Today in History

Today is Sunday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2023. There are 336 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 29, 1936, the first inductees of baseball’s Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, New York.

On this date:

In 1820, King George III died at Windsor Castle at age 81; he was succeeded by his son, who became King George IV.

In 1919, the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which launched Prohibition, was certified by Acting Secretary of State Frank L. Polk.

In 1929, The Seeing Eye, a New Jersey-based school which trains guide dogs to assist the blind, was incorporated by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank.

In 1963, the first charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio (they were enshrined when the Hall opened in September 1963). Poet Robert Frost died in Boston at age 88.

In 1964, Stanley Kubrick’s nuclear war satire “Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” premiered in New York, Toronto and London.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping (dung shah-oh-ping) to the White House, following the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan announced in a nationally broadcast message that he and Vice President George H.W. Bush would seek reelection in the fall.

In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win five Super Bowl titles, beating the San Diego Chargers, 49-26, in Super Bowl XXIX.

In 1998, a bomb rocked an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing security guard Robert Sanderson and critically injuring nurse Emily Lyons. (The bomber, Eric Rudolph, was captured in May 2003 and is serving a life sentence.)

In 2002, in his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said terrorists were still threatening America — and he warned of “an axis of evil” consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

In 2007, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized because of medical complications eight months after his gruesome breakdown at the Preakness.

In 2020, world health officials expressed concern that the coronavirus was starting to spread between people outside China. A charter flight evacuating 195 Americans, including diplomats and their families, left the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new viral outbreak.

Ten years ago: BP PLC closed the book on the Justice Department’s criminal probe of its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and Gulf of Mexico oil spill, with a U.S. judge agreeing to let the London-based oil giant plead guilty to manslaughter charges for the deaths of 11 rig workers and pay a record $4 billion in penalties. The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama’s choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, 94-3.

Five years ago: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a target of frequent criticism and accusations of bias from President Donald Trump, abruptly stepped down from his position ahead of his planned retirement in the spring. The Cleveland Indians announced that they would remove the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms in the coming baseball season, after decades of protests and complaints that the grinning, red-faced caricature was racist.

One year ago: A winter storm lashed the Northeast with deep snow and wind gusts near hurricane force, causing coastal flooding and widespread power outages. Ash Barty won the Australian Open women’s final in straight sets against Danielle Collins to end a 44-year drought for Aussies at their home Grand Slam tournament. Actor Howard Hesseman, who played a radio DJ on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” and a teacher on “Head of the Class,” died in Los Angeles at 81.

Today’s birthdays: Feminist author Germaine Greer is 84. Actor Katharine Ross is 83. Feminist author Robin Morgan is 82. Actor Tom Selleck is 78. R&B singer Bettye LaVette is 77. Actor Marc Singer is 75. Actor Ann Jillian is 73. Rock musician Louie Perez (Los Lobos) is 70. R&B singer Charlie Wilson is 70. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 69. Actor Terry Kinney is 69. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 67. Actor Diane Delano is 66. Actor Judy Norton (TV: “The Waltons”) is 65. Rock musician Johnny Spampinato is 64. Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis is 63. Rock musician David Baynton-Power (James) is 62. Rock musician Eddie Jackson (Queensryche) is 62. Actor Nicholas Turturro is 61. Rock singer-musician Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) is 59. Actor-director Edward Burns is 55. Actor Sam Trammell is 54. Actor Heather Graham is 53. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is 53. Actor Sharif Atkins is 48. Actor Sara Gilbert is 48. Actor Kelly Packard is 48. Actor Justin Hartley is 46. Actor Sam Jaeger is 46. Writer and TV personality Jedediah Bila is 44. Actor Andrew Keegan is 44. Actor Jason James Richter is 43. Blues musician Jonny Lang is 42. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert (TV: “American Idol”) is 41. Country singer Eric Paslay is 40.

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