On Jan. 3, 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1840 Joseph De Veuster, the Catholic priest who became known as Father Damien during his missionary work among Hawaiian lepers, was born in Tremelo, Belgium.
In 1892 J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
In 1959 Alaska was admitted to the Union as the 49th state.
In 1967 Jack Ruby, who fatally shot presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in a Dallas hospital.
In 1980 conservationist Joy Adamson, author of “Born Free,” was killed in northern Kenya by a servant; she was 69.
In 2004 NASA’s Mars rover, Spirit, touched down on Mars.
In 2005 artist Will Eisner, who helped pioneer the graphic novel, died in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.; he was 87.
In 2006 lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to providing gifts to officials in exchange for their help.
