TODAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, January  04, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On Jan. 4, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined the goals of his "Great Society" in his State of the Union address. President Lyndon B. Johnson   AP Photo
On this date in: 1896 Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state. 1948 Britain granted independence to Burma. 1951 North Korean and Communist Chinese forces captured the city of Seoul during the Korean War. 1960 Nobel Prize-winning French author Albert Camus died in a car accident at age 46. 1965 Poet T.S. Eliot died at age 76. AP Photo 1974 President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee. 1995 The 104th Congress convened, the first entirely under Republican control since the Eisenhower era; Newt Gingrich was elected speaker of the House. 1999 Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as governor of Minnesota. 2004 Afghans approved a new constitution. 2006 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and his powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert. 2007 Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became the first female speaker of the House. AP Photo/Susan Walsh 2010 Dubai opened the world's tallest skyscraper, the 2,717-foot gleaming glass-and-metal tower Burj Khalifa.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Rock singer Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) turns 52 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Barbara Rush Actress 85 Don Shula Hall of Fame football coach 82 Dyan Cannon Actress 75 Doris Kearns Goodwin Author, historian 69 Patty Loveless Country singer 55 Dave Foley Actor, comedian ("NewsRadio") 49 Dot Jones Actress ("Glee") 48 Deana Carter Country singer 46 Actress Julia Ormond turns 47 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini