January 4 - What happened today?

Home What happened today in history? Blamepro's Almanac for January 4
In the headlines today:

1999	Former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as Governor of Minnesota.
1987	Sixteen people die when a Washington-bound Amtrak train collides with Conrail locomotives in Chase, MD.
1986	Thin Lizzy bassist/vocalist Phil Lynott dies from pneumonia and heart disease at age 34.
1979	An out-of-court settlement awards $675,000 to the victims of the Kent State massacre of 1970 (made famous by the CSNY song Ohio).
1974	US president Nixon refuses to hand over documents and tape recordings subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee. (photo credit: NARA)
1965	Author T.S. Eliot dies in London at age 76.
1965	The Fender Musical Instrument Company is sold to CBS for $13 million. *Did you know?* Fender would become the favorite brand of such music superstars as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Pete Townshend.
1960	French author Albert Camus dies in a car accident at age 46.
1951	North Korea and Communist Chinese troops capture the city of Seoul, during the Korean War.
1948	Burma gains its independence from Britain.
1896	Utah is admitted to the US as the 45th state.
1885	The first appendectomy is performed by Dr. William W. Grant of Davenport, Iowa.
1877	Cornerlius Vanderbilt, millionaire entrepreneur and the richest man in the world at the time, dies.
1821	Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American saint, dies in Emmitsburg, Maryland.