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This Day in HistoryJanuary 8
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1642
Galileo Galilei, referred to as the “father of modern astronomy”
and the “father of modern physics,” dies in Italy at age 77
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1790
President George Washington delivers the first-ever State of the
Union address to Congress in New York City
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1815
In the last major battle of the War of 1812, General Andrew
Jackson leads American troops to victory at the Battle of New
Orleans—the battle occurred 2 weeks after the treaty had been
signed that officially ended the war
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1918
In a meeting with Congress, President Woodrow Wilson outlines
the 14 Points, his plan for “lasting peace” after World War I
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1946
Even though he really wanted a rifle or a bicycle, Elvis
Presley’s mother gives him his 1st guitar for his 11th birthday
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1984 (or 1983 or 1982?)
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, the grandson of North
Korea’s first leader Kim Il Sung and the son of its second leader
Kim Jong Il, is born in Pyongyang, North Korea
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2000
Down by one point with seconds remaining, the Tennessee Titans
return a kickoff for a touchdown on a trick lateral play to defeat
the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in a playoff game dubbed the “Music City
Miracle”
Use this link to watch a video of the play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCJFmL4oxPE
1
2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCJFmL4oxPE
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2002
President George W. Bush signs the No Child Left Behind Act, an
education accountability law that would remain in effect until
2015
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2004
The Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built up to
that time, is christened by Queen Elizabeth II, granddaughter of
the ship’s namesake
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2008
Three weeks after being stolen from Brazil’s Sao Paulo Museum of
Art, Pablo Picasso’s Portrait of Suzanne Bloch, valued at $50
million, is recovered by Sao Paulo Police
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2011
6 people are killed and 13 are wounded, including U.S.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, when a deranged gunman opens fire
at a constituent meeting outside a supermarket in Tucson,
Arizona—Giffords is the wife of Senator Mark Kelly
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2013
Steve Nash, who played 10 of his 18 seasons with the Phoenix
Suns, records his 10,000th
assist—he would finish his career in 3rd place with 10,335
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2016
Six months after his escape from a maximum-security prison west
of Mexico City, Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán is
recaptured after a fierce gun battle
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2020
A Ukrainian International Airlines plane crashes near an airport
in Tehran, Iran, killing all 176 people on board
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2021
The final Jeopardy!Episode hosted by Alex Trebek airs
tonight—the show was taped before his death in November 2020
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2021
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, whose department has been
severely criticized for its flawed response to Wednesday’s riot,
resigned yesterday
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2021
U.S. Capitol PoliceOfficer Brian D.Sicknick died yesterday from
injuries sustained while defending the Capitol from rioters on
Wednesday
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2021
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned
yesterday,calling Wednesday’s riot a “traumatic and entirely
avoidable event” that “deeply troubled” her—she is the first member
of Trump’s cabinet to resign since the riot
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2021
U.S. Education SecretaryBetsy DeVos resignedyesterday,
criticizingPresident Trump for using rhetoric that encouraged the
violence at the Capitol—she is the second member of Trump’s cabinet
to resign since the riot
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2021
Yesterday, the FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information
leading to the arrest of those who planted pipe bombs in
Washington, DC, as a part of the riot on Wednesday—the FBI released
a photo of a suspect
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2021
Last month, Helen Viola Jackson, believed to be the last Civil
War widow, died in Marshfield, Missouri, at the age of 101—she
married 93-year-old former Union soldier James Bolin in 1936 at the
age of 17 (the Civil War ended in 1865)
