| On this date in: |
| 1800 |
Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States, was born in Summerhill, N.Y. |
| 1927 |
Commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London. |
| 1942 |
The World War II siege of Bataan began. |
| 1953 |
President Harry S. Truman announced in his State of the Union address that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb. |
| 1955 |
Singer Marian Anderson made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, becoming the first black person to perform there as a member. |
| 1959 |
The United States recognized Fidel Castro’s new government in Cuba. |
| 1972 |
Lewis F. Powell Jr. and William H. Rehnquist were sworn in as the 99th and 100th members of the Supreme Court. |
| 1979 |
Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government. |
| 1989 |
Japanese Emperor Hirohito died at age 87. |
| 1996 |
A major blizzard paralyzed the eastern United States, claiming more than 100 lives. |
| 1997 |
Newt Gingrich became the first Republican re-elected House speaker in 68 years. |
| 1999 |
President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial began in the Senate. |
| 2005 |
Actor Brad Pitt and actress Jennifer Aniston announced they were separating after four years of marriage. |
| 2006 |
American journalist Jill Carroll was abducted in Iraq and a translator was killed. (Carroll was released unharmed after 82 days.) |
| 2006 |
Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, facing corruption charges, stepped down as House majority leader. |
