TODAY IN HISTORY - JANUARY 25TH

1755 – Moscow University is established on Tatiana Day.

1783 – William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (d. 1857) is born.

1858 – The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria's daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia, and becomes a popular wedding processional.

1881 – Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.

1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.

1915 – Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.

1924 – The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, in the French Alps, inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.

1937 – The Guiding Light debuts on NBC radio from Chicago. In 1952 it moves to CBS television, where it remains until September 18, 2009.

1941 – Buddy Baker, American race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2015) is born.

1946 – The United Mine Workers rejoins the American Federation of Labor.

1947 – Thomas Goldsmith Jr. files a patent for a "Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device", the first ever electronic game.

1949 – The first Emmy Awards are presented; the venue is the Hollywood Athletic Club.

1960 – The National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the "payola" scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accept money for playing particular records.

1961 – In Washington, D.C., President John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.

1962 – Chris Chelios, American ice hockey player and manager is born.

1964 – Blue Ribbon Sports is founded by University of Oregon track and field athletes, which would later become Nike.

1971 – Charles Manson and three female "Family" members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.

1981 – Alicia Keys, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress is born.

1996 – Billy Bailey becomes the last person to be hanged in the USA.

1998 – During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands political reforms and the release of political prisoners while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.