January 8
1642 - Astronomer Galileo Galilei died in Arcetri, Italy.
1815 - The Battle of New Orleans, the final battle in the War of 1812, was fought with U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeating the British. (Those involved in the battle had not yet received word that a peace treaty ending the war had already been signed.)
1912 - The African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
1918 - President Woodrow Wilson outlined his post-World War I Fourteen Points peace program.
1918 - Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which established Prohibition.
1935 - Rock-n-roll icon Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
1958 - Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship for the first time, at age 14.
1959 - Charles de Gaulle became the first president of France's Fifth Republic.
1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his War on Poverty during his State of the Union address.
1973 - The Paris peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam resumed.
1982 - AT&T agreed to settle the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit by divesting itself of 22 Bell System companies and split itself into seven "Baby Bells": NYNEX, Pacific Telesis, Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Southwestern Bell, BellSouth and US West. (Four of those companies are now back under the AT&T company, two are now part of Verizon Communications and US West is now Lumen.)
1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 2,000 for the first time, ending the day at 2,002.25.
1997 - The state of Arkansas put three men to death in the second triple execution since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. (The first also occurred in Arkansas, in 1994.)
1998 - The mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Ramzi Yousef, was sentenced to life in prison.
2004 - A U.S. Black Hawk medivac helicopter crashed near Fallujah, Iraq, killing all nine soldiers aboard.
2007 - A Moroccan man convicted of aiding three of the four pilots who committed the 9/11 attacks was sentenced by a German court to the maximum 15 years in prison.
2011 - Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was among 17 people shot by a gunman at a meeting outside a grocery store in Tucson; six people were fatally wounded, including U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and a young girl. Police identified the gunman as Jared Lee Loughner. (Loughner was sentenced in 2012 to seven consecutive life sentences plus 140 years.)
2016 - Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the world's most-wanted drug lord, was captured for a third time in a daring raid by Mexican marines, six months after walking through a tunnel to freedom from a maximum security prison in a made-for-Hollywood escape that deeply embarrassed the government and strained ties with the United States.
2020 - Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran’s top military commander, firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attack. As Iran braced for a counterattack, the country’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner after apparently mistaking it for a missile; all 176 people on board were killed, including 82 Iranians and more than 50 Canadians.
2020 - South Korea said it had put a Chinese woman under isolated treatment amid concerns that she had brought back the virus that had sickened dozens in mainland China and Hong Kong.
2020 - Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, said they planned to “step back” as senior members of the royal family while balancing their time between the U.K. and North America.
Birthdays
25 - Isabel Bedoya (model)
26 - Ryan Destiny (singer)
34 - Freddie Stroma (actor)
34 - Cynthia Erivo (actress)
39 - Gaby Hoffman (actress)
40 - Genevieve Padalecki (actress)
41 - Rachel Nichols (actress)
42 - Sarah Polley (actress)
42 - Erin McCarley (singer)
43 - Scott Whyte (actor)
44 - Amber Benson (actress)
45 - Jenny Lewis (actress/singer)
46 - Tift Merritt (country singer)
48 - Donnell Turner (actor)
52 - Ami Dolenz (actress)
54 - R. Kelly (singer)
55 - Maria Pitillo (actress)
56 - Michelle Forbes (actress)
57 - Ron Sexsmith (singer)
63 - Rey Misterio Sr. (professional wrestler)
65 - Ron Cephas Jones (actor)
66 - Harriet Sansom Harris (actress)
76 - Kathleen Noone (actress)
79 - Yvette Mimieux (actress)
81 - Cristy Lane (singer)
83 - Bob Eubanks (game show host)
84 - Shirley Bassey (singer)
88 - Charles Osgood (news anchor)
98 - Larry Storch (actor/comedian)
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Today in Sports History - January 8
1901 - The first bowling tournament sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was held in Chicago.
1945 - The University of Kentucky men's basketball team sets an NCAA record by holding Arkansas State to just six points in a 75-6 win.
1955 - Furman sets a new single-game NCAA basketball scoring record with 155 points.
