TODAY IN HISTORY

Thursday, January  09, 2014 AP Highlight in History:  On Jan. 9, 1913, Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, was born in Yorba Linda, Calif.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1788 Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1861 Mississippi seceded from the Union. 1968 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. 1972 Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes said a purported authorized biography of him by Clifford Irving was a fake. 1987 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. 2001 Apple Computer Inc. introduced its iTunes music management software at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. 2005 Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a landslide. 2006 "The Phantom of the Opera" became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing "Cats," which ran for 7,485 performances. AP Photo 2007 Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone. 2009 The Illinois House voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (The Democratic governor was removed from office by the state Senate later in the month.)		Video HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today's Birthdays: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, the wife of Britain's Prince William, turns 32 years old today. AP Photo/Mike Nelson Name Profession Age Judith Krantz Author 86 Bart Starr Football Hall of Famer 80 Dick Enberg Sportscaster 79 Joan Baez Folk singer 73 Jimmy Page Rock musician (Led Zeppelin) 70 David Johansen Rock singer (New York Dolls, "Buster Poindexter") 64 Crystal Gayle Country singer 63 Imelda Staunton Actress 58 Joely Richardson Actress 49 Chad Johnson Football player 36 A.J. Mclean Singer (Backstreet Boys) 36 Actor J.K. Simmons turns 59 years old today. AP Photo/Matt Sayles