This Day in History

On Jan. 7, 2015, masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper that had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, methodically killing 12 people, including the editor, before escaping. (Two suspects were killed two days later.)

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In 1610, astronomer Galileo Galilei observed four of Jupiter's moons for the first time.

In 1955, singer Marian Anderson became the first Black American to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera."

In 1979, Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

In 2022, three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison; a judge in Georgia denied any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man after spotting him running in their neighborhood.

In 2023, Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot, overcoming holdouts from his own ranks after a chaotic week that tested the new GOP majority's ability to govern.

Today's Birthdays: Musician Kenny Loggins is 77. Actor David Caruso is 69. TV journalist Katie Couric is 68. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is 64. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is 62. Actor Nicolas Cage is 61. Actor Jeremy Renner is 54. Country singer-musician John Rich is 51. Racing driver Lewis Hamilton is 40. NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson is 28. Actor Marcus Scribner is 25. Jay-Z and Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy Carter is 13.