Today in history: Jan. 20
In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan, and more events that happened on this day in history.
1936: King George V
In 1936, Britain’s King George V died after his physician injected the mortally ill monarch with morphine and cocaine to hasten his death; the king was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne 11 months later to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
1937: Franklin D. Roosevelt
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.
1961: John F. Kennedy
In 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.
1964: The Beatles
In 1964, Capitol Records released the album “Meet the Beatles!”
1981: Hostages
In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
1986: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
In 1986, the United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
2009: Barack Obama
In 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation’s 44th, as well as first African American, president.
2011: The Mafia
In 2011, federal authorities orchestrated one of the biggest Mafia takedowns in FBI history, charging 127 suspected mobsters and associates in the Northeast with murders, extortion and other crimes spanning decades.
2012: Etta James
Ten years ago: Singer Etta James, 73, died in Riverside, California.
2012: France
Ten years ago: France threatened to withdraw early from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier killed four French troops and wounded 15 in a setback for the U.S.-led coalition’s efforts to build a national army and allow foreign troops to go home.
2017: Donald Trump
Five years ago: Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, pledging emphatically to empower America’s “forgotten men and women.” Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade.
2021: Joe Biden
One year ago: Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, declaring that “democracy has prevailed.”
2021: Kamala Harris
One year ago: Kamala Harris – the first female vice president, and the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the position – was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
2022: Meat Loaf
One year ago: Meat Loaf, the rock superstar known for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” died at age 74.
Here are today's top stories, celebrity birthdays and a look back at this day in history. Get caught up.