Today is Monday, January 28th, the 28th day of the year. There are 337 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1878, the first telephone switchboard was installed in New Haven, Connecticut.
In 1878, "The Yale News" was published for the first time. It became the very first collegiate newspaper in the United States.
In 1973, actor John Banner died at the age of 63. He is best remembered for his role as Sergeant Schultz on the television show "Hogan's Heroes."
In 1985, 45 top recording artists from around the world participated in the "USA for Africa" project. The all-night recording session resulted in the song "We Are The World." The song became one of the biggest sellers in music history.
In 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded 72-seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. All seven astronauts on board were killed. The blast was caused by a failure of the shuttle's rocket booster O-rings due to cold weather at launch time. The disaster occurred 25-years and one day after the fire at NASA's Apollo One launch pad which left three astronauts dead.
In 1991, College and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Red Grange died at the age of 87. He is best remembered by his nickname "The Galloping Ghost."
In 2000, after decades of denial, the U.S. government finally admitted that workers making nuclear weapons were exposed to radiation and chemicals that led to cancer and early death.
In 2004, a federal judge in Alaska ordered Exxon-Mobil Corporation to pay over four-billion dollars in punitive damages, plus more than two-billion in interest to compensate for the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in 1989.
In 2012, actors' unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artist voted to merge into one union called SAG-AFTRA.
In 2016, toy maker Mattel released new tall, curvy and petite versions of the famous Barbie doll. The new dolls come after years of criticism. The company said Barbie's new looks are an effort to more accurately reflect real women's shapes.
In 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said refugees rejected by the U.S. following President Trump's immigration ban can stay in his country.