Today is Saturday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2005. There are 364 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Jan. 1, 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states were free.

On this date:

In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.

In 1898, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island were consolidated into New York City.

In 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.

In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, died of a drug and alcohol overdose while en route to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.

In 1959, Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista.

In 1979, the United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In 1984, the break-up of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.

In 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two new countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.

In 1999, the euro, the new single currency of 11 European countries, officially came into existence with the start of the New Year.

Ten years ago: A cease-fire began in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sweden, Finland and Austria joined the European Union. Fernando Henrique Cardoso took office as Brazil’s 37th president.

Five years ago: The arrival of 2000 saw no terrorist attacks, Y2K meltdowns or mass suicides among doomsday cults, but instead saw seven continents stepping joyously and peacefully into the New Year. On his first full day as acting president, Vladimir Putin assured Russians there would be no “vacuum of power” after Boris Yeltsin’s surprise resignation. Wisconsin beat Stanford, 17-9, to become the first Big 10 team to win consecutive Rose Bowls.

One year ago: Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf won a vote of confidence validating his five-year term as president. The University of Southern California defeated the University of Michigan, 28-14, in the Rose Bowl.

Today’s Birthdays: Author J.D. Salinger is 86. Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., is 83. Actor Ty Hardin is 75. Actor Frank Langella is 65. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 63. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 62. Actor Rick Hurst is 59. Country singer Steve Ripley (The Tractors) is 55. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 47. Actress Ren Woods is 47. Actress Dedee Pfeiffer is 41. Actress Embeth Davidtz is 39. Actor Morris Chestnut is 36. Actor Verne Troyer is 36. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is 35.

Thought for Today: “Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.” – Thomas Mann, German author (1875-1955).