On January 4, Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House

Today is Saturday, January 4, the fourth day of the year 2025. There are 361 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On January 4, 2007, Nancy Pelosi was elected the first female Speaker of the House as Democrats took control of Congress.

Also on this date:

In 1853, New Yorker Solomon Northup regained his freedom after being kidnapped in Washington, D.C., and enslaved in 1841; he would later tell his story in his memoir, “Twelve Years a Slave.”

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered his State of the Union address in which he outlined the goals of his “Great Society” initiative.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon refused to turn over tapes and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1999, Europe’s new currency, the euro, got off to a good start on its first day of trading, rising against the dollar in global currency markets.

In 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a serious stroke; his official powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert (EH’-hood OHL’-murt). (Sharon remained in a coma until her death in January 2014.)

In 2010, the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world, opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Today’s birthdays:

• Actor Dyan Cannon is 88 years old.
• Guitarist John McLaughlin is 83 years old.
• Author-historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is 82 years old.
• Country singer Patty Loveless is 68 years old.
• Singer Michael Stipe (REM) is 65 years old.
• Actress Julia Ormond is 60 years old.
• NFL running back Derrick Henry is 31 years old.
• Singer and actor Coco Jones is 27 years old.
• NBA center Victor Wembanyama is 21 years old.