1870

Republican Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi was sworn in as U.S. senator, becoming the first African American member of either house of Congress.

1964

Muhammad Ali became world heavyweight boxing champion for the first time as he defeated Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.

1986

President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election; opposition leader Corazon Aquino — the first woman to lead the country — assumed the presidency.

1991

During the Persian Gulf War, 28 American soldiers were killed when an Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

2020

U.S. health officials warned that the coronavirus was certain to spread more widely in the U.S.; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged Americans to be prepared.

Birthdays

Former talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael is 90. Film director Neil Jordan is 75. Rock musician-actor John Doe is 72. Comedian Carrot Top is 60. Actor Tea Leoni is 59. Actor Sean Astin is 54. Singer Daniel Powter is 54. Comedian-actor Chelsea Handler is 50. Actor Rashida Jones is 49. Actor Jameela Jamil is 39. Golfer Hideki Matsuyama is 33.