On This Day for January 7 - Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's four moons, Hirohito is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. January 07 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Hirohito READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1610 Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's four moons READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2015: Two gunmen connected to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemeni-based militant group, stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people in retribution for the satirical magazine's portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad; the attackers were later killed by police. 2003: By presidential decree, Christmas —this day on the Coptic Orthodox calendar—was celebrated for the first time as a national holiday in Egypt, an almost entirely Muslim country. [ Test your knowledge of Egyptian history.] 2001: John Kufuor was inaugurated as president of Ghana in that country's first peaceful transition from one elected government to another. [ Take our quiz about African leaders.] 1979: Vietnamese forces took control of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, ousting the Khmer Rouge and its leader, Pol Pot. [ How much do you know about Asia?] 1957: American broadcast journalist Katie Couric, who was the first solo female anchor of a major network (CBS) evening news program, was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about pop culture .] 1891: Zora Neale Hurston, an American folklorist and writer associated with the Harlem Renaissance who celebrated black culture of the rural South, was born. [Take our writers of the Harlem Renaissance quiz.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1964 Nicolas Cage American actor 1800 Millard Fillmore president of United States 1957 Katie Couric American broadcaster 1891 Zora Neale Hurston American author 1967 Nick Clegg British politician 1944 Omar al-Bashir president of Sudan SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help