Updated February 2, 2012, 1:28 pm
On Feb. 3, 1917, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
Go to article »On Feb. 3, 1874, Gertrude Stein, American author and literary stylist, was born. Following her death on July 27, 1946, her obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1809 The territory of Illinois was created. 1913 The 16th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified. 1917 The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. 1924 Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, died in Washington, D.C., at age 67. 1959 Rock ‘n’ roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. 1971 Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Edgar D. Mitchell landed on the lunar sufrace during the third successful manned mission to the moon. 1988 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected President Ronald Reagan’s request for more than $36 million in aid to the Nicaraguan Contras. 1994 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, in the pilot’s seat for the first time. 1998 Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker for the pickax killings of two people in 1983. 2006 An Egyptian passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea during bad weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers. 2011 Tens of thousands of protesters staged unprecedented demonstrations against Yemen’s autocratic president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key U.S. ally in battling Islamic militants. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actress Blythe Danner turns 69 years old today.
AP Photo/Danny Moloshok
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley turns 69 years old today.
AP Photo/Phil Rawls
1940 Fran Tarkenton, Football Hall of Famer, turns 72 1945 Bob Griese, Football Hall of Famer, turns 67 1947 Dave Davies, Rock musician (The Kinks), turns 65 1947 Melanie, Folk singer, turns 65 1950 Morgan Fairchild, Actress, turns 62 1956 Nathan Lane, Actor, turns 56 1962 Michele Greene, Actress (“L.A. Law”), turns 50 1965 Maura Tierney, Actress (“ER,” “Newsradio”), turns 47 1976 Daddy Yankee, Reggaeton singer, turns 36
Historic Birthdays
Gertrude Stein 2/3/1874 – 7/27/1946 American writer.Go to obituary »
38 Felix Mendelssohn 2/3/1809 – 11/4/1847
German composer/pianist/teacher61 Horace Greeley 2/3/1811 – 11/29/1872
American newspaper editor72 Sir William C. Van Horne 2/3/1843 – 9/11/1915
American-bn. Canadian railway official102 Naruhiko Higashikuni 2/3/1887 – 1/20/1990
Japanese imperial prince/prime minister84 Norman Rockwell 2/3/1894 – 11/8/1978
American illustrator62 Juan Negrin 2/3/1894 – 11/14/1956
Spanish Republican prime minister during Spanish Civil War78 Alvar Aalto 2/3/1898 – 5/11/1976
Finnish architect/city planner90 James Michener 2/3/1907 – 10/16/1997
American novelist/short story writer34 Simone Weil 2/3/1909 – 8/24/1943
French mystic and Resistance activist75 Helen Stephens 2/3/1918 – 1/17/1994
American Olympic gold medal runner
