Category: Uncategorized

Updated February 14, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, killing 260 crew members and escalating tensions with Spain.

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On Feb. 15, 1820, Susan B. Anthony, the co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association, was born. Following her death on March 13, 1906, her obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1564	Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa.
1764	The city of St. Louis was established.
1898	The U.S. battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor, killing more than 260 crew members and bringing the U.S. closer to war with Spain over the issue of Cuban independence.
1933	President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt escaped an assassination attempt in Miami that claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak.
1952	A funeral was held at Windsor Castle for Britain’s King George VI, who had died nine days earlier.
1965	Canada’s new maple leaf flag was unfurled in ceremonies in Ottawa.
1971	Britain and Ireland “decimalised” their currencies, making one pound equal to 100 new pence instead of 240 pence.
1989	The Soviet Union announced that the last of its troops had left Afghanistan after more than nine years of military intervention.
2002	President George W. Bush approved Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as the site for long-term disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste.
2002	Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded a gold medal to resolve a judging controversy at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
2005	Defrocked priest Paul Shanley was sentenced in Boston to 12 to 15 years in prison on child rape charges.
2008	Business tycoon Steve Fossett, 63, was declared dead five months after his small plane vanished over California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. (His remains were discovered later in the year.)
2011	Protesters swarmed Wisconsin’s capitol after Gov. Scott Walker proposed cutbacks in benefits and bargaining rights for public employees.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Amber Riley (“Glee”) turns 26 years old today.

AP Photo/Michael A. Mariant

Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Jaromir Jagr turns 40 years old today.

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

1918	Allan Arbus, Actor (“M*A*S*H”), turns 94
1922	John Anderson, Former Illinois congressman, turns 90
1929	James R. Schlesinger, Former defense secretary, CIA director, turns 83
1941	Brian Holland, Songwriter, turns 71
1951	Melissa Manchester, Singer, turns 61
1951	Jane Seymour, Actress (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”), turns 61
1954	Matt Groening, Cartoonist (“The Simpsons”), turns 58
1960	Darrell Green, Football Hall of Famer, turns 52
1983	Russell Martin, Baseball player, turns 29

 

Historic Birthdays

Susan B. Anthony 2/15/1820 – 3/13/1906 American crusader for the woman suffrage movementGo to obituary »

55	Pedro Menendez de Aviles 2/15/1519 – 9/17/1574 Spanish sailor and founder of St. Augustine, Fla.
77	Galileo Galilei 2/15/1564 – 1/8/1642 Italian natural philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician
50	Michael Praetorius 2/15/1571 – 2/15/1621 German composer and music theorist
84	Jeremy Bentham 2/15/1748 – 6/6/1832 English philosopher, economist and exponent of Utilitarianism
73	Henry Steinway 2/15/1797 – 2/7/1871 German-bn. American piano builder
85	George Johnstone Stoney 2/15/1826 – 7/5/1911 Irish/English physicist
86	Alfred North Whitehead 2/15/1861 – 12/30/1947 English mathematician and philosopher
60	John Barrymore 2/15/1882 – 5/29/1942 American actor
57	James Forrestal 2/15/1892 – 5/22/1949 American Sec. of Defense
92	Earl Henry Blaik 2/15/1897 – 5/6/1989 American collegiate football coach
81	Harold Arlen 2/15/1905 – 4/23/1986 American composer and arranger
46	Graham Hill 2/15/1929 – 11/29/1975 English automobile racing driver
31	Roger Chaffee 2/15/1935 – 1/27/1967 American astronaut killed in the Apollo fire

 

Updated February 13, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 14, 1929, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place in a Chicago garage as seven rivals of Al Capone’s gang were gunned down.

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On Feb. 14, 1847, Anna Howard Shaw, one of the most influential leaders of the women’s suffrage movement, was born. Following her death on July 2, 1919, her obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1859	Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state.
1895	Oscar Wilde’s final play, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” opened at the St. James’ Theatre in London.
1903	The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.
1912	Arizona became the 48th state of the Union.
1920	The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago.
1962	First lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducted a televised tour of the White House.
1979	Adolph Dubs, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, was kidnapped in Kabul by Muslim extremists and killed in a shootout between his abductors and police.
1989	Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses,” a novel Khomeini condemned as blasphemous.
1989	Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million to the government of India in a court-ordered settlement of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster.
2003	Dolly the sheep – the first mammal cloned from an adult – was put to death at age 6 due to premature aging and disease.
2005	Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.
2006	Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment, prompting Russia and France to call on Tehran to halt its work.
2008	A former student shot five students to death in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University before committing suicide.
2011	The TV game show “Jeopardy!” began airing the first of three episodes pitting human players Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings against an IBM computer named “Watson.”

