United States Surgeon General Luther Terry knew his report was a bombshell. He intentionally chose to release it on January 11, 1964, a Saturday, so as to limit its immediate effects on the stock market. It was on this date that, on behalf of the U.S. Government, Terry announced a definitive link between smoking and cancer.

The link had long been suspected. Anecdotal evidence had always pointed to negative health effects from smoking, and by the 1930s physicians were noticing an increase in lung cancer cases. The first medical studies that raised serious concerns were published in Great Britain in the late 1940s. 

Source: history.com

On January 11, 1922, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson became the first person to receive an injection of the hormone insulin for Type-1 diabetes—a disease that for millennia had been considered a death sentence for anyone who developed it. The breakthrough would be one of the most consequential in medical history, saving millions of lives.

Diabetes has been recognized as a distinct medical condition for more than 3,000 years, but its exact cause was a mystery until the 20th century. By the early 1920s, many researchers strongly suspected that diabetes was caused by a malfunction in the digestive system related to the pancreas gland, a small organ that sits near the liver. At that time, the only way to treat the fatal disease was through a diet low in carbohydrates and sugar and high in fat and protein. Instead of dying shortly after diagnosis, this diet allowed diabetics to live—for about a year.

1569 – England’s first state lottery was held.

1770 – The first shipment of rhubarb was sent to the United States from London.

1805 – The Michigan Territory was created.

1861 – Alabama seceded from the United States.

1867 – Benito Juarez returned to the Mexican presidency, following the withdrawal of French troops and the execution of Emperor Maximilian.

1878 – In New York, milk was delivered in glass bottles for the first time by Alexander Campbell.

1902 – “Popular Mechanics” magazine was published for the first time.

1913 – The first sedan-type car was unveiled at the National Automobile Show in New York City. The car was manufactured by the Hudson Motor Company.

1922 – At Toronto General Hospital, Leonard Thompson became the first person to be successfully treated with insulin.

1935 – Amelia Earhart Putnam became the first woman to fly solo from Hawaii to California.

1938 – In Limerick, ME, Frances Moulton assumed her duties as the first woman bank president.

1942 – Japan declared war against the Netherlands. The same day, Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

1943 – The United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.

1947 – “Murder and Mrs. Malone” debuted on ABC radio.

1958 – “Seahunt” debuted on CBS-TV. The show was aired on the network for four years.

1964 – U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report that said that smoking cigarettes was a definite health hazard.

1973 – The Open University awarded its first degrees.

1973 – Owners of American League baseball teams voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule on a trial basis.

1977 – France released Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

1978 – Two Soviet cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz 27 capsule linked up with the Salyut 6 orbiting space station, where the Soyuz 26 capsule was already docked.

1980 – Nigel Short, age 14, from Bolton in Britain, became the youngest International Master in the history of chess.

1986 – Author James Clavell signed a 5$ million deal with Morrow/Avon Publishing for the book “Whirlwind”. The book is a 2,000 page novel.

1988 – U.S. Vice President George Bush met with representatives of independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh to answer questions about the Iran-Contra affair.

1991 – An auction of silver and paintings that had been acquired by the late Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, brought in a total of $20.29 million at Christie’s in New York.

1996 – Ryutaro Hashimoto become Japan’s prime minister. He replaced Tomiichi Murayama who had resigned on January 5, 1996.

2000 – The merger between AOL and Time Warner was approved by the U.S. government with restrictions.

2000 – The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the second Vietnam Veterans Memorial commemorative stamp in a ceremony at The Wall.

2001 – The Texas Board of Criminal Justice released a review of the escape of the “Texas 7.” It stated that prison staff missed critical opportunities to prevent the escape by ignoring a fire alarm, not reporting unsupervised inmates and not demanding proper identification from inmates.

2001 – The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved the merger of America Online and Time Warner to form AOL Time Warner.

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