On a freezing day in Washington, D.C., Barack Hussein Obama is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president. The son of a Black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, Obama had become the first African American to win election to the nation’s highest office the previous November.

As the junior U.S. senator from Illinois, he won a tight Democratic primary battle over Senator Hillary Clinton of New York before triumphing over Arizona Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate, in the general election. Against a backdrop of the nation’s devastating economic collapse during the start of the Great Recession, Obama’s message of hope and optimism—as embodied by his campaign slogan, “Yes We Can”—struck an inspirational chord with a nation seeking change.

As Inauguration Day dawned, crowds of people thronged the National Mall, stretching from the Capitol Building to beyond the Washington Monument. According to an official estimate made later by the District of Columbia, some 1.8 million people witnessed Obama’s inauguration, surpassing the previous record of 1.2 million, set by the inaugural crowd of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

Cold weather – Advisory from Mon, Jan 20, 12:00 AM PST to Mon, Jan 20, 8:00 AM PST

What

Frigid wind chills of 20 to 25 degrees are expected.

Where

Bellevue and Vicinity, Bremerton and Vicinity, Everett and Vicinity, Seattle and Vicinity, and Tacoma Area.

When

From midnight tonight to 8 AM PST Monday.

Impacts

Frigid temperatures can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure and will impact vulnerable populations such as the homeless, pets, and those without adequate access to heating.

Summary

Keep pets indoors as much as possible. Make frequent checks on older family, friends, and neighbors. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside.

Issued By

NWS Seattle WA

Mon, Jan 20, 4:33 AM PST to Mon, Jan 20, 8:00 AM PST

What

Very cold wind chills of 20 to 25 degrees expected.

Where

Bellevue and Vicinity, Bremerton and Vicinity, Everett and Vicinity, Seattle and Vicinity, and Tacoma Area.

When

Until 8 AM PST this morning.

Impacts

Very cold temperatures can lead to hypothermia with prolonged exposure and will impact vulnerable populations such as the homeless, pets, and those without adequate access to heating.

Summary

Keep pets indoors as much as possible. Make frequent checks on older family, friends, and neighbors. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside.

Issued By

NWS Seattle WA

On January 19, 1952, Professional Golfers Association president Horton Smith announces that a seven-man committee “almost unanimously” votes to allow Black golfers to compete in PGA co-sponsored events. With the announcement, Smith hopes that Black golfers participate in the next two events, the Phoenix Open and Tucson Open. “I shall feel our efforts here will have gone for little if the plan doesn’t work out the next two events,” he says.

The push for inclusion into a sport dominated by white players came after pressure from former boxing champion Joe Louis, a talented amateur golfer.

At the San Diego Open on January 17, 1952, Louis competed in the PGA-sanctioned event as an invited amateur. (As an amateur golfer, Louis wasn’t governed by PGA rules.) But professional Bill Spiller, a Black golfer, was denied entry in the tournament.

In response, Louis criticized the PGA, telling the New York Times, “I want people to know what the PGA is… We’ve got another Hitler to get by.” Louis told the Los Angeles Sentinel, “This is the last major sport in America in which Negroes are barred.”

The pressure from Louis worked, and Louis, Spiller, Ted Rhodes and Eural Clark would go onto break the PGA’s color barrier at the Phoenix Open.

But it would take years for the sport to approach full integration. In 1961, Charles Sifford became the first Black golfer to earn a PGA Tour card. He won the 1967 Greater Hartford Open Invitational and 1969 Los Angeles Open.

Source: hisotry.com for the complete article

EL PASO, Texas, Jan. 17 — A circular received in this city indicates that the Yaqui Indians have attempted to establish a form of civil government and proclaim the independence of Sonora. The circular is in the form of an appeal to the American people, and is signed by Manuel Sauveda, President, and Teresa Duryea, Jesus Escalente, Harry Herbot, John Dwyer, Tenebanto, and Julian Villa, members of the Junta. View Full Article in Timesmachine

INDIANS SEEK INDEPENDENCE.; The Yaquis Offer Inducements to Americans to Come to Their Aid in Sonora.
Special to The New York Times.
Jan. 18, 1900

nytimes.com