Today in history: January 17

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last updated 8 January 2015

Jan. 17, 1893: Rutherford B. Hayes died. He was the 19th president, serving between 1877 and 1881.

Jan. 17, 1961: In his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned of a growing "military-industrial complex," which he said was too powerful and threatened the economy. Eisenhower — who as commander of Allied forces in Europe during World War II oversaw the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France — also said the U.S. defense industry was profiting off of Americans' national security paranoia and warned of "the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power." Eisenhower also warned Americans of "the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow."

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