Jan. 4 (UPI) — On this date in history:
In 1853, Solomon Northrop regained his freedom following his kidnapping and being sold into slavery. He would later write a memoir, 12 Years a Slave, which would be made into an award-nominated feature film.
In 1885, Dr. William Grant of Davenport, Iowa, performed the first successful appendectomy.
In 1893, U.S. President Benjamin Harrison granted amnesty to all people who had abstained from practicing polygamy since Nov. 1, 1890. It was part of a deal for Utah to achieve statehood.
In 1896, Utah was admitted to the United States as the 45th state.
Incoming Speaking of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., receives the speaker’s gavel from outgoing House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, as she becomes the first woman speaker of the House, in Washington on January 4, 2007. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
File Photo by Steven E. Frishling/UPI
In 1936, Billboard magazine published the first pop music chart.
On January 4, 1965, the “Great Society” is proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address. UPI File Photo
In 1951, Chinese and North Korean forces captured the South Korean capital of Seoul.
In 1954, a young musician who worked in a machine shop paid $4 to record two songs for his mother. His name: Elvis Presley.
On January 4, 1987, Spanish guitar great Andres Segovia arrived in the United States for his final American tour. He died four months later at the age of 94. File Photo by Jac. de Nijs/Dutch National Archives
In 1965, the “Great Society” was proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address. The Great Society was a set of domestic programs to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
In 1965, Patsy Mink was sworn in as the first woman of color and first Asian American woman elected to Congress. The Democrat was also the first woman to represent Hawaii in the House of Representatives.
On January 4, 1954, a young musician who worked in a machine shop paid $4 to record two songs for his mother. His name: Elvis Presley. UPI File Photo
In 1987, Spanish guitar great Andres Segovia arrived in the United States for his final American tour. He died four months later in Madrid at the age of 94.
In 1990, a passenger train collided with a stationary train in Sangi, Pakistan, killing more than 200 people.
Visitors to the Greater St. Louis Auto Show examine the Saturn EV1 electric car on January 29, 1998. On January 4, 1996, General Motors announced it would begin mass selling an electric vehicle, the EV1, for the first time. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
In 1995, the 104th U.S. Congress convened with Republicans in control in both houses for the first time since 1953. Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., began his term as speaker of the House.
UPI File Photo
In 1996, General Motors announced it would begin mass selling an electric vehicle, the EV1, for the first time.
In 2007, the 110th U.S. Congress convened, with Democrats in control of both the House of Representatives and Senate. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became the first woman elected speaker of the House.
In 2010, thousands of people attended the opening of the Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai Tower), the world’s tallest building, in the United Arab Emirates. At 2,717 feet, it’s more than twice as tall as New York City’s Empire State Building.
In 2021, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was administered for the first time, to an 82-year-old man in Britain.
In 2024, a 17-year-old student opened fire at Perry High School in Iowa, killing principal Dan Marburger and sixth-grade student Ahmir Jolliff. Shooter Dylan Butler died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.