On This Day in History - January 22nd - Almanac

Today is Sunday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2017 with 343 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury. Evening stars are Neptune, Venus, Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Russian Czar Ivan III, known as Ivan the Great, in 1440; British writer and explorer Walter Raleigh in 1552; English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon in 1561; French physicist Andre-Marie Ampere in 1775; British poet George Byron in 1788; D.W. Griffith, silent film director (The Birth of a Nation), in 1875; Chief Justice of the United States Fred Vinson in 1890; U.N. Secretary-General U Thant in 1909; actor Conrad Veidt in 1893; actor Ann Sothern in 1909; soul singer Sam Cooke in 1931; actor Piper Laurie in 1932 (age 85); actor Bill Bixby in 1934; television chef Graham Kerr in 1934 (age 83); author Joseph Wambaugh in 1937 (age 80); television chef Jeff Smith in 1939; actor John Hurt in 1940 (age 77); Journey lead singer Steve Perry in 1949 (age 68); actor Linda Blair (The Exorcist) in 1959 (age 58); actor Diane Lane in 1965 (age 52); restaurateur Guy Fieri in 1968 (age 49); actor Olivia d'Abo in 1969 (age 48); actor Balthazar Getty in 1975 (age 42); NFL player Ray Rice in 1987 (age 30).

On this date in history:

In 1771, Spain ceded the Falkland Islands to Britain.

In 1901, Queen Victoria of Britain died at age 82 after a reign of 64 years. She was succeeded by her son, Edward VII.

In 1914, attorneys for world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, an African-American prizefighter, filed a brief for a new trial with the U.S. Court of Appeals, challenging Johnson's conviction under the Mann Act.

In 1924, senators investigating the Teapot Dome lease scandal declared they would use all the legal powers of the government to get to the truth.

In 1943, U.S. and Australian troops took New Guinea in the first land victory over the Japanese in World War II.

In 1944, U.S. troops invaded Italy, landing at Anzio beach in a move to outflank German defensive positions.

In 1973, in its historic Roe v. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state bans and made abortion legal.

In 1987, Glen Tremml, 27, pedaled the ultralight aircraft Eagle over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for a human-powered flight record of 37.2 miles.

In 1991, Iraq launched a Scud missile attack against Israel, injuring 98 people.

In 1998, Theodore Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber," accused of sending bombs that killed and wounded people, pleaded guilty to all counts against him in California and New Jersey. He was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2003, the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to be the first secretary of Homeland Security by a 94-0 vote.

In 2006, Evo Morales was inaugurated as president of Bolivia.

In 2008, Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen accused of plotting to explode a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States, was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months in prison for aiding terrorists.

In 2012, Joe Paterno, the former Penn State football coach who won a record 409 games in his storied six-decade career but was forced out amid a sex scandal involving an ex-assistant coach, died of lung cancer. He was 85.

In 2013, an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade found 70 percent of U.S. residents didn't want the landmark abortion ruling overturned.

In 2014, the New York Yankees agreed to a seven-year, $155 million contract with right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka of Japan.

A thought for the day: "The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television." -- Andrew Ross