Saturday, Jan. 24:

1848: James Wilson Marshall, a carpenter by trade, found pieces of gold along the South Fork of California’s American River near the site of Sutter’s Mill at Coloma, California. His discovery led to the California Gold Rush.

1935: The first canned beer went on sale as the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Co. delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale to customers in Richmond, Virginia.

1972: Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding in a Guam jungle by local farmers. Despite the end of World War II hostilities, Yokoi held out for almost 28 years, refusing to surrender and awaiting orders from Japan. He was eventually discharged and sent back to his country.

1989: Serial killer Ted Bundy, who confessed to raping and murdering 30 young women and girls but whose total victim count was believed likely to be higher, was executed.

2006: Disney announced that it would acquire Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion in an all-stock transaction.

Friday, Jan. 23:

1556: The deadliest earthquake in recorded history, the Shaanxi earthquake, devastated Shaanxi province, China. With a magnitude of approximately 8.0 to 8.3, the quake struck in a densely populated area where many residents lived in poorly constructed housing. It is believed that an estimated 830,000 people died.

1849: Despite fierce opposition from her fellow students, Elizabeth Blackwell was awarded a medical degree by the Geneva Medical College in Geneva, New York, becoming the first woman in the U.S. to receive such a degree and the first female physician.

1957: The Wham-O toy company released the first batch of their aerodynamic plastic discs now known all over the world as Frisbees.

1986: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, then in its third year, inducted its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

Thursday, Jan. 22:

1973: The Supreme Court released its landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, which established a woman’s legal right to access abortion in all 50 states. However, in 2022, a more conservative-leaning Supreme Court overruled Roe.

1992: Dr. Roberta Bondar boarded the space shuttle Discovery for Mission STS-42, becoming the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.

1998: Theodore 'Ted' Kaczynski, the notorious domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber, pleaded guilty to all federal charges against him linked to 17 years of mail bombings and the deaths of three people. He died by suicide in 2023.

Wednesday, Jan. 21:

1793: Louis XVI, the last Bourbon king of France, was executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution after being convicted of treason by the French National Convention.

1908: New York City passed the Sullivan Ordinance, which made it illegal for women to smoke in public and put the onus on businesses to enforce the law. It was proposed by Alderman Timothy 'Little Tim' Sullivan, who admitted that he had never actually seen a woman smoke in public but found the idea of it to be distasteful. Mayor George McClellan Jr. vetoed the ordinance two weeks later.

1999: In one of the largest drug busts in U.S. history, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a ship carrying over 9,500 pounds of cocaine. The ship, a 580-foot Greek-owned freighter called 'Cannes,' was transporting 26,000 metric tons of iron ore before being stopped by the Coast Guard on its way to Texas.

2010 : The Supreme Court, in a landmark 5-4 decision for Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, ruled that the government restrictions on independent expenditures (donations) for political campaigns by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions and other associations were in violation of the First Amendment.

Tuesday, Jan. 20:

1942: In the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, Germany, Nazi officials led by SS leader and Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich met in a conference to discuss the 'final solution' to the 'Jewish question.'

1961: 'And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.' John Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president. Kennedy was the youngest person elected to be president at age 43. He was also the first Catholic to be elected.

1971: Marvin Gaye released his timeless classic 'What’s Going On.'

1981: Fifty-two U.S. captives who were held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, were released minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president. Their release ended the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis, which began Nov. 4, 1979.

1986: Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.

2009: Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president, becoming the first Black American to serve in the nation’s highest office.

2020: The first confirmed U.S. case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in a 35-year-old man from Snohomish County, Washington, near Seattle. The man had visited Wuhan, China, several days prior and developed symptoms emblematic of COVID-19 after returning to America.

Monday, Jan. 19:

1883: The first electric lighting system that used overhead wires began service in Roselle, New Jersey. The system was built by Thomas Edison to see if light could be supplied to an entire neighborhood.

1920: A roomful of civil liberties activists led by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman and Albert DeSilver gathered and formed the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU.

