January 2nd Major News Events

1923 Capitalism

Irving Fisher spoke out on this date. He had said that capitalism should be used "to clean the dirt of depression". Otherwise, the country will be eaten up (devoured) by a form of socialism (a type of government with some similarities to communism).

1929 Niagara Falls

Both the United States and Canada had signed an agreement to protect Niagara Falls. This particular signed document pertained to the proposal of construction north of the Falls. Issues such as cost and responsibility are indicated by this document.

1935 Bruno Richard Hauptmann Trial Begins

Bruno Richard Hauptmann Trial Begins for The kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by electrocution on April 3rd, 1936

1941 Andrew Sisters

1941 : The Andrew Sisters Recorded a song called "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". It was recorded on Decca Records, and it became a classic World War II hit.

1942 Duquesne Spy Ring

Having been broken up by the FBI headed J. Edgar Hoover together with the help from the US/ German double agent William G. Sebold Thirty Three of the members of the German Duquesne Spy Ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne are sentenced to serve a total of over 300 years in prison

1942 Navy Blimp

A navy blimp (airship) base had opened in New Jersey during World War II. This was one of the only airship bases used during this time, and the United States was the only nation that had used them.

1960 John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was a 42 year old senator. He announced that he was going to run for the candidacy of U.S. President under the Democratic ticket.

1959 Luna 1

1959 : Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon is launched by the Soviet Union, the object was to crash into the moons surface, but failed to do so, It was the first man-made object to reach the escape velocity of the Earth.

1969 News Of The World

Australian media magnate, Rupert Murdoch, wins control of the News of the World newspaper group.

1974 55 MPH Speed Limit

New speed limit laws were set by Richard Nixon. The new speed limit on all national highways was set at 55 mph as of this time. Before 1974, individual states had set their own speed limits-which were from 40 to 80 mph.

1979 Sex Pistols

Sid Vicious, a former member of the Sex Pistols was put on trial for murdering his girlfriend. This murder incident had taken place in 1978.

It was not yet decided at this point as to whether or not Vicious had actually committed the murder. Only about a month later he had taken a dose of heroine that killed him. He was only 21 years old when he took his own life.

1980 Salt II Talks Postponed

President Jimmy Carter proposed the postponement of the Salt II nuclear weapon treaty. This was a move of retaliation against the Soviet government who was intervening in Afghanistan at the time. After this, U.S.-Soviet relations were quite strained.

Another action was made at this time as well. Carter had ordered Thomas J. Watson, Ambassador to the Soviet Union, home. Later Carter had stated that recalling Thomas J. Watson was an attempt to make the statement that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was unacceptable.

1981 Peter Sutcliffe Arrested

The five-year hunt for Peter Sutcliffe ended as he was seen spotted in a stolen car with a prostitute. Surgeon Robert Ring was the one who had arrested him. Later on, Robert Ring had also recovered two of Sutcliffe's weapons-a hammer and a knife. They were hidden behind shrubbery shortly before Sutcliffe was found and arrested.

1993 Bosnian Serbs, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia are meeting

Leaders of the Bosnian Serbs, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia are meeting to discuss a peace plan aimed at ending nine months of fighting in the country. This meeting did not achieve a long term resolution and the fighting continued .

1996 AT&T

AT&T, a major telecommunications giant has proposed plans to restructure its entire operation. One part of the plan was to divide the company up into three separate companies. As a result, 40,000 employees were to lose their jobs. Further study needs to be done to see what the results of executing this proposal are.

1996 Dayton peace plan

Following the signing of the Dayton peace plan on December 14th US peacekeepers pour into Bosnia to try to keep the peace between Bosnian Serbs and Muslims,

1999 U.S. Midwest Snowstorm

A major snowstorm strikes the Midwestern leaving 14 inches of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and 19 inches in Chicago, Illinois, where temperatures plunge to -13 °F (-25 °C); 68 deaths are reported

2000 Plymouth Neon

The first Plymouth Neon was made. This is a compact economy car that has a sporty look to it. It was created by the Chrysler Corporation, and was a vehicle that was favored quite a bit by young drivers.

