January 9th

The Illinois House voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (The Democratic governor was removed from office by the state Senate later in the month.).

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone.

'The Phantom of the Opera' became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing 'Cats,' which ran for 7,485 performances.

Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a landslide.

Apple Computer Inc. introduced its iTunes music management software at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.

The White House released a memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan in January 1986 that showed a definite link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.

Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes said a purported authorized biography of him by Clifford Irving was a fake.

The Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon. It was the last of America's unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.

Anti-American rioting broke out in the Panama Canal Zone.

6,000 Jews exterminated in pogrom in Bucharest, Romania.

The Battle of Gallipoli ends. The Gallipoli Campaign during World War I ended with the victory of the Ottoman Empire.

Ernest Shackleton as part of the British Nimrod Expedition reaches a record farthest South latitude (88°23' south).

The Russian Revolution of 1905 was sparked by troops firing on petitioners to Czar Nicholas in St. Petersburg.

Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union.

Daguerrotype photo process announced at French Academy of Science.

Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Philip Astley opens the world's first modern circus. The British equestrian, who is considered the father of modern circus, opened a riding school in London where he also performed tricks for an audience in the afternoons.

Afghans defeat Marathas in battle of Barari Ghat.

Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government.