Today is Sunday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2010. There are 348 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History

On Jan. 17, 1950, the Great Brink’s Robbery took place as seven masked men held up a Brink’s garage in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders. (Although the entire 11-member gang was later caught, only part of the loot was recovered.)

On this date

In 1562, French Protestants were recognized under the Edict of St. Germain.

In 1893, the 19th president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, died in Fremont, Ohio, at age 70. Hawaii’s monarchy was overthrown as a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Lili’uokalani (lee-LEE’-oo-oh-kah-LAH’-nee) to ab- dicate.

In 1917, the United States paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.

In 1945, Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.

In 1946, the United Nations Security Council held its first meeting, in London.

In 1966, a U.S. Air Force B-52 carrying four unarmed hydrogen bombs crashed on the Spanish coast. (Three of the bombs were quickly recovered, but the fourth wasn’t recovered until April.)

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.

In 1989, five children were shot to death at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by a drifter, Patrick Purdy, who then killed himself.

In 1994, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 72 people.

In 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of Kobe, Japan.

Ten years ago

Decrying the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery and racism, nearly 50,000 people marched to South Carolina’s Statehouse on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to demand the banner be taken down. British pharmaceutical firms Glaxo Wellcome PLC and SmithKline Beecham PLC announced a merger.

Five years ago

Iraqi expatriates in 14 countries began registering to vote in Iraq’s Jan. 30 elections. Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted as China’s Communist Party leader after sympathizing with the 1989 pro-democracy protests, died in Beijing at age 85 after 15 years under house arrest. Actress Virginia Mayo died in Thousand Oaks, Calif. at age 84.

One year ago

Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire in its 22-day Gaza offensive. President-elect Barack Obama arrived in the nation’s capital after a daylong rail trip that began in Philadelphia, retracing the path Abraham Lincoln took in 1861.

Salvage crews hoisted a downed US Airways jetliner from the Hudson River, three days after a dramatic water landing survived by everyone on board.

Today’s Birthdays

Actress Betty White is 88. Former Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach is 88. Former FCC chairman Newton N. Minow is 84. Hairdresser Vidal Sassoon is 82. Actor James Earl Jones is 79. Talk show host Maury Povich is 71. Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is 68. Pop singer Chris Montez is 68. Rhythm-and-blues singer William Hart (The Delfonics) is 65. Rock musician Mick Taylor is 62. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sheila Hutchinson (The Emotions) is 57.

Singer Steve Earle is 55. Singer Paul Young is 54. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 53. Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 51. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 48. First Lady Michelle Obama is 46. Actor Joshua Malina is 44. Singer Shabba Ranks is 44. Rock musician Jon Wysocki (Staind) is 42. Actor Naveen Andrews is 41. Rapper Kid Rock is 39. Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 35. Actress Zooey Deschanel is 30. Singer Ray J is 29. Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 28.

Thought for Today

“He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.”

— Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790)