January 8: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Donald Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter due to the risk of further incitement of violence.

Justin Bieber posted on Instagram that he has Lyme disease, a bacterial illness spread by ticks.

Twenty One Pilots released their third studio album called “Vessel.”

Ironically, the album reached 21 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Giant self-rolling snowballs were found in the UK.

These rare snowballs are formed in snowy weather with a precise combination of snow, ice, temperature, moisture, and wind. Self-rolling snowballs are also known as snow bales, snow rollers, and snow doughnuts.

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook the entire Eastern Mediterranean.

At 13:35 (local time), the earthquake struck 120 miles south of Athens and was felt in the entire Eastern Mediterranean basin. Although there was significant damage, there were only three casualties.

Japanese prime minister treated president George H. W. Bush to dinner, and Bush threw up on the host.

The unmanned space mission Luna 21 was launched.

Luna 21 carried the second successful Soviet lunar rover, Lunokhod 2, and was launched less than a month after the last Apollo lunar landing. Luna 21 and Lunokhod 2 are still on the Moon.

During his State of the Union address, US President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “War on Poverty.”

The state of Mississippi became the first to accept the prohibition of alcohol.

The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was all about banning alcohol in a bid to reduce crime and corruption.

The US wasn’t in debt on this day.

This was the first and only time that the United States of America had no National debt.

Mathematician Sophie Germain became the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Paris Academy of Sizes Prize for her theory of surface vibrations.

The first President of the United States, George Washington, delivered the first State of the Union address in New York City.

The world’s oldest newspaper, Haarlem, published its first paper in the Netherlands.

Christopher Columbus sighted manatees for the first time ever.

He found them near the Dominican Republic after mistaking them for mermaids. When he described them, he said they were "not half as beautiful as they are painted."