January 3 in History

• 1521

  January 3, 1521:

  German priest Martin Luther, who gained notoriety for questioning some practices of the Catholic Church, is excommunicated from the Church by Pope Leo X.

• 1938

  January 3, 1938:

  The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis is established by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to look into a cure for polio.

• 1959

  January 3, 1959:

  Alaska officially joins the United States as the 49th state. 

• 1977

  January 3, 1977:

  Co-founders of Apple, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporate the company.

• 1987

  January 3, 1987:

  Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• 1990

  January 3, 1990:

  Manuel Noriega, the notorious Panamanian dictator surrenders, to the United States troops to face drug trafficking charges.

• 1993

  January 3, 1993:

  American football team, the Buffalo Bills makes a comeback from a 35-3 score defeat to the Houston Oilers at halftime to a 41-38 victory by full-time.

• 2001

  January 3, 2001:

  Hillary Clinton becomes the first former US First Lady to occupy an elective office.

• 2004

  January 3, 2004:

  The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit by NASA lands on Mars.

• 2005

  January 3, 2005:

  Comedian Craig Ferguson begins hosting “The Late Late Show”.