On this date….

(2010) On this day in 2010, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, especially Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people and leaving more than 1,000,000 homeless and touching off a massive international relief effort. (2005) The U.S. space probe Deep Impact was launched, and in July it shot a 370-kg (810-pound) mass into the nucleus of the comet Tempel 1 in order to study its cometary structure. (1971) The groundbreaking television series All in the Family debuted on CBS; the sitcom became known for its frank and satirical treatment of sensitive or important topics. (1969) American gridiron football quarterback Joe Namath, having “guaranteed” victory, led the New York Jets to a 16–7 win over the favoured Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. (1966) The live-action TV series Batman premiered on ABC; a huge hit, it starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin. (1932) Hattie Ophelia Caraway became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate. (1876) American novelist Jack London, author of The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906), was born in San Francisco. (1773) The oldest public museum in the United States was established in colonial Charleston, South Carolina.