Today is Thursday, Jan. 28, the 28th day of 2016. There are 338 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History:

On Jan. 28, 1915, the United States Coast Guard was created as President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill merging the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service. The American merchant vessel SS William P. Frye, en route to England with a cargo of wheat, became the first U.S. ship to be sunk during World War I by a German cruiser, the SS Prinz Eitel Friedrich, even though the United States was not at war.

On this date:

In 1547, England’s King Henry VIII died; he was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

In 1813, the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen was first published anonymously in London.

In 1909, the United States withdrew its forces from Cuba as Jose Miguel Gomez became president.

In 1939, Irish poet-dramatist William Butler Yeats died in Menton, France.

In 1945, during World War II, Allied supplies began reaching China over the newly reopened Burma Road.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first national TV appearance on “Stage Show,” a CBS program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

In 1962, the last of Washington, D.C.’s original streetcars made its final run.

In 1973, a cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War.

In 1977, actor-comedian Freddie Prinze, 22, co-star of the NBC-TV show “Chico and the Man,” shot and mortally wounded himself at the Beverly Comstock Hotel (he died the following day).

In 1980, six U.S. diplomats who had avoided being taken hostage at their embassy in Tehran flew out of Iran with the help of Canadian diplomats.

In 1985, the charity supergroup USA for Africa recorded the Michael Jackson-Lionel Richie song “We Are the World” at A&M Studios in Los Angeles.

In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.

In 2005, Iraqis overseas began three days of voting in 14 nations. Senate Democrats criticized President George W. Bush’s plan to add personal accounts to Social Security and accused his administration of improperly using the Social Security Administration to promote the idea. Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co. and Gillette Co. announced a $57 billion merger.

Ten years ago: Sixty-five people were killed when the roof of an exhibition hall in Katowice, Poland, collapsed during a racing pigeon fair. Amelie Mauresmo won her first Grand Slam singles title when Justine Henin-Hardenne retired in the second set of their Australian Open final because of stomach pain. Mauresmo led 6-1, 2-0.

Five years ago: Chaos engulfed Egypt as protesters seized the streets of Cairo, battling police, burning down the ruling party’s headquarters and defying a military curfew. The nation’s largest cable TV company, Comcast Corp., took control of NBC Universal, capping a 13-month bid.

The Associated Press