1955 - After 130 straight home basketball wins, Georgia Tech defeated Kentucky 59-58, the first home loss for the Wildcats since January 2, 1943.
1957 - Jackie Robinson announces his retirement from baseball.
1960 - The NCAA voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule in college football.
1962 - Future hall of famer Jack Nicklaus makes his PGA debut at the Los Angeles Open.
1972 - The NCAA announces freshman are eligible to play on teams starting that fall.
1980 - The NCAA announces it will begin sanctioning championships for women's athletics in five sports.
1984 - The NCAA announces the expansion of the Division I men's basketball tournament to 64 teams.
1984 - ABC television purchased the remaining 85% of ESPN.
1986 - Willie McCovey is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1991 - Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins and Rod Carew are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; Carew becomes the 22nd player elected to the Hall of his first try.
1993 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls became the 18th player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points; Jordan reached the mark in just his 620th game of his career, the second fastest to reach the milestone, behind only Wilt Chamberlain (499 games).
1994 - Dino Ciccarelli of the Detroit Red Wings became the 19th player in NHL history to score 500 career goals.
1995 - Mike Schmidt is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1996 - For the first time in 25 years, no one is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2000 - In the "Music City Miracle," the Tennessee Titans defeat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in the final 16 seconds with Kevin Dyson running the length of the field for a game-winning touchdown in their AFC wild card playoff game.
2007 - #2 Florida defeats #1 Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona.
2009 - #2 Florida defeats #1 Oklahoma 24-14 in Miami to win the BCS National Championship Game.
2012 - In "The 3:16 Game," the underdog Denver Broncos defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 with quarterback Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to win their AFC wild card playoff game.
2013 - Steve Nash of the Los Angeles Lakers records his 10,000th career assist, joining Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Mark Jackson as just the fifth player in NBA history to reach the milestone.
2018 - #4 Alabama defeats #3 Georgia 26-23 in overtime in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Atlanta; it was the fifth national championship for the Crimson Tide under coach Nick Saban in 10 seasons and Saban's sixth championship overall.
1642 - Astronomer Galileo Galilei died in Arcetri, Italy.
1815 - The Battle of New Orleans, the final battle in the War of 1812, was fought with U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeating the British. (Those involved in the battle had not yet received word that a peace treaty ending the war had already been signed.)
1912 - The African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
1918 - President Woodrow Wilson outlined his post-World War I Fourteen Points peace program.
1918 - Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which established Prohibition.
1935 - Rock-n-roll icon Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
1958 - Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship for the first time, at age 14.
1959 - Charles de Gaulle became the first president of France's Fifth Republic.
1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his War on Poverty during his State of the Union address.
1973 - The Paris peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam resumed.
1982 - AT&T agreed to settle the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit by divesting itself of 22 Bell System companies and split itself into seven "Baby Bells": NYNEX, Pacific Telesis, Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Southwestern Bell, BellSouth and US West. (Four of those companies are now back under the AT&T company, two are now part of Verizon Communications and US West is now Lumen.)
1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 2,000 for the first time, ending the day at 2,002.25.
1997 - The state of Arkansas put three men to death in the second triple execution since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. (The first also occurred in Arkansas, in 1994.)
1998 - The mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Ramzi Yousef, was sentenced to life in prison.
2004 - A U.S. Black Hawk medivac helicopter crashed near Fallujah, Iraq, killing all nine soldiers aboard.
2007 - A Moroccan man convicted of aiding three of the four pilots who committed the 9/11 attacks was sentenced by a German court to the maximum 15 years in prison.
2011 - Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was among 17 people shot by a gunman at a meeting outside a grocery store in Tucson; six people were fatally wounded, including U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and a young girl. Police identified the gunman as Jared Lee Loughner. (Loughner was sentenced in 2012 to seven consecutive life sentences plus 140 years.)
2016 - Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the world's most-wanted drug lord, was captured for a third time in a daring raid by Mexican marines, six months after walking through a tunnel to freedom from a maximum security prison in a made-for-Hollywood escape that deeply embarrassed the government and strained ties with the United States.