1955: President Dwight Eisenhower held the first televised presidential news conference in the Indian Treaty Room. He was quoted to have said that 'we’re trying a new experiment this morning. ... I hope that doesn’t prove to be a disturbing influence.'

1993: Pixar began production for 'Toy Story,' the first fully computer animated feature film. It was released in late 1995.

Sunday, Jan. 18:

1778: Captain James Cook became the first known European to travel to the Hawaiian Islands.

1943: To conserve resources and redirect World War II efforts, Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard imposed a ban on pre-sliced bread.

1958: Willie O’Ree became the first Black athlete to play in the National Hockey League when he debuted with the Boston Bruins in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Saturday, Jan. 17:

1893 : Sanford Dole and Lorrin Thurston, along with the Citizens’ Committee of Public Safety, overthrew of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Lili’uokalani with the help of the U.S. military. Dole was appointed as provisional president.

1917 : The United States bought St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix (all part of the Virgin Islands) from Denmark for $25million in gold coins.

1920 : Prohibition officially began in the United States.

1950 : In what was called 'The Crime of the Century,' Anthony 'Fats' Pino and 10 other men stole more than $2.7million from a Brink’s Armored Car depot in Boston. It was the largest robbery in the history of the United States at the time and went unsolved for six years until one of the gang members, Joseph O’Keefe, violated the 'honor among thieves.'

1997 : Ireland granted the first divorce in its history to a terminally ill man.

Friday, Jan. 16:

1605 : Miguel de Cervantes published the first edition of 'El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha' ('Book One of Don Quixote' in Madrid, Spain.

1919 : The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the 'manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,' was ratified by Nebraska, fulfilling the necessary three-quarters of states needed to approve any amendment and setting the course for Prohibition in the United States.

1936 : Notorious cannibal and serial killer Albert Fisher, dubbed the 'Moon Maniac,' was executed by electric chair in Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York. Fisher was thought to have killed 10 children and eaten their remains.

1945 : Adolf Hitler moved into his underground bunker, the so-called 'Fuhrerbunker' near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, for the remainder of World War II.

1991 : The Persian Gulf War began as a U.S.-led offensive coalition bombed Iraq over its refusal to withdrawal from Kuwait.

Thursday, Jan. 15:

1870 : The first recorded appearance of a donkey used to represent the Democratic Party debuted on 'Harper’s Weekly' as an illustration by political artist Thomas Nast, under which the caption said, 'A Live Jackass Kicking A Dead Lion.'

1919 : More than 2 million gallons of scorching hot molasses poured into the streets of the North End neighborhood in Boston after a storage tank ruptured at the United States Industrial Alcohol Company building, killing 21 people and injuring around 150 others.

1943 : Construction of the Pentagon was completed, and the building was dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia.

1967 : The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10, in the first Super Bowl game, played at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

2001 : Wikipedia, the free open-source and user-created on-line encyclopedia behemoth, debuted.

Wednesday, Jan. 14:

1690 : Johann Christoph Denner invented the clarinet in Nürnberg, Germany.

1942 : During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation No. 2537, which required 'all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects' of nations at war with the U.S. and were not U.S. citizens to register with the Department of Justice.

1963 : Segregationist and White supremacist George Wallace was sworn in as the governor of Alabama. Wallace called for 'segregation now ... segregation tomorrow ... segregation forever!' in his inaugural speech.

1967 : The 'Human Be-In' was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. A counterculture event that attracted more than 20,000 participants, the event promoted peace, love, rock ’n’ roll and psychedelics. The gathering sparked the 'Summer of Love' throughout the city.

1970 : Diana Ross and The Supremes performed their last concert together as a group at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.

1973 : Elvis Presley made history with his 'Aloha from Hawaii' concert, becoming the first solo artist to broadcast a live concert internationally via satellite. More than 1 billion people from 40 countries watched the performance.

Tuesday, Jan. 13:

1903 : The first group of Korean immigrants to the United States arrived in Honolulu aboard the SS Gaelic. The group, composed of 56 men, 21 women and 25 children, was sent to work on the pineapple and sugar plantations.

