What Happened on January 7 in History?

January 7 marks several major milestones in global politics, space exploration, and sports. Notable events include the beginning of the first U.S. presidential impeachment trial in over 130 years and Galileo's groundbreaking astronomical observations.

Political and Global Events

• Impeachment of Bill Clinton (1999): The U.S. Senate officially opened the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

• Overthrow of the Khmer Rouge (1979): Vietnamese troops captured Phnom Penh, ending the brutal regime of Pol Pot in Cambodia.

• Charlie Hebdo Attack (2015): Gunmen killed 12 people at the offices of the French satirical magazineCharlie Hebdoin Paris.

• Kevin McCarthy Elected Speaker (2023): After a historic 15 ballots, Kevin McCarthy was elected the 55th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

• First U.S. Presidential Electors (1789): The date was set for states to choose electors for the first-ever U.S. presidential election.

Science and Technology

• Galileo’s Discovery (1610): Galileo Galilei first observed the four largest moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto).

• First Black Hole Identified (1972): Scientists Louise Webster and Paul Murdin published findings confirming Cygnus X-1 as the first identified black hole.

• Transatlantic Telephone Service (1927): The first commercial telephone service between New York and London was established.

• Hydrogen Bomb (1953): President Harry S. Truman announced that the United States had successfully developed the hydrogen bomb.

• First Pig Heart Transplant (2022): Surgeons in Baltimore performed the first successful transplant of a genetically modified pig's heart into a human.

Sports and Culture

• Harlem Globetrotters (1927): The legendary basketball team played their first game in Hinckley, Illinois.

• Metropolitan Opera Milestone (1955): Marian Anderson became the first African American to perform at the Met Opera in New York City.

• Leaning Tower of Pisa (1990): The tower was closed to the public for the first time in 800 years due to safety concerns regarding its tilt.

• Orthodox Christmas: Many Orthodox and Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on this day following the Julian calendar.

Notable Births and Deaths

• Births: Millard Fillmore (1800), Zora Neale Hurston (1891), Nicolas Cage (1964), Katie Couric (1957), and Lewis Hamilton (1985).

• Deaths: Nikola Tesla (1943), Emperor Hirohito of Japan (1989), and Tommy Lasorda (2021).