This Day in History

In 1887, the U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

In 1936, Britain’s King George V died; he was succeeded by Edward VIII.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20th instead of March 4th.

In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution” that called for exterminating Jews.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman was sworn in for a second term of office.

In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States; Spiro Agnew took the oath of vice president.

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.

In 1990, actress Barbara Stanwyck died in Santa Monica, Calif. at age 82.

Ten years ago: Census 2000 officially got under way as Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt knocked on the door of a small wood-frame house in Unalakleet, Alaska, to begin the nationwide head count.

The Clinton administration issued visas to the grandmothers of Elian Gonzalez, enabling them to visit the United States to make their case for the six-year-old’s return to Cuba.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush was inaugurated for a second term; Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ill with thyroid cancer, delivered the oath of office. Anti-Bush demonstrators jeered the president’s motorcade during the inaugural parade.

One year ago: Russian natural gas began flowing into Ukraine after a nearly two-week cutoff that had left large parts of Europe cold and dark.

Today’s Birthdays: Country singer Slim Whitman is 86. Actress Patricia Neal is 84. Comedian Arte Johnson is 81. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 80. Actress Dorothy Provine is 73. Olympic gold medal figure skater Carol Heiss is 70. Singer Eric Stewart is 65. Movie director David Lynch is 64. Country-rock musician George Grantham (Poco) is 63. Actor Daniel Benzali is 60. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 58. Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 58. Comedian Bill Maher (MAR) is 54. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 52. Actor James Denton is 47. Rock musician Greg K. (The Offspring) is 45. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 45. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is 45. Actor Rainn Wilson ("The Office) is 44. Actress Stacey Dash is 43. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 42. Singer Xavier is 42. Singer Edwin McCain is 40. Actor Skeet Ulrich is 40. Rap musician ?uestlove (questlove) (The Roots) is 39. Rock musician Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) is 31. Actor Evan Peters is 23.