Today is Friday, January 8, the eighth day of 2010. There are 357 days left in the year.

On this date:

In 1815, US forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans — the closing engagement of the War of 1812.

In 1935, rock-'n'-roll legend Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Miss.

In 1959, Charles de Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic. In Cuba, Fidel Castro and his army arrived in Havana in triumph following the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.

Thought for Today:

"The devil is easy to identify. He appears when you're terribly tired and makes a very reasonable request which you know you shouldn't grant." — Fiorello LaGuardia, mayor of New York City (1882-1947).