1968 : Country legend Johnny Cash performed two live concerts at Folsom Prison for an audience of some 2,000 people incarcerated there. His subsequent live album, titled 'Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison,' became a hit and helped relaunch his career.

2021 : President Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. This second impeachment came after the House of Representatives adopted one article of impeachment against Trump for 'incitement of insurrection' following the Jan.6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Monday, Jan. 12:

1915 : The U.S. House voted for the first time on a constitutional amendment to give women the right to vote. They rejected it.

1966 : The live-action campy TV series 'Batman,' starring Adam West as the titular caped crusader and Burt Ward as Robin, debuted on ABC.

1998 : Nineteen European nations agreed to ban any research and work involving human cloning.

2010 : A massive magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Haiti, devastating much of its capital, Port-au-Prince. Between 100,000 to 300,000 people died, and more than 1 million other people were displaced.

Sunday, Jan. 11:

630 : According to scholars and an interpretation of the Islamic calendar, the Muslim prophet Muhammad and his followers wrested control of Mecca from the Quraysh.

1759 : The Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers, the first American life insurance company, was incorporated in Philadelphia by Presbyterians to support their families.

1878 : Milk was delivered to homes in sterilized glass bottles for the first time in New York City.

1922 : Fourteen-year-old Leonard Thompson became the first person to receive an injection of insulin as a treatment for Type 1 diabetes. Within a day, his blood sugar level dropped.

1964 : U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Luther Terry released the first report of the Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health, which definitively linked cigarette smoking to chronic bronchitis, as well as lung and laryngeal cancer.

2020 : The Health Commission of Hubei in Wuhan, China, announced the first recorded death from COVID-19.

Saturday, Jan. 10:

1776 : Thomas Paine anonymously published 'Common Sense,' a 47-page pamphlet that argued for independence for the American colonies from Great Britain.

1920 : The Treaty of Versailles went into effect, formally marking an end to World War I.

Friday, Jan. 9:

1349 : As antisemitism raged across Europe and Jews were blamed for the Black Plague, the townspeople of Basel, Switzerland, forcibly rounded up their Jewish neighbors and massacred them. Nearly all of the town’s Jewish population were locked up in a wooden building and burned alive.

1431 : Joan of Arc’s heresy trial began in Rouen, France.

1909 : Ernest Shackleton and the Nimrod Expedition planted the British Union Jack flag 112miles from the South Pole, the closest anyone had come to the pole at that time.

2007 : Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs gave the world its first look at the iPhone at the Macworld convention in San Francisco.

Thursday, Jan. 8:

1811 : The largest organized slave revolt began as more than 200 enslaved African Americans from plantations around parishes of modern-day St. Charles and St. James in Louisiana marched toward New Orleans. It was eventually suppressed by the U.S. military and white militia men. Deslondes and nearly 100 other enslaved followers were killed.

1998 : Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, a Kuwaiti-born militant, was convicted as the mastermind behind the 1993 terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and sentenced to life plus 240 years in prison.

2002 : President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, which aimed to improve student performance and achievements through annual standardized testing.

2011 : Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, and 18 others were shot by Jared Lee Loughner at a rally at supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona. Six people were killed. Giffords, who was shot through the head at point-blank range, survived.

Wednesday, Jan. 7:

1610 : Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, through improvements he made on a homemade telescope, first observed Jupiter’s four moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa. The discovery challenged the notion of the Ptolemaic world system view, which believed that Earth was at the center of the universe.

1979 : The Khmer Rouge and its leader, Pol Pot, were ousted as Vietnamese forces seized control of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Pot and his brutal regime forcibly took control of the country in April 1975. Under his reign, an estimated 2million Cambodians died.

2015 : Brothers Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, terrorists who were connected to al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula, attacked the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others. The brothers, who targeted Charlie Hebdo due to its depictions of the prophet Muhammad, were killed in a shootout with the police two days later.

2025 : A series of devastating wildfires ignited across the Greater Los Angeles area. The two largest and most destructive fires, the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, burned more than 57,000acres and destroyed nearly 18,000 homes and businesses. The wildfires killed an estimated 440 people.

