January 4 ...

In 1821 the first native-born American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, died in Emmitsburg, MD. In 1896 Utah became the 45th US state. In 1928 NBC Radio debuted The Dodge Victory Hour which starred Will Rogers, Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, and singer Al Jolson. In 1935 Bob Hope was heard for the first time on network radio as part of The Intimate Revue. In 1936 the first pop music chart based on national sales was published by Billboard magazine. In 1944 the attack on Monte Cassino was launched by the British Fifth Army in Italy. In 1948 Britain granted independence to Burma. In 1951 North Korean and Communist Chinese forces captured the city of Seoul during the Korean War. In 1957 Collier's magazine was published for the last time. The periodical was published for 69 years. In 1958 the Soviet satellite Sputknik I fell to the earth from its orbit. The craft had been launched on October 4, 1957. In 1960 French author Albert Camus died in an automobile accident at age 46. In 1962 New York City introduced a train that operated without conductors and motormen. In 1965 Poet T.S. Eliot died at age 76; also on this day, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed the building of the "Great Society" in his State of the Union address. In 1970 The Beatles recorded as a band for the last time. In 1974 President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee. In 1995 the 104th Congress convened, the first entirely under Republican control since the Eisenhower era. In 1999 16 people were killed and 25 injured when gunmen opened fire on Shiite Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan; also on this day, former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as Minnesota's 37th governor. In 2004 the NASA Mars Rover Spirit landed successfully on the Red Planet. In 2006 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a second, more serious stroke. His authority is transferred to Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.