History for January 3

History for January 3 - On-This-Day.com
Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 B.C., Lucretia Mott 1793, J.R.R. Tolkien 1892


Mel Gibson 1956 - Actor ("Braveheart," "Lethal Weapon" movies), Michael Schumacher 1969 - Racecar driver, Danica McKellar 1975 - Actress ("The Wonder Years")


1777 - The Battle of Princeton took place in the War of Independence, in which George Washington defeated the British forces, led by Cornwallis.


1833 - Britain seized control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. About 150 years later, Argentina seized the islands from the British, but Britain took them back after a 74-day war.


1871 - Henry W. Bradley patented oleomargarine.


1888 - The drinking straw was patented by Marvin C. Stone.


1924 - English explorer Howard Carter discovered the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt.


1925 - In Italy, Mussolini announced that he would take dictatorial powers.


1951 - NBC-TV debuted "Dragnet."


1988 - Margaret Thatcher became the longest-serving British Prime Minister in the 20th century.