Today in History: January 4, Nancy Pelosi becomes first female speaker of the House

On Jan. 4, 2007, Nancy Pelosi was elected the first female speaker of the House as Democrats took control of Congress.

Also on this date:

In 1853, New Yorker Solomon Northup regained his freedom after being kidnapped in Washington, D.C., and forced into slavery in 1841; he would later tell his story in his memoir, “Twelve Years a Slave.”

In 1896, Utah was admitted as the 45th U.S. state after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially ended the practice of polygamy.

In 1948, Burma (now known as Myanmar) marked its independence from Great Britain.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered his State of the Union address in which he outlined the goals of his “Great Society” initiative.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1999, Europe’s new currency, the euro, got off to a strong start on its first trading day, rising against the dollar on world currency markets.

In 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a significant stroke; his official powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert (EH’-hood OHL’-murt). (Sharon remained in a coma until his death in January 2014.)

In 2010, the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world at 2,717 feet tall, opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Dyan Cannon is 89. Guitarist John McLaughlin is 84. Author-historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is 83. Country singer Patty Loveless is 69. Singer Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) is 66. Actor Julia Ormond is 61. NFL running back Derrick Henry is 32. Singer-actor Coco Jones is 28. NBA center Victor Wembanyama is 22.