January 20th throughout history...

I know the big story for today is the Inauguration of President Elect Obama. The country is excited, and it would seem that the entire world is excited.

Well, January 20 has had a lot going on throughout the years - here's what I found with a quick little search of the wonderful vehicle called the Internet... I love the internet!


On this date in:

1801 John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.

1841 Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain.

1887 The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

1896 Comedian George Burns was born Nathan Birnbaum in New York City.

1920 Movie director Federico Fellini was born in Rimini, Italy.

1936 Britain's King George V died.

1961 John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States.

1981 Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days.

1986 The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

1986 Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel.

1987 Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.

1989 George H.W. Bush took the oath of office as the 41st U.S. president.

"Read my lips. I won't eat broccoli"

1993 Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.

1993 Actress Audrey Hepburn died at age 63.

2001 George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd president of the United States.

2001 Hundreds of thousands of protesting Filipinos forced President Joseph Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as the new president.

2004 The Salvation Army announced it had received a $1.5 billion donation from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.

Well, as interesting as all these things are, I am off to watch the Inauguration - this is history in the making, and I want to be able to tell my grandkids all about it!

Rock on with your bad self,

H