Today is Friday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2024 There are 340 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Jan. 26, 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California; the former Lakers star was 41.
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In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act, which created America’s 10th national park.
In 1962, the United States launched Ranger 3 to land scientific instruments on the moon. (The probe ended up missing its target by more than 22,000 miles.)
In 1992, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, appearing with his wife, Hillary, on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” acknowledged “causing pain in my marriage,” but said past problems were not relevant to the campaign.
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In 1993, Vaclav Havel (VAHTS’-lahv HAH’-vel) was elected president of the newly formed Czech Republic.
In 1994, a scare occurred during a visit to Sydney, Australia, by Britain’s Prince Charles as college student David Kang lunged at the prince, firing two blank shots from a starter’s pistol. (Kang was later sentenced to 500 hours of community service.)
In 1998, President Bill Clinton forcefully denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
In 2005, a U.S. Marine helicopter crashed in western Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a Navy medic aboard.
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In 2009, Nadya Suleman gave birth at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center in California to six boys and two girls; criticism came after the public learned that the unemployed, single mother had gotten pregnant with the octuplets and six elder children through in vitro fertilization.
In 2012, some 12,000 people — including Penn State students, fans and football stars — paid tribute to the late Joe Paterno in a campus memorial service that exposed a strong undercurrent of anger over his firing.
In 2016, character actor Abe Vigoda, star of “The Godfather” and “Barney Miller,” died in Woodland Park, New Jersey at age 94.
In 2022, Spotify said it would grant the request of veteran rocker Neil Young to have his music removed from the streaming platform after he objected to the company’s decision to allow COVID-19 misinformation to spread in podcasts.
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In 2023, Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded several others in a large-scale raid in the occupied West Bank, the deadliest single operation in the territory in two decades.
Today’s birthdays: Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 95. Sportscaster-actor Bob Uecker is 89. Actor Scott Glenn is 85. Activist Angela Davis is 80. Actor Richard Portnow is 77. Rock musician Corky Laing (Mountain) is 76. Actor David Strathairn (streh-THEHRN’) is 75. Producer-director Mimi Leder is 72. Alt-country singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 71. Reggae musician Norman Hassan (UB40) is 66. Actor-comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 66. Rock musician Charlie Gillingham (Counting Crows) is 64. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 63. Musician Andrew Ridgeley is 61. R&B singer Jazzie B (Soul II Soul) is 61. Actor Paul Johansson is 60. Director Lenny Abrahamson is 58. Actor Bryan Callen is 57. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 54. Actor Nate Mooney is 52. Actor Jennifer Crystal is 51. Rock musician Chris Hesse (Hoobastank) is 50. Actor Matilda Szydagis is 50. Actor Gilles Marini (ZHEEL ma-REE’-nee) is 48. Gospel singer Tye Tribbett is 48. Retired NBA player Vince Carter is 47. Actor Sarah Rue is 46. Actor Colin O’Donoghue is 43.