1976: Jimmy Carter, a former Democratic governor of Georgia and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize for Peace, made history by winning the presidential election and becoming the 39th president of the United States. In a closely contested race, Carter emerged victorious over Republican Gerald R. Ford.

1783: General George Washington delivered his Farewell Address to the Army near Princeton, New Jersey. In this address, Washington expressed gratitude to the soldiers and emphasized the importance of unity, liberty, and the preservation of the young nation.

1861: President Abraham Lincoln took the decisive step of removing Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont from his position as commander of the Army's Department of the West in St. Louis during the Civil War. This action was in response to Fremont's unauthorized actions to emancipate slaves in Missouri.

1889: North Dakota and South Dakota joined the union as the 39th and 40th states, respectively, marking an important milestone in the growth of the United States.

1920: Election Day in Ocoee, Florida turned into a tragic event when a Black man named Mose Norman attempted to vote. White mobs responded with violence, setting fire to Black-owned properties. This horrific incident resulted in the estimated deaths of up to 60 individuals, according to some historians.

1983: President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law that officially recognized the third Monday in January as a national holiday in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

1994: Paul Hill, in Pensacola, Florida, was found guilty of murder for using a shotgun to kill an abortion care provider and his escort. (Hill faced execution and was ultimately put to death in September 2003.)


2000: American astronaut Bill Shepherd, along with Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, made history as the first residents of the international space station.

2016: The Chicago Cubs ended a championship drought that had persisted since 1908 by winning the World Series. In an intense game, they secured victory by defeating the Cleveland Indians with a score of 8-7 in extra innings.

2020: In the final hours of the presidential campaign, President Donald Trump embarked on extensive travel across the country, making controversial and unfounded claims of election rigging. Meanwhile, Democrat Joe Biden focused on securing states that were previously considered reliably Republican.