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"If last year was our Silver Anniversary, what's this year?" my husband
"This year is our Tire Iron Anniversary." me

Today is our wedding anniversary. We've been married 26 years, no small accomplishment. Friends used to ask if I chose January 23 --i.e. 1.23-- deliberately, to help my husband remember our anniversary date.

Nope, January 23 just happened to be the Saturday night all the elements came together ... including an unplanned humongous sleet storm.

In the interest of history--or boredom--I decided to find out what else happened on January 23, according to the New York Times.

It wasn't the best date for some people. Salvador Dali, Captain Kangaroo and Johnny Carson died on January 23, in different years of course.

But it's heartening to remember just two days after celebrating celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr that on January 23, 1964 Congress ratified the 24th Amendment, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections. And for some historic perspective, the TV mini-series "Roots" first aired January 23, 1977.

On the political front, how fitting that January 23 is the day in 1845 that Congress decreed national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Continuing in that theme, Franklin D. Roosevelt chose January 23, 1932 to announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Richard Nixon announced an end to the Vietnam War on January 23, 1973, a day I'll never forget. Sitting on my bed all alone I watched him speak on TV, tears running down my cheeks in relief and grief for all the carnage and ruined lives.

January 23, 2009 would be a good day for our next president to announce an accord to end to the War in Iraq.

That will be an anniversary worth remembering.