Today is Saturday, January 21st, the 21st day in 2023. There are 344 days left in the year.
Today’s historical highlights:
On January 21, 2010, the bitterly divided U.S. Supreme Court in its Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling frees big business and labor unions to spend millions directly to influence the presidential election. This has greatly increased their power to influence government decisions. and parliament.
Convicted of treason in 1793 during the French Revolution, Louis XVI was executed by guillotine.
In 1910, the rain-swollen Seine burst, flooding the French capital and starting the Great Flood of Paris.
In 1915, the first Kiwanis club was established in Detroit to specialize in community service.
In 1924, Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin died at the age of 53.
In 1942, pinball machines were banned in New York City (the ban was lifted in 1976) after a court ruled that they were gambling devices that depended on chance rather than skill.
In 1950, former State Department official Alger Hiss was accused of being part of a communist spy ring and found guilty of lying to a grand jury in New York. (His, who declared his innocence, served less than four years in prison.)
In 1976, British Airways and Air France launched scheduled passenger service with the supersonic Concorde jet.
In 1977, on his first day in office, President Jimmy Carter pardoned nearly all Vietnam War draft evaders.
In 2003, the Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had overtaken blacks to become America’s largest minority group.
In 2020, the United States reported the first known case of a new virus circulating in China, saying a Washington state resident who had returned the previous week from the epicenter of the outbreak was hospitalized near Seattle. . US officials stressed that they believe the overall risk of the virus to Americans remains low.
10 Years Ago: President Barack Obama publicly took the oath of office the day after he was sworn into his second term in a closed-door Sunday ceremony, acting with “passion and dedication” to a divided nation and championing equality and equality at home. Called to expand prosperity and foster democracy. Fight against the world and global warming. British filmmaker Michael Winner, 77, who produced his 30 films, including his three in the Death Wish series, has died in London.
Five years ago: Afghan security forces ended an overnight siege by Taliban militants at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. Among his 22 killed in the 13-hour attack were four American citizens. The Philadelphia Eagles beat Minnesota in the NFC title game, 38-7, and Jacksonville, who beat the Jaguars, 24-20, in the AFC title game. advanced to the bowl. (The Eagles go on to win their first Super Bowl.)
A year ago: Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva for about 90 minutes, but the two sides made no progress in negotiations aimed at deterring the feared Russian invasion of Ukraine. reported. The FBI said Brian Landry, the boyfriend of murdered cross-country traveler Gabby Petite, admitted to murdering her with a notebook found near his corpse in a swamp in Florida. Actor Louis Anderson died in Las Vegas at the age of 68.
Birthday today: World Golf Hall of Famer Jack Nicklaus is 83 years old. Opera singer and conductor Plácido Domingo is 82 years old. Actor Jill Eikenberry is 76 years old. Country His musician Jim Ibbotson is his 76th. Singer-songwriter Billy Ocean is 73 years old. Former US Ambassador to China Gary Locke Former US Attorney General Eric Holder is 72 years old. Actor and director Robbie Benson is 67 years old. Actor Geena Davis is 67 years old. Ross is 55 years old. Actor John Ducey is 54 years old. Actor Karina Lombard is 54 years old. Actor Ken Leung is 53 years old. Rock musician Mark Troyanovsky (Sister Hazel) is 53 years old. 50. Actor Vincent Laresca 49. Singer Emma Bunton (Spice Girls) 47. Actor Jerry Trainor 46. Country singer Phil Stacy 45. R&B singer Nokio 44. Actor Isabella Miko (MEE’-koh) 42. Actor Luke Grimes is 39 years old. Actor Feliz Ramirez is 31 years old.