2015 Pope Francis appoints 20 new cardinals from a diverse array of nations, including Vietnam, New Zealand, Ethiopia, Tonga, Mexico, Myanmar, Uruguay, France and Thailand; three-fourths of the cardinals will have authority to vote on a papal successor 2014 Record-low temperatures are expected in the U.S. due to a 'polar vortex'; forecasters anticipate this tunnel of cold air funneling all the way from the North Pole to the U.S. could bring temperatures as low as 15 degrees in Chicago and 25 below zero in Fargo, North Dakota A deteriorating security situation prompts the evacuation of Americans from its embassy in South Sudan 2013 After pleading guilty to a U.S. case of tax evasion, Wegelin and Co., the oldest bank in Switzerland, closes; the bank faces a fine of $57.8 million A rare television interview appearance is made by Juan Carlos I, the King of Spain; the interview coincides with celebrations of his 75th birthday 2012 Vice-President of Argentina Amado Boudou assumes temporary power as President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has surgery for thyroid cancer U.S. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney wins the 2012 Iowa Caucus by 8 votes over Rick Santorum 2011 The United Kingdom raises its value-added tax to 20% from 17.5%, its highest rate ever In Canada, Kathryn Gray becomes the youngest person to ever discover a supernova; she is ten years old 2010 Maylasia's Islamic morality police capture 52 unmarried couples in hotel rooms, charging them with sexual misconduct and possible imprisonment 2007 Nancy Pelosi is elected Speaker of the House, by a vote of 233-202 2006 Ehud Olmert becomes Prime Minister of Israel after Ariel Sharon suffers a stroke 1998 "Funny Thing Happened," closes at St. James New York City after 715 perform "Ivanov," closes at Vivian Beaumont Theater New York City after 51 performances "Triumph of Love," closes at Royale Theater New York City 1996 "Father" opens at Criterion Theater New York City for 52 performances 1995 Newt Gingrich becomes speaker of the House 1994 10th largest wrestling crowd (58,000-Tokyo Dome) 1993 7th largest wrestling crowd (63,500-Tokyo Dome) 1992 8th largest wrestling crowd (60,000-Tokyo Dome) 1991 AT&T workers in Newark accidentally snap a cable Fu Mingxia, 12, of China wins World Swimming Championships gold medal Iraq agrees to send Aziz to Geneva to meet Baker on Jan 9th Jan Krzystof Bielecki becomes premier of Poland 1989 Comet Tempel 1 at perihelion U.S. F-14s shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean Vice President Bush is 1st since Vice President Van Buren to declare himself president 1987 16 die in a train crash in Chase Md 1986 David Boon's second Test century, 131 vs. India at Adelaide NCAA basketball's David Robinson blocks a record 14 shots 1984 "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson premieres on NBC TV Edmonton beats Minnesota 12-8 highest-scoring modern NHL game 1983 U.S. Football League holds its 1st player draft 1982 Bryant Gumbel became co-host of NBC's "Today Show" Chris Wallace becomes co-anchor of the Today Show Golden Gate Bridge closed for 3rd time by fierce storm ABC Direction Network (57 affiliates) and ABC Rock Network (40 affiliates) become the 5th and 6th ABC radio network 1981 "Frankenstein" opens and closes on Broadway "Peter Pan" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City after 578 performances 69th Australian Mens Tennis: B Teacher beats Kim Warwick (75 76 63) British police arrest Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper" 1980 President Carter announces U.S. boycott of Moscow Olympics 1977 Mary Shane hired by Chicago White Sox as 1st woman TV play-by-play 1976 "Candide" closes at Broadway Theater New York City after 740 performances "Home Sweet Homer" opens and closes at Palace Theater New York City 1975 "Good News" closes at St. James Theater New York City after 16 performances "Gypsy" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 120 performances "Over Here" closes at Shubert Theater New York City after 341 performances Ford Executive Order on CIA Activities within the U.S. (No 11828) Ice thickness measured at 4776 m, Wilkes Land, Antarctica Montreal Canadiens shutout Washington Capitals 10-0 1974 Nixon refuses to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee 1971 Congressional Black Caucus organizes Dr. Melvin H Evans inaugurated as 1st elected governor of Virgin Is Philadelphia's Veteran Stadium dedicated 1970 Beatles last recording session at EMI studios New York City transit fare rises from 20 cents to 30 cents, new larger tokens used Walter Cronkite ends hosting weekly documentary 1969 "Fig Leaves Are Falling" closes at Broadhurst New York City after 4 performances France begins arms embargo against Israel 1968 Duck hunter accidentally shoots endangered whooping crane in Texas Leo Fender sells Fender Guitars for $13 million 1966 Doug Walters scores second Test century in his second Test WFLD TV channel 32 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting 1965 