Today's Highlight in History:
On January tenth, 1776, Thomas Paine published his influential pamphlet小册子, "Common Sense."

On this date:
In 1861, Florida seceded退出，脱离 from the Union.

In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect生效.

In 1928, the Soviet Union ordered the exile of Leon Trotsky.

In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened集合，召集 in London.

In 1957, Harold Macmillan became prime minister of Britain, following the resignation of Anthony Eden.

In 1967, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first black elected to the US Senate by popular vote, took his seat.

In 1978, the Soviet Union launched two cosmonauts宇航员 aboard a "Soyuz" capsule for a rendezvous会合，集合点 with the "Salyut Six" space laboratory.

In 1980, former AFL-CIO president George Meany died in Washington DC at age 85.

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.

Ten years ago: Chinese Premier Li Peng lifted Beijing's seven-month-old martial law戒严法，军事管制, and said that by crushing pro-democracy protests, the army had saved China from "the abyss深渊，无底洞 of misery."

Five years ago: Russia announced a 48-hour truce休战 in breakaway分离，逃脱 Chechnya, but the cease-fire fell apart崩溃，破碎 after only a few hours. President Clinton declared flood-stricken areas of California major disaster areas.

One year ago: Republicans and Democrats disagreed over whether to call witnesses in President Clinton's impeachment弹劾，控告 trial, with Republicans pressing to hear testimony证据，证词 from Monica Lewinsky and others, and Democrats saying such testimony could unnecessarily prolong拖延，延长 the proceedings.