Iran Hostages Released – Today In Southern History

Jan 20, 2026

Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, just minutes after the U.S. presidency passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

1801 – John Marshall of Virginia was appointed chief justice of the United States.
1861 – Mississippi state troops seized federal installations at Ship Island in the Gulf of Mexico.
1868 – Florida’s reconstruction constitutional convention met in Tallahassee.
1870 – The Mississippi reconstruction legislature elected AME minister Hiram R. Revels to finish the term of Jefferson Davis as U.S. Senator for Mississippi.
1891 – James Hogg took office as the first native-born governor of Texas.
1952 – In Juarez, Mexico, Patricia McCormick of Texas debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter from the United States.
1988 – An Arizona committee opened a hearing on the impeachment of Governor Evan Mecham.
1994 – Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina under court order but soon dropped out.

Today In Southern History