This Day in History
1815: In the Battle of New Orleans, U.S. forces led by Andrew Jackson crush the British. Neither side knew that the War of 1812 had officially ended 2 weeks earlier.
1918: In a speech to Congress, Pres. Woodrow Wilson sets out his 14 Points as a basis for a just peace in World War I.
1919: The first Socialist in the House of Representatives, Victor Louis Berger, is found guilty of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
1959: In France, Charles de Gaulle takes office as the president of the newly created Fifth Republic.
1964: In his State of the Union address, Pres. Lyndon Johnson declares a War on Poverty.
1982: A 13-year-old suit brought by the Justice Dept. against AT&T is settled when the company agrees to give up its 22 local "Baby Bells."
1987: The Dow Jones industrial average closes above 2,000 for the first time.
1996: An immense two-day storm deposits up to 3 feet of snow on the Mid-Atlantic and New England states and claims 100 lives.
Today's Birthdays
1821: James Longstreet, Confederate general (Edgefield District, SC; died 1904)
1824: Wilkie Collins, author (London, England; died 1889)
1902: Carl R Rogers, humanistic psychologist (Oak Park, IL; died 1987)
1909: Evelyn Wood, creator of method to learn speed reading (Ogden, UT; died 1995)
1910: Galina Ulanova, ballerina (St. Petersburg, Russia; died 1998)
1911: Butterfly McQueen, African American actress (Tampa, FL; died 1995)
1912: José Ferrer, actor/director (Santurce, Puerto Rico; died 1992)
1924: Ron Moody, actor (London, England)
1926: Soupy Sales, comedian (Franklinton, NC)
1933: Charles Osgood, broadcast journalist (New York, NY)
1935: Elvis Presley, singer/actor (Tupelo, MS; died 1977)
1937: Shirley Bassey, singer (Cardiff, Wales)
1938: Bob Eubanks, TV personality (Flint, MI)
1941: Yvette Mimieux, actress (Los Angeles, CA)
1942: Stephen Hawking, physicist (Oxford, England)
1947: David Bowie, singer/musician (London, England)
1971: Jason Giambi, baseball player (W. Covina, CA)