Lyndon Baines Johnson's "Great Society" State of the Union Address 1963 Soviet Luna (4) reaches Earth orbit but fails to reach Moon 1962 1st automated (unmanned) subway train (New York City) 1961 Longest recorded strike ends-33 yrs-Danish barbers' assistants 1960 European Free Trade Association forms in Stockholm 1959 Luna 1, Mechta, becomes 1st craft to leave Earth's gravity 1958 Sputnik 1 reenters atmosphere and burns up 1957 "Blondie" situation comedy premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS) Dodgers buy 44 passenger twin-engine airplane for $775,000 1954 Elvis Presley records a 10 minute demo in Nashville Soap Opera "The Brighter Day" premieres 1953 KTSM TV channel 9 in El Paso, Texas (NBC) begins broadcasting 1951 During Korean conflict, Chinese forces capture Seoul 1948 Burma declares independence from UK 1947 "Park Avenue" closes at Shubert Theater New York City after 72 performances "Show Boat" closes at Ziegfeld Theater New York City after 417 performances 1945 Germans execute resistance fighters in Amsterdam U.S. jeep-aircraft carrier Ommaney Bay sinks after kamikaze attack 1943 Thomas Mann completes his tetralogy, "Joseph and His Brothers" 1942 NFL Pro Bowl: Chi Bears beats NFL All-Stars 35-24 Premier Churchill and General Marshall fly to Florida Rogers Hornsby is 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame 1941 Resistance fighters counter d'Estienne d'Orves/Jan Doornik, 1st meet Sergey Rachmaninov's "Symphonie Dances," premieres in Philadelphia 1939 Frieda Wunderlich elected 1st woman dean of a U.S. graduate school Hermann Goering appoints Reinhard Heydrich head of Jewish Emigration 1936 Billboard magazine publishes its 1st music hit parade Grimmett becomes world record wicket taker with no 190 vs. South Africa 1935 Bob Hope 1st heard on network radio as part of "The Intimate Revue" Fort Jefferson National Monument in Florida established 1934 1st Dutch talkie movie, Jan Teunissen's "Willem of Orange," premieres 1932 Bradman scores 167 for Australia vs. South Africa at the MCG British East Indies Viceroy Willingdon arrests Gandhi and Nehru State of siege proclaimed in Honduras 1926 Theodorus Pangalos resigns as Greek dictator 1925 French psychologist Emil Coue brings his self-esteem therapy to U.S. "Every day in every way I am getting better and better" 1923 1st broadcast of "Barn Dance Show" (WBAP - Ft. Worth Texas) Lenin's "Political Testament" calls for removal of Stalin 1921 Eugene O'Neill's "Diff'rent," premieres in New York City 1920 Amsterdam actors decide to strike for retirement benefits 1915 1st elected Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho Trans-Caucausus Russian defeat Turkish troops 1912 Smallest earth-moon distance this century, 356,375 km center-to-ctr 1907 George Bernard Shaw's "Don Juan in Hell," premieres in London 1906 South Africa beat England by one wicket, their 1st Test win 1904 Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 beat Winnipeg Rowing Club, 2 games to 1 Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US 1902 Hugh Trumble takes a hat-trick vs. England at the MCG 1898 1st installment of William Dean Howell's "Life and Letters" appears 1896 AFL charters Actors' National Protective Union, New York City Following Mormon abandonment of polygamy, Utah admitted as 45th state 1894 France ratifies Duple Alliance with Russia 1893 U.S. President Cleveland grants amnesty to Mormon polygamy 1887 Thomas Stevens is 1st man to bicycle around the world (SF-SF) 1885 Dr. W W Grant of Iowa, performs 1st appendectomy (on Mary Gartside, 22) 1884 Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario) 1883 Ontario Rugby Football Union (forerunner of CFL) forms 1881 Johannes Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture" premieres, Breslau 1863 4 wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of NY 1862 Battle of Helena, AK Romney Campaign-Stonewall Jackson occupies Bath 1861 President Buchanan appoints a fast on account of threatened succession U.S. Ft. Morgan, Mobile, seized by Alabama 1843 Gaetano Donizetti's opera "Don Pasquale," premieres in Paris Royal Academy (Technical Hague court) Delft opens 1790 President Washington delivers 1st State of the Union address 1781 Andre Mechain discovers M80 (globular cluster in Scorpio) 1780 Snowstorm hit Washington's army at Morristown, New Jersey 1762 England declares war on Spain and Naples 1754 Columbia University founded, as Kings College (New York City) 1725 Benjamin Franklin arrives in London 1717 Netherlands, England and France sign Triple Alliance 1642 King Charles I with 400 soldiers attacks the English parliament 1570 Spanish viceroy Alva banishes Zutphen City's only physician, Joost Sweiter, "because he is a Jew" 1519 1st Altenburger sermon (Luther and Karl von Miltitz) 1493 Columbus left new world on return from 1st voyage 1357 Flemish earl Louis and Luxembourg Duke Wenceslaus sign peace treaty 871 Battle at Reading: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army 274 St. Eutychian begins his reign as Catholic Pope
