Today in history: January 20 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 the British. 1942--The Nazis formulated their Final Solution regarding the Jews at the Wannsee Conference. 1964--The Beatles released their first album in the United States, Meet the Beatles. 1981--52 American hostages seized from the American Embassy in Tehran were released after 444 days in captivity. 1981--President Reagan became the oldest president to take office (69 years and 349 days). 1986--Martin Luther King, Jr., day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time. 2009--Hundreds of thousands of people watched in front of the Capitol as President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are sworn into office. Obama makes history as the first African-American U.S. president. 2012--Singer Etta James died less than a week before her 74th birthday. Read more: This Day in History: January 20 | Infoplease trib.al/YivRSRx
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 16:00:12 +0000