1521: Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X.
1938: The March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was organized.
1966: Northwestern Bell Telephone Co is introducing its new “push-button” telephone in the Aberdeen area. The Touch-Tone phone features a soft musical tone for each number on the keypad.
1967: Jack Ruby, the man who shot and killed accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in a Dallas hospital.
1977: The Rapid City Journal has released its first high school basketball ratings for the new year. In Class AA Aberdeen Central is ranked No, 1 with a 6-0 season so far; in Class B, Webster is the top team with a 7-0 record to date.
Source: Dacotah Prairie Museum and The Associated Press
