Today in history - Jan. 1

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, New York City was consolidated into five boroughs.

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.[/q]