"Today in History: January 20, Franklin Roosevelt Makes History with Earlier Inauguration Date"

 Hey there, folks! It's Saturday, January 20th, 2024. Can you believe it? We're on the 20th day of the year, and there's still a whopping 346 days left to roll through.

Let's take a quick trip down memory lane with some historical highlights:

Back in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt shook things up by becoming the first bigwig to get inaugurated on January 20 instead of the usual March 4.

And on this very day:

• In 1801, John Marshall, the Secretary of State, got the nod from President John Adams to be the top dog, the chief justice of the United States.

• Fast forward to 1841, and China said, "Here you go, Britain," handing over Hong Kong. But, hey, it wasn't forever – Hong Kong came back under Chinese wings in July 1997.

• In 1936, Britain's King George V left the scene after a dose of morphine and cocaine from his doc. His eldest son, Edward VIII, stepped up but bailed on the throne 11 months later to tie the knot with American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

• 1961 witnessed John F. Kennedy becoming the 35th President of the United States, while in 1964, Capitol Records unleashed the legendary album "Meet the Beatles!"

• Jumping to 1981, Iran let go of 52 Americans they had kept hostage for a mind-boggling 444 days, just as Ronald Reagan took the presidential reins from Jimmy Carter.

• 1986 marked the first federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. in the U.S.

• In 2009, Barack Obama made history, being sworn in as the 44th president and the first African American to boot.

• 2011 saw the FBI pulling off a massive Mafia takedown, charging 127 mobsters with all sorts of crimes.

• Fast forward to 2017, and Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president, promising to give power back to the "forgotten men and women."

Oh, and in 2020, the Chinese government confirmed human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus. Yeah, that one.

In the entertainment world, we also remember Meat Loaf, the rock legend behind "Bat Out of Hell," who left us in 2022 at the age of 74.

Now, let's celebrate some birthdays:

• Buzz Aldrin, the former astronaut, is rocking 94 years on this planet.

• Olympic gold medalist figure skater Carol Heiss is 84.

• Rock on with Paul Stanley (KISS) at 72.

• Comedian Bill Maher is cracking jokes at 68.

• The stylish Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is turning 59.

• And a shoutout to the young ones: Evan Peters is just 37.

That's a wrap for today's history and birthdays! Enjoy your Saturday, and here's to the next 346 days of 2024.

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