2020 - Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran’s top military commander, firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attack. As Iran braced for a counterattack, the country’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner after apparently mistaking it for a missile; all 176 people on board were killed, including 82 Iranians and more than 50 Canadians.
2020 - South Korea said it had put a Chinese woman under isolated treatment amid concerns that she had brought back the virus that had sickened dozens in mainland China and Hong Kong.
2020 - Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, said they planned to “step back” as senior members of the royal family while balancing their time between the U.K. and North America.
Birthdays
25 - Isabel Bedoya (model)
26 - Ryan Destiny (singer)
34 - Freddie Stroma (actor)
34 - Cynthia Erivo (actress)
39 - Gaby Hoffman (actress)
40 - Genevieve Padalecki (actress)
41 - Rachel Nichols (actress)
42 - Sarah Polley (actress)
42 - Erin McCarley (singer)
43 - Scott Whyte (actor)
44 - Amber Benson (actress)
45 - Jenny Lewis (actress/singer)
46 - Tift Merritt (country singer)
48 - Donnell Turner (actor)
52 - Ami Dolenz (actress)
54 - R. Kelly (singer)
55 - Maria Pitillo (actress)
56 - Michelle Forbes (actress)
57 - Ron Sexsmith (singer)
63 - Rey Misterio Sr. (professional wrestler)
65 - Ron Cephas Jones (actor)
66 - Harriet Sansom Harris (actress)
76 - Kathleen Noone (actress)
79 - Yvette Mimieux (actress)
81 - Cristy Lane (singer)
83 - Bob Eubanks (game show host)
84 - Shirley Bassey (singer)
88 - Charles Osgood (news anchor)
98 - Larry Storch (actor/comedian)
==============================================
Today in Sports History - January 8
1901 - The first bowling tournament sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was held in Chicago.
1945 - The University of Kentucky men's basketball team sets an NCAA record by holding Arkansas State to just six points in a 75-6 win.
1955 - Furman sets a new single-game NCAA basketball scoring record with 155 points.
1955 - After 130 straight home basketball wins, Georgia Tech defeated Kentucky 59-58, the first home loss for the Wildcats since January 2, 1943.
1957 - Jackie Robinson announces his retirement from baseball.
1960 - The NCAA voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule in college football.
1962 - Future hall of famer Jack Nicklaus makes his PGA debut at the Los Angeles Open.
1972 - The NCAA announces freshman are eligible to play on teams starting that fall.
1980 - The NCAA announces it will begin sanctioning championships for women's athletics in five sports.
1984 - The NCAA announces the expansion of the Division I men's basketball tournament to 64 teams.
1984 - ABC television purchased the remaining 85% of ESPN.
1986 - Willie McCovey is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1991 - Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins and Rod Carew are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; Carew becomes the 22nd player elected to the Hall of his first try.
1993 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls became the 18th player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points; Jordan reached the mark in just his 620th game of his career, the second fastest to reach the milestone, behind only Wilt Chamberlain (499 games).
1994 - Dino Ciccarelli of the Detroit Red Wings became the 19th player in NHL history to score 500 career goals.
1995 - Mike Schmidt is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1996 - For the first time in 25 years, no one is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2000 - In the "Music City Miracle," the Tennessee Titans defeat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in the final 16 seconds with Kevin Dyson running the length of the field for a game-winning touchdown in their AFC wild card playoff game.
2007 - #2 Florida defeats #1 Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona.
2009 - #2 Florida defeats #1 Oklahoma 24-14 in Miami to win the BCS National Championship Game.
2012 - In "The 3:16 Game," the underdog Denver Broncos defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 with quarterback Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to win their AFC wild card playoff game.
2013 - Steve Nash of the Los Angeles Lakers records his 10,000th career assist, joining Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Mark Jackson as just the fifth player in NBA history to reach the milestone.
2018 - #4 Alabama defeats #3 Georgia 26-23 in overtime in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Atlanta; it was the fifth national championship for the Crimson Tide under coach Nick Saban in 10 seasons and Saban's sixth championship overall.