2004 Avalanche

2004 : An avalanche has crashed into a gymnasium in the remote Inuit settlement of Kangiqsualujjuaq, in northern Quebec killing nine people and injuring a further 25.

2006 Sago Mine Disaster

An explosion in the Sago Mine ( thought to have been caused by a pocket of methane gas ) , West Virginia traps 13 miners underground, despite rescue efforts only one miner was saved and the other 12 died before they could be rescued.

2007 Winter Storms Continue

The strong Blizzards which have now bought up to 3 ft of snow to central parts of the US in the last few days has left more than 12 dead and concerns for the welfare of thousands of livestock. As the blizzard has eased National Guard Helicopters are now able to fly again and have been dropping food for those trapped in their homes and hay bales for stranded livestock. The worst affected areas are western Kansas and eastern Colorado

2008 The Race For President

2008 : After 12 months of campaigning the real race is about to begin as voters in Iowa have been bombarded with TV adds and speeches on a daily basis in the Iowa's caucuses.

All the contenders are now concentrating on getting their voters to the polls as with such a small number of voters a well organized party machine that can get just a few thousand voters to vote on the day could swing the result.

The three front runners for the Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards are locked in a close three-way fight with just a few percentage points seperating them according to the latest polls.

The two front runners for the Republicans are Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney .

2008 Pakistan Violence Continues

The violence continues in Pakistan following the murder of Ms. Bhutto and elections have been delayed for 6 weeks.

2011 Oil Pipeline Opens Between Russia and China

An oil pipeline running directly between China, the world's largest enegery consumer, and Russia, the world's largest oil producer, is opened. The pipeline runs between Siberia and Northeastern China and is the first to connect between the two countries.    

2012 Iran Test Fires Medium Range Missiles

2012 : Iran test fired medium range missiles including the Qader, Nasr, and Nour missiles. The country also claimed to have carried out mock exercises on shutting the Strait of Hormuz down. The tests came after increased tension between the country and the West over Iran's nuclear program.

2013 Mauritania Bans Plastic Bags

The country of Mauritania banned the use of plastic bags in order to protect animals and the environment. A majority of the deaths of cattle and sheep in the country's capital are a result of the animals eating plastic bags.

2014 Juanita Moore Dies

2014 : Oscar-nominated actress Juanita Moore died at the age of ninety-nine. An African-American actress, Moore had been a pioneer in Hollywood becoming only the fifth black actor to be nominated for an Academy Award. .

2011 Tornadoes Hit Southern Midwest States

 Tornadoes hit the states of Arkansas and Missouri on New Year's day, killing seven people and injuring others. The tornadoes destroyed several houses and power lines causing a crisis in the area during the holiday season.

2012 Ethnic Clashes Kill 50 in Nigeria

At least fifty people died after ethnic clashes broke out in Eastern Nigeria. The clashes took place in the state of Ebonyi between the Ezza and Ezilo people over a land dispute.

2013 North Korean Leader Gives Speech

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave a New Year's speech through the state controlled television, the first of such by a leader of the secretive country in nearly twenty years. Kim Jong-un talked about the economy, military and reunification of North and South Korea.

2014 Latvia Joins the Eurozone

Latvia officially became a part of the "Eurozone", the eighteenth country to start using the Euro as their official currency. Latvia boasts one of the European Union's largest growing economy. It was reported that the currency change was met with some skepticism and that over half of the population did not want the change.

2014 Colorado Sells Marijuana

Marijuana for recreational use went on sale in the state of Colorado. Colorado became the first state to allow the sale of the drug for recreational purposes in stores and around thirty stores were expected to open. Despite the state legislation, marijuana is still an illegal drug according to federal law.