January 1, 2013

1,820 years ago
193

Politics and government
The Roman Senate chose Pertinax to succeed Commodus as Roman Emperor.

575 years ago
1438

Europeana
Albert II of Habsburg was crowned King of Hungary.

180 years ago
1833

Britannica
The United Kingdom claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

150 years ago
1863

Born on this date
Pierre de Coubertin. French aristocrat. Baron de Coubertin was the founder of the modern Olympic games and the International Olympic Committee, serving as the IOC's president from 1896-1925. He died on September 2, 1937 at the age of 74.

Law
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring free all those enslaved in the Confederate States of America.

Americana
A farmer named Daniel Freeman filed the first claim under the Homestead Act for a piece of land near Beatrice, Nebraska.

140 years ago
1873

Japanica
Japan began using the Gregorian calendar.

120 years ago
1893

Literature
The January 1893 issue of The Strand Magazine contained the short story The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, second in a series that was published in book form in 1894 as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

110 years ago
1903

Born on this date
Dwight Taylor. U.S. screenwriter and playwright. Mr. Taylor, the son of actress Laurette Taylor, wrote several plays, but was better known for his screenplays, which included The Gay Divorcee (1934); Top Hat (1935); I Wake Up Screaming (1941); Conflict (1945); The Thin Man Goes Home (1947); and Pickup on South Street (1953). He died on December 31, 1986, the day before his 84th birthday, being born on New Year's Day and dying on New Year's Eve.

75 years ago
1938

Basketball
NCAA
Stanford 92 Duquesne 27 @ Cleveland

Hank Luisetti became the first college player to score 50 points in a game as he led the Indians to victory.

60 years ago
1953

Died on this date
Hank Williams, 29. U.S. musician. One of the greatest figures in the history of country music, Mr. Williams died of apparent heart failre caused by a combination of chloral hydrate and alcohol near Oak Hill, West Virginia, while being driven to Canton, Ohio, where he was supposed to perform on New Year's Day.

50 years ago
1963

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Search for a Dead Man

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Ben--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Le lac majeur--Mort Shuman

Died on this date
Roseann Quinn, 27. U.S. murder victim. Ms. Quinn was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death by John Wayne Wilson, who had picked her up in a bar in New York. The crime inspired Judith Rossner's novel Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1975) and the 1977 movie of the same name starring Diane Keaton.

Economics and finance
The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark joined the European Economic Community, bringing the number of member nations to nine.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Hou! La menteuse--Dorothée (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Save Your Love--Renée and Renato (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Save Your Love--Renée and Renato (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Maneater--Daryl Hall & John Oates (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box): Maneater--Daryl Hall & John Oates (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Mickey--Toni Basil (2nd week at #1)

Communications
The ARPANET officially switched from using the Network Conrol Program to the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Whenever You Need Somebody--Rick Astley (5th week at #1)

Religion
The American Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church in America, and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches officially merged to become the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): More and More--Captain Hollywood Project (3rd week at #1)

Europeana
Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved, resulting in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Economics and finance
A single market within the European Community was announced.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Joe Foss, 87. U.S. military figure, politician, and football executive. Mr. Foss was the United States Marine Corps' leading air ace during World War II and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroics during the Guadalcanal campaign. A Republican, he served as Governor of South Dakota from 1955-1959 and as the first President of the American Football League from 1959-1966.