On this day in history - January 7

What Happened On This Day – January 7

• 1989 Akihito is sworn in as Emperor of Japan

  His accession to the throne followed the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, on the same day.

• 1979 The Khmer Rouge government of Cambodia is overthrown

  Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh that day.

• 1927 The first transatlantic telephone service is established

  A 3-minute call between New York and London cost about $45 USD, which is roughly $550 in today's dollars.

• 1785 Hot air balloon crosses the English Channel

  French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard took about 2½ hours to fly from Dover (UK) to Guînes (France).

• 1610 Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean Moons

  The Italian astronomer spotted the four largest moons of Jupiter that day: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.