1841

The island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.

1961

In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy urged Americans, “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

1981

Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

1986

The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of killed civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

2009

Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation’s first Black president.

2011

Federal authorities orchestrated one of the biggest Mafia takedowns in FBI history, charging 127 suspected mobsters and associates in the Northeast with murders, extortion and other crimes spanning decades.

Birthdays:

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 95. Olympic figure skating gold medalist Carol Heiss Jenkins is 85. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 73. Comedian Bill Maher is 69. Olympic swimming gold medalist John Naber is 69. Actor Rainn Wilson is 59. Country singer Brantley Gilbert is 40.