January 251504 - The English Parliament passed statutes against retainers and liveries to curb private warfare. 1533 - England's King Henry VIII secretly married his second wife Anne Boleyn. Boleyn later gave birth to Elizabeth I. 1579 - The Treaty of Utrecht was signed marking the beginning of the Dutch Republic. 1799 - Eliakim Spooner patented the seeding machine. 1858 - Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March" was presented for the first time at the wedding of the daughter of Queen Victoria and the Crown Prince of Prussia. 1870 - G.D. Dows patented the ornamental soda fountain. 1881 - Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and others signed an agreement to organize the Oriental Telephone Company. 1890 - The United Mine Workers of America was founded. 1915 - In New York, Alexander Graham Bell spoke to his assistant in San Francisco, inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service. 1924 - The 1st Winter Olympic Games were inaugurated in Chamonix in the French Alps. 1937 - NBC radio presented the first broadcast of "The Guiding Light." The show remained on radio until 1956 and began on CBS-TV in 1952. 1945 - Richard Tucker debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City in the production of "La Gioconda". 1946 - The United Mine Workers rejoined the American Federation of Labor. 1949 - The first Emmys were presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club. 1950 - A federal jury in New York City found former State Department official Alger Hiss guilty of perjury. 1959 - In the U.S., American Airlines had the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707. 1961 - John F. Kennedy presented the first live presidential news conference from Washington, DC. The event was carried on radio and television. 1964 - Nike was founded. The company was originally named Blue Ribbon Sports. 1971 - Maj. Gen. Idi Amin led a coup that deposed Milton Obote and became president of Uganda. 1981 - The 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States and were reunited with their families. 1987 - The New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in Super Bowl XXI on NBC. The game featured TV commercials cost $550,000 for 30 seconds. 1998 - The Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos had lost 3 previous Super Bowl appearances with quarterback John Elway. 1999 - In Louisville, KY, man received the first hand transplant in the United States. 2010 - In Arlington, TX, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame had its grand opening. 2011 - A revolution began in Egypt with the demonstrations that demanded the end of President Hosni Mubarak's rule. |