January 22nd is an important day in abortion rights as in 1973 the US Supreme Court issued its judgment in the Roe Vs Wade case, that legalised abortion. In 2001 President George W. Bush signed a memorandum reinstating full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid. in 1917 President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to the first World War, calling for "peace without victory." In 1944 the allies began landings at Anzio, Italy. The British won and lost on this day in 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu war, losing at the Battle of Isandlwana, whilst 139 of their soldiers fought off several thousand warriors at the Battle of Rourke's Drift. The latter was later made into the classic film Zulu, starring a young Michael Caine. The day was also an end of an era for Britain as in 1901, Edward VII was declared king after the death of the nations longest serving monarch, Queen Victoria, whom, do doubt, was not amused. in 1973 Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, died at his ranch in Johnson City, Texas, at age 64. The city was named after his great grandfather, who founded it. 
 
A sporting milestone was reached in 1927 with the first live radio commentary of a football match between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United. In football, it was also the birthday of Dixie Dean, in 1907, who holds the record for scoring 60 goals in a single season and throughout his long career, was never booked or sent off. A quiet unassuming man, he passed away of a heart attack whilst watching his team, Everton play local rivals, Liverpool. Sir Alf Ramsey, who led England to their only World Cup victory was born in 1920. 
 
1963 was a key day for Europeans as the Elysée treaty of cooperation between France and Germany was signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer. In 2009, President Barack Obama ordered that Guantanamo Bay closed within a year. 
 
Rasputin was born on this day in 1869 and he shares his birthday with Lord Byron, the poet and Hellraiser in 1788 and U Thant, United Nations Secretary General in 1909.  Telly Savalas died on this day in 1994, as did Heath Ledger in 2008. 
 
Events 

• 1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
• 1521 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, opens the Diet of Worms.
• 1771 – Spain cedes Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands to England.
• 1899 – Leaders of six Australian colonies meet in Melbourne to discuss confederation.
• 1905 – Bloody Sunday in St. Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
• 1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
• 1952 – The first Jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet, enters service for BOAC.
• 1957 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
• 1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous "1984" television commercial.
• 1995 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Beit Lid massacre – In central Israel, near Netanya, two suicide bombers from the Gaza Strip blow themselves up at a military transit point killing 19 Israelis.
• 1999 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.
• 2002 – Kmart Corp becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

 
Births 
 
1561 – Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher (d. 1626)

1690 – Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743) 
1729 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author and philosopher (d. 1781) 
1879 – Francis Picabia, French-born painter and poet (d. 1953) 
1908 – Lev Landau, Soviet physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1968) 
1914 – Dimitris Dragatakis, Greek composer (d. 2001) 
1931 – Sam Cooke, American singer (d. 1964) 
1932 – Berthold Grünfeld, Norwegian psychiatrist and former sexologist 
1937 – Joseph Wambaugh, American author 
1959 – Linda Blair, American actress 
1960 – Michael Hutchence, Australian singer (INXS) (d. 1997)

 
Deaths 

1922 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish politician and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1837) 
1922 – Pope Benedict XV (b. 1854) 
1951 – Karl Nessler, inventor of the perm (b. 1872) 
1954 – Princess Margaret of Prussia, queen of Finland (b. 1872) 
1982 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, 28th President of Chile (b. 1911) 
1995 – Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy family (b. 1890) 
2007 – Ngô Quang Trưởng, South Vietnamese general (b. 1929) 
2007 – Abbé Pierre, French priest (b. 1912)