Today in history: Jan. 5
In 1998, Sonny Bono, the 1960s pop star-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California state line; he was 62.
1914: Henry Ford
In 1914, auto industrialist Henry Ford announced he was going to pay workers $5 for an 8-hour day, as opposed to $2.34 for a 9-hour day. (Employees still worked six days a week; the 5-day work week was instituted in 1926.)
1925: Nellie Tayloe Ross
In 1925, Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as America’s first female governor, succeeding her late husband, William, following a special election.
1933: Golden Gate Bridge
In 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Work was completed four years later.)
1943: George Washington Carver
In 1943, educator and scientist George Washington Carver, who was born into slavery, died in Tuskegee, Alabama, at about age 80.
1949: Harry Truman
In 1949, in his State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman labeled his administration the Fair Deal.
1998: Sonny Bono
In 1998, Sonny Bono, the 1960s pop star-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California state line; he was 62.
2004: Airports
In 2004, foreigners arriving at U.S. airports were photographed and had their fingerprints scanned in the start of a government effort to keep terrorists out of the country.
2011: John Boehner
In 2011, John Boehner was elected speaker as Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives on the first day of the new Congress.
2012: Barack Obama
Ten years ago: Speaking at the Pentagon, President Barack Obama launched a reshaping and shrinking of the military, vowing to preserve U.S. pre-eminence even as the Army and Marine Corps shed troops and the administration considered reducing its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
2017: Donald Trump
Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump, in a series of tweets, urged Republicans and Democrats to “get together” to design a replacement for President Barack Obama’s health care law.
2017: Gretchen Carlson
Five years ago: Former Fox News Channel anchor and 1989 Miss America Gretchen Carlson was named chairwoman of the Miss America Organization’s board of directors, with three other past pageant winners joining her on the board.
2018: Peter Martins
Peter Martins, the longtime leader of the New York City Ballet, announced his retirement in the midst of an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct.
2018: Rose Bowl
In the first Rose Bowl to go into overtime, Georgia advanced to college football’s national championship game with a 54-48 win over Oklahoma. Alabama advanced by beating top-ranked Clemson, 24-6, in the Sugar Bowl.
2021: Georgia
One year ago: Voters in Georgia turned out for Senate runoff elections that would result in victories for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and give Democrats control of the Senate; they would hold 50 seats and the tie-breaking vote of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
2021: Kenosha
One year ago: A prosecutor in Kenosha, Wisconsin, declined to file charges against a white police officer who shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the back in August 2020, leaving Blake paralyzed; the prosecutor said he couldn’t disprove Officer Rusten Sheskey’s contention that he acted in self-defense because he feared Blake would stab him.
2022: Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, scheduled for Jan. 31st, was postponed due to what organizers called “too many risks” from the omicron variant of the coronavirus. (It would be rescheduled for early April in Las Vegas.)
2022: Kyrie Irving
After being held out of the team’s first 35 games because he refused to get vaccinated, Kyrie Irving scored 22 points for the Brooklyn Nets in his first game of the season as the team beat the Indiana Pacers 129-121 on the road; he was still unable to play in New York because of his vaccination status.
2022: Novak Djokovic returns to the tennis court
One year ago: Novak Djokovic returned to the tennis court for training after winning a round in the legal battle to stay in Australia and compete in the Australian Open; a judge reinstated his visa, which had been pulled after officials said he didn’t qualify for an exemption to a rule requiring all non-citizens to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (Djokovic would eventually be deported for almost a year before returning for the Australian Open in 2023.)
Today's other top stories include the Oscar Pistorius being freed from prison, the death of stage and screen star Glynis Johns, and a potential U.S. moon landing. Get caught up.