Today is Thursday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2025. There are 356 days left in the year.
Today in history
On Jan. 9, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at the Macworld conference in San Francisco.
Also on this date
In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, the same day the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, S.C., retreated because of artillery fire.
In 1916, the World War I Battle of Gallipoli ended with an Ottoman Empire victory as Allied forces withdrew.
In 1945, during World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, resulting in an Allied victory over Imperial Japanese forces.
In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority. following the death of Yasser Arafat the previous November.
In 2018, downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down Southern California hillsides that had been stripped of vegetation by a gigantic wildfire; more than 20 people died and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed.
In 2022, 17 people, including eight children, died after a fire sparked by a malfunctioning space heater filled a high-rise apartment building with smoke in the New York City borough of the Bronx; it was the city’s deadliest blaze in three decades.
Fun facts
When Anglerfish mate, they melt into each other and share their bodies forever. If a male finds a female, he latches on and fuses to her, losing his internal organs until they share a bloodstream.
After New Zealand spent a staggering $17.4 million searching for a new flag, the country’s citizens voted to keep their old one.
Mindfulness practice reduces activity in the part of the brain called the amygdala, and it increases the connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. As a result, our brains can help us deal with stress and recover from stressors more easily.
Today’s birthdays
Musician-activist Joan Baez is 84. Rock musician Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 81. Singer Crystal Gayle is 74. Actor J.K. Simmons is 70. Actor Imelda Staunton is 69. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú is 66. Actor Joely Richardson is 60. Musician Dave Matthews is 58. Singer AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 47. Golfer Sergio Garcia is 45. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is 43. Actor Nina Dobrev is 36.
The Edge is compiled by Katie Clohessy. She can be contacted at kclohessy@lmtribune.com.
