January 20
1265 - England’s first representative Parliament met for the first time.
1801 - John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1841 - As a result of the First Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain.
1885 - LaMarcus A. Thompson of Coney Island patented the roller coaster.
1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
1936 - Britain's King George V died.
1937 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.
1942 - During World War II the Nazis formulated their "Final Solution" regarding exterminating Europe's Jews at the Wannsee Conference.
1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in as the nation's 34th president.
1961 - John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States.
1964 - The Beatles released their first album in the United States, Meet the Beatles.
1981 - Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the oldest president to take office (69 years, 349 days) and the nation's 40th president.
1981 - Iran released 52 Americans that had been held hostage for 444 days, just minutes after the U.S. presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
1986 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.
1993 - Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.
1994 - Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. (Faulkner joined the cadet corps in Aug. 1995 under court order but soon dropped out, citing isolation and stress from the legal battle.)
2001 - George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States.
2009 - Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's first African-American president and the 44th president of the United States.
2011 - Federal authorities orchestrated one of the biggest Mafia takedowns in FBI history, charging 127 suspected mobsters and associates in the Northeast with murders, extortion and other crimes spanning decades.
2017 - Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States; Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade.
2020 - Chinese government experts confirmed human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus, saying two people caught the virus from family members and that some health workers had tested positive.
Birthdays
30 - Ciara Hanna (actress)
32 - Nick Foles (football player)
32 - Dena Kaplan (actress)
34 - Evan Peters (actor)
36 - Brantley Gilbert (country singer)
37 - Bonnie McKee (singer)
39 - Joe Swash (actor)
49 - Nikki Haley (politician)
51 - Edwin McCain (singer)
52 - Reno Wilson (actor)
54 - Kellyanne Conway (political adviser)
54 - Stacey Dash (actress)
55 - Rainn Wilson (actor)
56 - John Michael Montgomery (country singer)
58 - James Denton (actor)
63 - Lorenzo Lamas (actor)
65 - Bill Maher (comedian/TV host)
69 - Ian Hill (musician)
71 - Daniel Benzali (actor)
76 - Eric Stewart (singer)
91 - Buzz Aldrin (astronaut)
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Today in Sports History - January 20
1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School.
1968 - Houston ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak with a 71-69 victory at the Astrodome before 52,693 fans. The game also set a NCAA attendance record.
1980 - President Jimmy Carter announces the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow.
1980 - The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Pasadena to win Super Bowl XIV. Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw is named MVP.
1985 - The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins in Palo Alto, California 38-16 to win Super Bowl XIX. 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was named MVP.
1995 - The NHL season opened with the teams playing a 48-game schedule instead of the usual 84. The season had been shortened due to a players strike.
1999 - The NBA lockout officially ended after 204 days.
2003 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first NHL goalie to play in 1,000 games.
2016 - Kathryn Smith was promoted by the Buffalo Bills to take over as special teams quality control coach, making her the NFL’s first full-time female coach.
2019 - The Los Angeles Rams defeat the New Orleans Saints 26-23 in overtime and the New England Patriots defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl.
1265 - England’s first representative Parliament met for the first time.
1801 - John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1841 - As a result of the First Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain.
1885 - LaMarcus A. Thompson of Coney Island patented the roller coaster.
1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
1936 - Britain's King George V died.
1937 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.
1942 - During World War II the Nazis formulated their "Final Solution" regarding exterminating Europe's Jews at the Wannsee Conference.
1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in as the nation's 34th president.
1961 - John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States.
1964 - The Beatles released their first album in the United States, Meet the Beatles.
1981 - Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the oldest president to take office (69 years, 349 days) and the nation's 40th president.
1981 - Iran released 52 Americans that had been held hostage for 444 days, just minutes after the U.S. presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
1986 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.
1993 - Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.
1994 - Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. (Faulkner joined the cadet corps in Aug. 1995 under court order but soon dropped out, citing isolation and stress from the legal battle.)
2001 - George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States.
2009 - Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's first African-American president and the 44th president of the United States.
2011 - Federal authorities orchestrated one of the biggest Mafia takedowns in FBI history, charging 127 suspected mobsters and associates in the Northeast with murders, extortion and other crimes spanning decades.
2017 - Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States; Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade.
2020 - Chinese government experts confirmed human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus, saying two people caught the virus from family members and that some health workers had tested positive.
Birthdays
30 - Ciara Hanna (actress)
32 - Nick Foles (football player)
32 - Dena Kaplan (actress)
34 - Evan Peters (actor)
36 - Brantley Gilbert (country singer)
37 - Bonnie McKee (singer)
39 - Joe Swash (actor)
49 - Nikki Haley (politician)
51 - Edwin McCain (singer)
52 - Reno Wilson (actor)
54 - Kellyanne Conway (political adviser)
54 - Stacey Dash (actress)
55 - Rainn Wilson (actor)
56 - John Michael Montgomery (country singer)
58 - James Denton (actor)
63 - Lorenzo Lamas (actor)
65 - Bill Maher (comedian/TV host)
69 - Ian Hill (musician)
71 - Daniel Benzali (actor)
76 - Eric Stewart (singer)
91 - Buzz Aldrin (astronaut)
==========================================
Today in Sports History - January 20
1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School.
1968 - Houston ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak with a 71-69 victory at the Astrodome before 52,693 fans. The game also set a NCAA attendance record.
1980 - President Jimmy Carter announces the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow.
1980 - The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Pasadena to win Super Bowl XIV. Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw is named MVP.
1985 - The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins in Palo Alto, California 38-16 to win Super Bowl XIX. 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was named MVP.
1995 - The NHL season opened with the teams playing a 48-game schedule instead of the usual 84. The season had been shortened due to a players strike.
1999 - The NBA lockout officially ended after 204 days.
2003 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first NHL goalie to play in 1,000 games.
2016 - Kathryn Smith was promoted by the Buffalo Bills to take over as special teams quality control coach, making her the NFL’s first full-time female coach.
2019 - The Los Angeles Rams defeat the New Orleans Saints 26-23 in overtime and the New England Patriots defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl.