January 25th

Today's Highlight in History:
On January 25th, 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the "New York World" received a tumultuous welcome home after she completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, six hours and eleven minutes.

On this date:
In 1533, England's King Henry the Eighth secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn (who later gave birth to Elizabeth the First).

In 1787, Shays's Rebellion suffered a setback when debt-ridden farmers led by Captain Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts.

In 1890, the United Mine Workers of America was founded.

In 1915, the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, inaugurated US transcontinental telephone service.

In 1946, the United Mine Workers rejoined the American Federation of Labor.

In 1947, American gangster Al Capone died in Miami Beach, Florida, at age 48.

In 1959, American Airlines opened the jet age in the United States with the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.

In 1961, President Kennedy held the first presidential news conference carried live on radio and television.

In 1980, Iranian Finance Minister Abolhassan Bani-Sadr was elected president of Iran.

In 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.

Ten years ago: An Avianca Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and crashed in Cove Neck, New York; 73 of the 161 people aboard were killed. Actress Ava Gardner died in London at age 67.

Five years ago: The defense gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles, saying Simpson was the victim of a "rush to judgment" by authorities who had mishandled evidence and ignored witnesses.

One year ago: The Supreme Court ruled, five-to-four, that the 2000 census could not use statistical sampling to enhance its accuracy. In Louisville, Kentucky, a man who'd lost his left hand received the first hand transplant in the United States. Jury selection began in Jasper, Texas, in the trial of John William King, accused in the dragging death of James Byrd Junior. A powerful earthquake rocked Colombia, killing more than one-thousand people.

"The price of justice is eternal publicity."

-- Arnold Bennett, English poet, author and critic (1867-1931).