Today in History - January 2nd


  • 1788 - Today in history, Georgia was the 4th state to ratify the Constitution of the US. 
  • 1842 - The first suspension bridge was inaugurated in PA. 
  • 1872 - On this day in history, Brigham Young, the elderly head of the Mormon Church, was arrested on a charge of bigamy because he had 25 wives. 
  • 1879 - Thomas Edison began construction on a generator which would be his first. 
  • 1890 - Today in history, Alice Sanger became the first female employee in the White House. 
  • 1893 - The first commemorative postage stamps were released. 
  • 1900 - On this day in history, Secretary of State John Hay announced the Open Door Policy with China. The Policy was intended to prompt trade between the two nations.
  • 1929 - The US and Canada reached an agreement to preserve Niagara Falls. 
  • 1960 - Today in history, Senator John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for the presidency in the Democratic Party. 
  • 1968 - Fidel Castro announced gasoline and sugar restrictions in Cuba. 
  • 1971 - On this day in history in the US, a federal ban on television cigarette advertisements was observed for the first time.
  • 1974 - President Richard M. Nixon signed a bill requiring states to lower the maximum speed limit to 55 MPH. The law was intended to conserve gasoline during the oil embargo imposed on the US by Arabic nations.
  • 1991 - Today in history, Sharon Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC. She was the first black woman to head a prominent city. 

SPORTS - Today in History, January 2nd

  • 1965 - Joe Namath signed the most expensive beginner contract ($400,000) in the history of pro football.

MUSIC HISTORY - Today in History, January 2nd

  • 1941 - Today in history, The Andrews Sisters recorded "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." 
  • 1968 - Newark, NJ police confiscated a shipment of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album "Two Virgins," which sported a nude cover.
  • 1975 - On this day in history, Judge Richard Owen ruled that John Lennon and his lawyers will have access to Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case. 
  • 1979 - The trial of ex-Sex Pistol Sid Vicious for the murder of his girlfriend opened in New York City. Vicious died of an overdose before the verdict was pronounced. 

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS - January 2nd

  • Cuba Gooding, Jr. 1968 
  • Christy Turlington 1969