1899 – US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific.
1911 – Percy Mackaye’s “Scarecrow” premieres in NYC.
1917 – US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands…
1920 – First day of prohibition of alcohol comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.
1929 – Popeye makes 1st appearance, in comic strip “Thimble Theater”
1934 – NY Giants reward MVP pitcher Carl Hubbell with a $18,000 contract.
1943 – Tin Can Drive Day in the US, salvage collected for the war effort.
1950 – The Great Brinks Robbery – 11 men rob $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities from armored car company Brink’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts.
1960 – l1th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 38-21; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Eugene Lipscomb, Baltimore Colts, DL.
1961 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the “military-industrial complex”.
1970 – 357 players are available in the free-agent draft.
1970 – Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s.
1976 – “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow hits #1.
1977 – Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in the Utah state prison, convicted of murder.
1983 – Alabama Governor George Wallace becomes governor for a record 4th time.
1987 – US President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran.
1994 – Patrick Ewing becomes first New York player to reach the 15,000-point mark in his career; scores a game-high 34 points in the Knick’s 106-94 win over visiting Minnesota.
1998 – US President Bill Clinton faces sexual harassment charges from Paula Jones.
2012 – LeBron James becomes youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points during the Miami Heat’s 92-75 victory over Golden State; James 28 years, 17 days, passes Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days.
2017 – US President Barack Obama commutes WikiLeaks discloser Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence from 35 years to 7 years.