Updated February 23, 2012, 1:28 pm
On Feb. 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives impeached President Johnson following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.
On Feb. 24, 1885, Chester W. Nimitz, whose work as U.S. naval commander contributed greatly to the defeat of Japan during World War II, was born. Following his death on Feb. 20, 1966, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1582 Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull outlining his calendar reforms. (The Gregorian Calendar is the calendar in general use today.) 1821 Mexico declared its independence from Spain. 1863 Arizona was organized as a territory. 1868 The House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; the Senate later acquitted Johnson. 1903 The United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. 1920 The German Workers Party, which later became the Nazi Party, met in Munich to adopt its platform. 1942 The Voice of America went on the air for the first time. 1945 American soldiers liberated the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese control during World War II. 1955 Apple computer co-founder Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco. 1981 Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain’s Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer. 1998 Comedian Henny Youngman died at age 91. 1999 Lauryn Hill won five Grammys for her debut solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” 2006 South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all abortions. 2006 NASA said 2005 was the warmest year in more than a century of record-keeping. 2008 Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., turns 70 years old today.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Broadcast journalist Paula Zahn turns 56 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1921 Abe Vigoda, Actor (“Fish,” “Barney Miller”), turns 91 1922 Steven Hill, Actor (“Law and Order”), turns 90 1931 Dominic Chianese, Actor, singer (“The Sopranos”), turns 81 1932 Zell Miller, Former Georgia governor and senator, turns 80 1938 James Farentino, Actor, turns 74 1945 Barry Bostwick, Actor (“Spin City”), turns 67 1947 Edward James Olmos, Actor, turns 65 1950 George Thorogood, Rock singer, musician, turns 62 1951 Debra Jo Rupp, Actress (“That ’70s Show”), turns 61 1952 Fred Dean, Fooball Hall of Famer, turns 60 1956 Eddie Murray, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 56 1962 Michelle Shocked, Rock singer, turns 50 1966 Billy Zane, Actor, turns 46 1981 Lleyton Hewitt, Tennis player, turns 31
Historic Birthdays
Chester W. Nimitz 2/24/1885 – 2/20/1966 American commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-W.W.II.Go to obituary »
31 Giovanni Pico della Mirandola 2/24/1463 – 11/17/1494
Italian scholar and philosopher70 Charles Le Brun 2/24/1619 – 2/12/1690
French painter, designer and decorator42 Johann Clauberg 2/24/1622 – 1/31/1665
French philosopher and theologian68 George Curtis 2/24/1824 – 8/31/1892
American author and editor74 Winslow Homer 2/24/1836 – 9/29/1910
American painter76 Arrigo Boito 2/24/1842 – 6/10/1918
Italian poet, composer, and librettist82 John Henry Comstock 2/24/1849 – 3/20/1931
American educator and researcher81 Honus Wagner 2/24/1874 – 12/6/1955
American professional baseball player86 Mary Ellen Chase 2/24/1887 – 7/28/1973
American scholar and writer57 Henri Frankfort 2/24/1897 – 7/16/1954
American archaeologist84 Bennie Oosterbaan 2/24/1906 – 10/25/1990
American college football player and coach
