Today In History

TODAY IN HISTORY

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A trusted resource of/for the history of Shelby County that instills pride while educating and inspiring all generations.

The Shelby County Historical Society & Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8 to 4. They’re ready to take you back in time, located on the corner of Morse Avenue and Pine Street in Harlan. Call 755-2437 for more information

January 17th - 17th Day of the Year

1601
The Treaty of Lyons ends a short war between France and Savoy.

1746
Charles Edward Stuart, the young pretender, defeats the government forces at the battle of Falkirk in Scotland.

1773
Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle.

1781
Relying upon strategic creativity, Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and a mixed Patriot force rout British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and a group of Redcoats and Loyalists at the Battle of Cowpens.

1819
Simon Bolivar the "liberator" proclaims Columbia a republic.

1852
At the Sand River Convention, the British recognize the independence of the Transvaal Board.

1893
Queen Liliuokalani, the Hawaiian monarch, is overthrown by a group of American sugar planters led by Sanford Ballard Dole.

1912
Robert Scott reaches the South Pole only a month after Roald Amundsen.

1916
A group of golf professionals and several leading amateur golfers gather at the Taplow Club in New York City, in a meeting that will result in the founding of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA).

1939
The Reich issues an order forbidding Jews to practice as dentists, veterinarians and chemists.

1945
The Red army occupies Warsaw.

1950
11 men steal more than $2 million ($29 million today) from the Brink's Armored Car depot in Boston, Massachusetts.

1953
A prototype Chevrolet Corvette sports car makes its debut at General Motors’ (GM) Motorama auto show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

1963
Soviet leader Khrushchev visits the Berlin Wall.

1985
A jury in New Jersey rules that terminally ill patients have the right to starve themselves.

1994
An earthquake rocks Los Angeles, California, killing 54 people and causing billions of dollars in damages. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge quake was one of the most damaging in U.S. history.

1997
The Republic of Ireland legally grants a divorce for the first time following a 1995 referendum. The first divorce in Ireland, granted to a terminally ill man who wished to marry his new partner, was a harbinger of the decline of the Catholic Church’s power over the Republic.

The Shelby County Historical Society would like to thank the following area businesses for their support:
KNOD, Harlan Newspaper, Hy-Vee, Milk & Honey, Farm Table Delivery, Nelson Farm Supply, Shelby County Physical Therapy, Shelby County State Bank, State Farm-EJ Leinen, Town & Country Credit Union, Ouren Real Estate, and ThinkSpace IT.