TODAY HISTORY LESSON: JANUARY 19
379 Theodosius installed as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
1523 In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli publishes his 67 Articles, the first manifesto of the Zurich Reformation which attacks the authority of the Pope.
1783 William Pitt becomes the youngest Prime Minister of England at age 24.
1812 Peninsular War: After a ten day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo
1847 New Mexico Governor Charles Bent is slain by Pueblo Indians in Taos.
1861 Georgia becomes 5th state to secede
1915 Georges Claude patents his neon discharge tube
1919 “Tidal wave” of molasses 15 meters high x 25 meters wide kills dozens, Boston
1937 Howard Hughes flies from Los Angeles to New York in seven hours and 22 minutes.
1942 Titus Brandsma (Carmelite priest) arrested by German occupiers for speaking out against Nazism as a “lie” and “pagan”
1949 The salary of the President of the United States was increased from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance for each year in office.
1953 Lucy Ricardo gave birth to baby Ricky on I Love Lucy. More people tuned in to watch the show than the inauguration of President Eisenhower.
1971 At the Charles Manson murder trial, the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” was played. At the scene of one of his gruesome murders, the words “helter skelter” were written on a mirror.
1981 The United States and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.
1983 Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia. Barbie was known as the “Butcher of Lyon”.
1984 California Supreme Court refuses to allow quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia to starve herself to death in a public hospital, she appeals and is later granted the right to die
1989 President Reagan pardons George Steinbrenner for illegal funds for Nixon
1992 Nature Boy Ric Flair becomes WWF champ at Royal Rumble
1996 U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury. The investigation was concerning the discovery of billing records related to the Whitewater real estate investment venture.
1997 Yasser Arafat returned to Hebron for the first time in 30 years, as Israel hands over control of the West Bank city to Palestinians.
2001 President Clinton admitted he made false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky.
2007 Turkish journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated. The murderer was a 17-year old Turkish nationalist who disagreed with Dink’s view on the Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
2013 Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
REFERENCE: history.net, onthisday.com, thepeopleshistory.com, timeanddate.com, scopesys.com, on-this-day.com
