- 1265: The first English Parliament, the Commons and the House of
                       Lords, was called into session by the Earl of Leicester.
                     - 1778: The first American military court martial trial began, in
                       Cambridge, Mass.
                     - 1841: China ceded the island of Hong Kong to Great Britain.
                     - 1869: Elizabeth Cady Stanton became the first woman to testify
                       before Congress.
                     - 1885: The patent for the roller coaster was awarded to L.A.
                       Thompson of Coney Island, N.Y.
                     - 1892: The first organized basketball game was played in Springfield,
                       Mass., at the YMCA.
                     - 1896: Comedian George Burns was born as Nathan Birnbaum.
                     - 1920: The American Civil Liberties Union was organized. Also: Film
                       director Federico Fellini ("La Dolce Vita") was born.
                     - 1937: President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief
                       executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4, because
                       of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. He was inaugurated for
                       his second term as U.S. President.
                     - 1942: Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference in
                       Berlin, during which they agreed on a "final solution" calling for
                       the extermination of European Jews.
                     - 1945: President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for his
                       fourth term, an unprecedented feat.
                     - 1946: The Central Intelligence Group, later to become the Central
                       Intelligence Agency, was established by President Truman.
                     - 1961: John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th U.S. president. He
                       said as part of his brief address, "Ask not what your country can
                       do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
                     - 1980: President Jimmy Carter announced the U.S. boycott of the
                       Moscow Olympics.
                     - 1981: Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days,
                       minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald
                       Reagan. Also: Reagan became president of the U.S. at the age of 69
                       and 349 days, the oldest president to take office.
                     - 1986: Britain and France announced plans to build rail tunnels
                       underneath the English Channel. Also: The United States observed the
                       first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin
                       Luther King Jr.
                     - 1987: Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped while on a
                       mission to Beirut negotiating the release of Westerners being held
                       hostage in Lebanon. He would not be released until December 1991.
                     - 1994: Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at
                       The Citadel, South Carolina's all-male military school, in its
                       151-year history.

                     *Happy Birthday*
                     ----------------
                     - Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., 69, astronaut, second man on the moon
                     - Daniel Benzali, 49, actor, "Murder One"
                     - Ian Hill, 47, bassist, Judas Priest
                     - Arte Johnson, 65, actor/comedian
                     - DeForest Kelley, 79, actor, "Star Trek's" Dr. McCoy
                     - Lorenzo Lamas, 41, actor, "Renegade"
                     - David Lynch, 53, film director, "Blue Velvet," "Twin Peaks"
                     - Bill Maher, 43, comedian/host, "Politically Incorrect"
                     - Malcolm McLaren, 52, music producer, founded the Sex Pistols
                     - John Michael Montgomery, 34, country singer/musician
                     - Patricia Neal, 73, actress
                     - Melissa Rivers, 30, TV show host
                     - Paul Stanley, 47, singer/musician, Kiss
                     - Skeet Ulrich, 29, actor, "Scream"
                     - Slim Whitm