Today in History - January 22nd


  • 1666 - On this day in history, Shah Jahan, the Mongul emperor of India that built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife, died at 74.
  • 1889 - The Columbia Phonograph Company was formed in Washington, DC. 
  • 1895 - Today in history, The National Association of Manufacturers was organized in Cincinnati.
  • 1901 - Queen Victoria of England died after reigning for nearly 64 years. Edward VII, her son, followed here to the throne. 
  • 1917 - On this day in history, President Wilson called for "peace without victory" as an end to the war in Europe. America entered the war only months later.
  • 1938 - "Our Town," by Thornton Wilder, was performed publicly for the first time. 
  • 1951 - Today in history, Fidel Castro was ejected from a Winter League baseball game after hitting a batter. 
  • 1953 - "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller opened on Broadway. 
  • 1962 - On this day in history, Cuba's membership in the Organization of American States came to an end. 
  • 1968 - "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" debuted on NBC. 
  • 1970 - Today in history, the first scheduled commercial flight of the Boeing 747 began in New York City and ended in London, having taken a little over 6 hours.
  • 1973 - The Supreme Court shattered state laws that had been restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. The case Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion. 
  • 1984 - On this day in history, Apple introduced the Macintosh during Super Bowl XVIII. The Macintosh was to revolutionize desktop publishing in the 20th century. 
  • 1987 - Phil Donahue became the first talk show host to tape a show from inside the Soviet Union.
  • 1997 - Today in history, The Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the first female secretary of state in the USA. 
  • 1998 - Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role as the Unabomber.
  • 2002 - On this day in history, lawyers suing Enron Corp. asked a court to prevent further shredding of documents due to the pending federal investigation. 
  • 2002 - Marc Chagall's work "Study for Over Vitebsk" was found at a postal installation in KS, having been stolen a year before form the Jewish Museum in New York City.

SCIENCE, DISCOVERIES, PATENTS - Today in History, January 22nd

  • 2003 - Today in history, it was reported that scientists in China had found the fossilized remains of a dinosaur with feathered wings. 

SPORTS - Today in History, January 22nd

  • 1961 - Wilma Rudolph set a world indoor record in the women's 60-yard dash.
  • 1973 - On this day in history, Joe Frazier lost the first fight of his professional career to George Foreman.
  • 1983 - Bjorn Borg retired from tennis. He had set a record by winning 5 consecutive Wimbledons. 

MUSIC HISTORY - Today in History, January 22nd

  • 1960 -Today in history, Sam Cooke signed a deal with RCA Records. 
  • 1966 - The Beach Boys recorded "Wouldn't It Be Nice."
  • 1971 - On this day in history, the film "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" starring Joe Cocker debuted in London.
  • 1981 - A picture of a nude John Lennon appeared the issue of Rolling Stone which ran his obituary.
  • 1990 - Today in history, Guns 'N' Roses guitarist Slash used profanity  on live television while accepting an American Music Award.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS - January 22nd

  • Lord (George) Byron 1788 
  • Linda Blair 1959 
  • Diane Lane 1965