Tuesday, Jan. 6:

1838 : Samuel Morse, mechanical engineer Alfred Vail and their fellow colleagues demonstrated a telegraph system that used electric impulses at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. The messaging system they developed became known as the Morse code.

1975 : One of the most popular and longest-running game shows, 'Wheel of Fortune,' premiered on NBC, with Chuck Woolery as its first host.

1994 : U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked and injured on her lower right thigh by Shane Stant at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Stant was hired by Jeff Gillooly, the ex-husband of Tonya Harding, Kerrigan’s rival. Harding initially denied her involvement in the attack but was later revealed to be part of the entire process and pled guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution in a plea deal.

2001 : Following a lengthy legal battle, George W. Bush was certified as the winner of the 2000 presidential election by Congress, defeating then-Vice President Al Gore.

2021 : Supporters of President Donald Trump, believing in falsified and fraudulent reports of a 'stolen election,' stormed and attacked the U.S. Capitol in Washington as Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. The rioters assaulted law enforcement as they forced their way inside, destroying, vandalizing and ransacking the complex for hours.

Monday, Jan. 5:

1531 : Pope Clement VII sent a letter to King Henry VIII of England forbidding him to divorce Catherine of Aragon and remarry, under threat of excommunication. Henry ignored the Pope’s threats and wed Anne Boleyn. His defiant actions led to a fundamental change in Christianity in Europe, which ended the supremacy of the Catholic Church in the region.

1643 : Anne Clarke was granted a divorce from her adulterous husband, Denis Clarke, by Quarter Court of Boston in what is considered the first record of a legal divorce in the American Colonies.

1914 : Henry Ford announced that the Ford Motor Co. would double its workers’ wages to $5 a day and implement an eight-hour workday for eligible employees.

1925 : Nellie Tayloe Ross assumed office as the 14th governor of Wyoming, becoming the first woman to do so in the United States. She won a special election as the Democratic nominee after her husband, William Ross, died due to complications from surgery. She remains the only woman to have served as governor of the state.

1949 : President Harry Truman announced his 'Fair Deal' program during his State of the Union address. Meant as a series of domestic policy reforms to address health insurance, housing, labor and civil rights, the 'Fair Deal' faced a string of criticism and obstruction from conservatives.

1973 : Bruce Springsteen released his debut album, 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'

1980 : The Sugarhill Gang’s 'Rapper’s Delight' became the first hip-hop single to hit the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 37. It has been credited as introducing hip-hop to the mainstream.

Sunday, Jan. 4:

1853 : Solomon Northup, a free Black man, regained his freedom after he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South. He detailed his experience in his memoir, 'Twelve Years a Slave.'

1958 : After 92 days in orbit, Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in October 1957, began reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, burning away as it did.

1965 : In his State of the Union address, President Lyndon B. Johnson envisioned a 'Great Society' in which he called for several major social and economic legislation to help the American people achieve a better quality of life. This led to the establishment of the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, Medicare/Medicaid, Head Start and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

2007 : Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California was elected speaker of the House of Representatives by the 110th United States Congress, becoming the first woman to hold the title.

2010 : After five years of construction that began on Jan.12, 2004, the Burj Khalifa officially opened in Dubai. Standing at 2,722feet, it is currently the world’s tallest structure/building.

Saturday, Jan. 3:

1521 : Martin Luther, a German priest who questioned the teachings of Roman Catholicism, was excommunicated by Pope Leo X.

1924 : King Tut’s sarcophagus was uncovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter and his crew. The tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen was located near Luxor, Egypt. Upon opening the stone sarcophagus, a golden coffin was discovered holding the 3,000-year-old preserved body of Tutankhamen.

1938 : President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis in the pursuit of a cure for polio, a paralyzing disease from which Roosevelt and many Americans suffered, especially children. The organization was later renamed the March of Dimes Foundation.

1977 : Apple Computer Inc. was incorporated by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

2009 : The Genesis Block, first block of the blockchain of the decentralized financial system Bitcoin, was established and mined by its anonymous creator who went by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.