Today in History Today is Thursday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of
2013. There are 355 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in
History: On Jan. 10, 1863, the London Underground had its
beginnings as the Metropolitan, the world’s first underground
passenger railway, opened to the public with service between
Paddington and Farringdon Street. On this date: In 1776, Thomas
Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, ‘‘Common
Sense,’’ which argued for American independence from British
rule. In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Mass., collapsed
and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers
from Scotland and Ireland. In 1861, Florida became the third
state to secede from the Union. In 1870, John D. Rockefeller
incorporated Standard Oil. In 1901, the Spindletop oil field in
Beaumont, Texas, produced the Lucas Gusher, heralding the start
of the Texas oil boom. In 1920, the League of Nations was
established as the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY') went into
effect. In 1946, the first Gener