Today in History: January 9, Americans arrive in Lingayen Gulf during World War II
Today is Friday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2026. There are 356 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Jan. 9, 1945, during World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, resulting in an Allied victory over Imperial Japanese forces.
Also on this date:
In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, the same day the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, retreated because of artillery fire.
In 1916, the World War I Battle of Gallipoli ended with an Ottoman Empire victory as Allied forces withdrew.
In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority following the death of Yasser Arafat the previous November.
In 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at the Macworld conference in San Francisco.
In 2018, downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down Southern California hillsides that had been stripped of vegetation by a wildfire; more than 20 people died and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed.
In 2022, 17 people, including eight children, died after a fire sparked by a malfunctioning space heater filled a high-rise apartment building with smoke in the New York City borough of the Bronx; it was the city’s deadliest blaze in three decades.
Today’s birthdays:
- Musician-activist Joan Baez is 85.
- Rock musician Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 82.
- Singer Crystal Gayle is 75.
- Actor J.K. Simmons is 71.
- Actor Imelda Staunton is 70.
- Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú is 67.
- Actor Joely Richardson is 61.
- Musician Dave Matthews is 59.
- Rapper and singer Sean Paul is 53.
- Actor Angela Bettis is 53.
- Singer AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 48.
- Golfer Sergio Garcia is 46.
- Catherine, Princess of Wales, is 44.
- World champion bull rider J.B. Mauney is 39.
- Actor Nina Dobrev is 37.