Today in History

Today is Saturday, Jan. 3, the third day of 2015. There are 362 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 3, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced that the United States had terminated diplomatic relations with Cuba, after the Havana government said it was limiting the number of U.S. Embassy and Consulate personnel allowed in the country.

On this date:

In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X.

In 1777, Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey.

In 1870, groundbreaking took place for the Brooklyn Bridge.

In 1938, the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who himself had been afflicted with the crippling disease.

In 1949, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court said that states had the right to ban closed shops.

In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state as President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation.

In 1967, Jack Ruby, the man who shot and killed accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in a Dallas hospital.

In 1975, the original version of the TV game show "Jeopardy!," hosted by Art Fleming, ended its nearly 11-year run on NBC.

In 1990, ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission.

In 2000, the last new daily "Peanuts" strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush tapped his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton to help raise tsunami relief funds. Will Eisner, the artist who'd revolutionized comic books and helped pioneer the graphic novel, died in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, at age 87. The third-ranked Auburn Tigers limped to a 16-13 victory over No. 9 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Craig Ferguson took over as host of "The Late Late Show" on CBS-TV.

Five years ago: The U.S. closed its embassy in Yemen, citing ongoing threats by the al-Qaida branch linked to the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner headed to Detroit; Britain also shuttered its embassy. A Rutgers University doctoral student breached security at Newark Liberty Airport to kiss his girlfriend goodbye, prompting a six-hour shutdown. (Haisong Jiang (hy-song gee-ong) later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and was fined.)

One year ago: The secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruled again that the National Security Agency could keep collecting every American's telephone records every day. Phil Everly, who with his brother Don formed an influential harmony duo, died in Burbank, California, at age 74. Oscar-winning movie producer Saul Zaentz (zantz), 92, died in San Francisco. No. 12 Clemson rallied to beat No. 7 Ohio State 40-35 in the Orange Bowl.

Today's Birthdays: Record producer Sir George Martin is 89. Actor Robert Loggia is 85. Actor Dabney Coleman is 83. Journalist-author Betty Rollin is 79. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull is 76. Singer-songwriter-producer Van Dyke Parks is 72. Musician Stephen Stills is 70. Rock musician John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is 69. Actress Victoria Principal is 65. Actor-director Mel Gibson is 59. Actress Shannon Sturges is 47. Jazz musician James Carter is 46. Contemporary Christian singer Nichole Nordeman is 43. Musician Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk) is 40. Actor Jason Marsden is 40. Actress Danica McKellar is 40. Actor Nicholas Gonzalez is 39. Singer Kimberley Locke ("American Idol") is 37. NFL quarterback Eli Manning is 34. Actress Nicole Beharie (TV: "Sleepy Hollow" Film: "42") is 30. Pop musician Mark Pontius (Foster the People) is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lloyd is 29. Pop-rock musician Nash Overstreet (Hot Chelle (shel) Rae) is 29. Actor Alex D. Linz is 26.

Thought for Today: "The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't." — Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887).

(Above Advance for Use Saturday, Jan. 3)