TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – JAN 19
379 Theodosius installed as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
1547 Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is executed in the Tower of London for treason
1793 King Louis XVI was tried by the French Convention, found guilty of treason and sentenced to the guillotine.
1825 Ezra Daggett and nephew Thomas Kensett patent food storage in tin cans
1883 The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey
1903 New bicycle race “Tour de France” announced
1915 World War I: 4 people in Norfolk are killed in the 1st German Zeppelin air raid attack on the United Kingdom
1915 The electric neon sign was patented in the United States by George Claude of Paris, France.
1923 UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Stanley Baldwin and US Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon agree to reschedule repayment of Britain’s $4.5 billion war debt over 62 years
1940 The Three Stooges film “You Nazty Spy!” about the Nazis released with the disclaimer “Any resemblance between the characters in this picture and any persons, living or dead, is a miracle.”
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.
1955 “Scrabble” debuts on board game market
1966 Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister of India.
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.
1977 US President Ford pardons Iva Toguri D’Aquino (Tokyo Rose)
1981 The U.S. and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months and for arrangements to unfreeze Iranian assets and to resolve all claims against Iran.
1984 California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia’s to starve herself to death in a public hospital
1987 Guy Hunt becomes Alabama’s 1st Republican governor since 1874
1989 President Reagan pardons George Steinbrenner for illegal funds for Nixon
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.
2001 President Clinton admitted he made false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky.
2006 The New Horizons probe is launched by NASA on the first mission to Pluto
2013 Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
