Today In Political History: 11 January

Here's why the Surgeon General position is an important one.

On this date in 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Leonidas Terry called cigarette smoking a "health hazard" and called for "corrective action." His announcement was the culmination of 14 months of research by a 10-member federal panel that he chaired; the panel evaluated more than 8,000 reports of research on smoking and health. It was the first time that the U.S. government officially raised a warning flag regarding smoking.

Barack Obama reportedly wants CNN health specialist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, 39, to be his Surgeon General, the nation's chief spokesperson on matters of public health.