Golfer Ben Crenshaw is 58. Singer Robert Earl Keen is 54. Musician Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) is 52. Actress Kim Coles is 48. Actor Jason Connery is 47. Contemporary Christian musician Jim Bryson (MercyMe) is 42. Rock musician Tom Dumont (No Doubt) is 42. R&B singer Maxee Maxwell (Brownstone) is 41. Movie director Malcolm D. Lee is 40. Singer Mary J. Blige is 39. Musician Tom Rowlands (The Chemical Brothers) is 39. Actor Marc Blucas is 38. Actress Amanda Peet is 38. Actor Rockmond Dunbar is 37. Reality TV star Jason Wahler ("Laguna Beach"; "The Hills") is 23.

Thought for today: "The essence of taste is suitability. Divest the word of its prim and priggish implications, and see how it expresses the mysterious demand of the eye and mind for symmetry, harmony and order." -- Edith Wharton, American author (1862-1937)

[Associated Press]

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