Friday, January 3, 2025

1521 – Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem for his role in the Protestant Reformation.

1777 – The Battle of Princeton occurred during the American Revolutionary War, with General George Washington’s forces defeating British troops.

1868 – The Tokugawa shogunate in Japan was abolished as Emperor Meiji declared a restoration of imperial rule, marking the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.

1870 – Construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, which would become one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States.

1888 – Marvin C. Stone patented the modern drinking straw, made from paraffin-coated paper, improving on earlier straw designs.

1925 – Benito Mussolini declared himself the dictator of Italy, solidifying his power and establishing a totalitarian regime.

1946 – William Joyce, also known as “Lord Haw-Haw,” was executed in Britain for treason after broadcasting Nazi propaganda during World War II.

1959 – Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the United States, expanding the nation’s boundaries into the Arctic region.

1961 – The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, following rising tensions after Fidel Castro’s rise to power and alignment with the Soviet Union.

1993 – George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin signed the START II treaty, aiming to significantly reduce the number of nuclear weapons held by the United States and Russia.