Today in History - January 9th


  • 1558 - On this day in history, Geneva gained independence from Berne canton in Switzerland.
  • 1788 - Connecticut became the 5th state in the United States.
  • 1793 - Today in history, Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon flight in the United States. 
  • 1799 - British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduced income tax. 
  • 1848 - On this day in history, the first commercial bank was established in the USA (San Francisco). 
  • 1861 - The state of Mississippi separated from the United States. 
  • 1894 - Today in history, The New England Telephone and Telegraph Company put the first battery-run switchboard to use. 
  • 1902 - New York State introduced a bill to prohibit flirting in public. 
  • 1924 - On this day in history, Virginia Woolf was born in London to a father also known in the literary world.
  • 1936 - The US Army adopted the semi-automatic rifle. 
  • 1940 - Today in history, Television was used for the first time to broadcast a sales meeting in New York City. 
  • 1951 - The UN headquarters opened in New York City.
  • 1958 - On this day in history, Toyota and Datsun vehicles make their first appearances in the United States at a car show in California. 
  • 1968 - America's last and most sophisticated unmanned moon probe landed. 
  • 1969 - Today in history, the supersonic Concorde made its first flight. 
  • 1972 - The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth was destroyed by fire.
  • 1986 - On this day in history, Kodak was taken to court by the Polaroid Company for patent infringement.
  • 1998- The decapitated head of Danish Little Mermaid was returned.
  • 2002 - Today in history, The United States Justice Department announced that it was pursuing a criminal investigation of Enron.
  • 2006 - Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • 2007 - On this day in history, Apple Computer unveiled the legendary iPhone.

SPORTS - Today in History, January 9th

  • 1988 - U.S. Male Figure Skating championship was won by Brian Boitano.
  • 1991- Today in history, Baseball officially banned Pete Rose from The Hall of Fame.

MUSIC HISTORY - Today in History, January 9th

  • 1973 - Mick Jagger was refused a Japanese visa because of a 1969 drug bust, which halted the Stones' tour of the Orient.
  • 1992 - On this day in history, Sting made an appearance on the series "The Simpsons."

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS - January 9th

  • George Balanchine 1904 
  • Simone de Beauvoir 1908 
  • Richard Nixon 1913
  • Fernando Lamas 1915 
  • Joan Baez 1941