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Florence Henderson (“The Brady Bunch”) turns 78 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg turns 70 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

1921	Hugh Downs, TV personality, turns 91
1944	Carl Bernstein, Journalist, turns 68
1948	Pat O’Brien, TV personality, turns 64
1948	Teller, Comedian, magician (Penn and Teller), turns 64
1960	Jim Kelly, Football Hall of Famer, turns 52
1960	Meg Tilly, Actress (“The Big Chill,” “Agnes of God”), turns 52
1970	Simon Pegg, Actor, turns 42
1972	Rob Thomas, Rock singer (Matchbox 20), turns 40
1972	Drew Bledsoe, Football player, turns 40

 

Historic Birthdays

Anna Howard Shaw 2/14/1847 – 7/2/1919 American minister, lecturer and feminist.Go to obituary »

73	Francesco Cavalli 2/14/1602 – 1/14/1676 Italian operatic composer
68	Thomas Robert Malthus 2/14/1766 – 12/23/1834 English economist and demographer
71	Christopher Sholes 2/14/1819 – 2/17/1890 American inventor who developed the typewriter
57	Quinitin Hogg 2/14/1845 – 1/17/1903 English philanthropist and social reformer
75	Frank Harris 2/14/1856 – 8/26/1931 Irish-bn. American journalist
90	C.T.R. Wilson 2/14/1869 – 11/15/1959 Scottish Nobel Prize-winning physicist
78	Greenleaf Whittier Pickard 2/14/1877 – 1/8/1956 American electrical engineer and inventor
76	George Jean Nathan 2/14/1882 – 4/8/1958 American author, editor, and drama critic
80	Jack Benny 2/14/1894 – 12/26/1974 American entertainer
74	Woody Hayes 2/14/1913 – 3/12/1987 American collegiate football coach

 

Updated February 12, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 13, 1935, a jury in Flemington, N.J., found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-death of the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Hauptmann was later executed.

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On Feb. 13, 1910, William Shockley, the controversial Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose work led to the miniaturization of radio, TV and computer circuits, was born. Following his death on Aug. 12, 1989, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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Historic Birthdays

William Shockley 2/13/1910 – 8/12/1989 American engineer, teacher and Nobel Prize-winner.Go to obituary »

72	Giovanni Battista Piazzetta 2/13/1682 – 4/28/1754 Italian painter, illustrator and designer
65	John Hunter 2/13/1728 – 10/16/1793 English surgeon and founder of pathological anatomy
45	Lord Randolph Churchill 2/13/1849 – 1/24/1895 English politician and father of Winston Churchill
68	Leopold Godowsky 2/13/1870 – 11/21/1938 Russian-bn. American pianist and composer
65	Feodor Chaliapin 2/13/1873 – 4/12/1938 Russian operatic bass
80	Georgios Papandreou 2/13/1888 – 11/1/1968 Greek Prime Minister three times
50	Grant Wood 2/13/1891 – 2/12/1942 American painter
86	Georges Simenon 2/13/1903 – 9/4/1989 Belgian novelist
84	Pauline Frederick 2/13/1906 – 5/9/1990 American television news correspondent

 

Updated February 11, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 12, 1973, the first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.
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On Feb. 12, 1809, Charles Darwin, who originated the theory of evolution by natural selection, was born. Following his death on April 19, 1882, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1554	Lady Jane Grey, who had claimed the throne of England for nine days, was beheaded after being charged with treason.
1733	English colonists led by James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, Ga.
1809	Naturalist Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England.
1870	Women in the Utah Territory gained the right to vote.
1909	The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in New York.
1912	Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, abdicated, marking the end of the Qing Dynasty.
1915	The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, D.C.
1924	George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” premiered in New York City.
1999	The Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
2000	Charles M. Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, died at age 77.
2000	Hall of Fame football coach Tom Landry died at age 75.
2001	The NEAR spacecraft touched down on Eros, completing the first landing on an asteroid.
2002	The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic began in The Hague.
2004	Defying a California law, San Francisco officials began performing weddings for same-sex couples.
2009	A commuter plane crashed into a suburban Buffalo, N.Y., home, killing all 49 aboard and a person in the house.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actor Josh Brolin turns 44 years old today.

AP Photo/Peter Kramer

Actress Christina Ricci turns 32 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

1923	Franco Zeffirelli, Director, turns 89
1926	Joe Garagiola, Sportscaster, turns 86
1930	Arlen Specter, Former U.S. senator, D-Pa., turns 82
1934	Bill Russell, Basketball Hall of Famer, turns 78
1936	Joe Don Baker, Actor, turns 76
1939	Ray Manzarek, Rock musician (The Doors), turns 73
1950	Steve Hackett, Rock musician (Genesis), turns 62
1952	Michael McDonald, Singer (The Doobie Brothers), turns 60
1953	Joanna Kerns, Actress (“Growing Pains”), turns 59
1955	Arsenio Hall, Actor, turns 57
1968	Chynna Phillips, Singer (Wilson Philips), turns 44
1979	Jesse Spencer, Actor (“House”), turns 33

 

Historic Birthdays

Charles Darwin 2/12/1809 – 4/19/1882 English naturalist who documented evolution.Go to obituary »

53	Thomas Campion 2/12/1567 – 3/1/1620 English poet,composer and musical theorist
44	Caspar Bartholin 2/12/1585 – 7/13/1629 Danish physician/theologian
65	Cotton Mather 2/12/1663 – 2/13/1728 American Congregational minister/author
92	Peter Cooper 2/12/1791 – 4/4/1883 American inventor,manufacturer and philanthropist
56	Abraham Lincoln 2/12/1809 – 4/15/1865 16th President of the United States
40	John Graham Chambers 2/12/1843 – 3/4/1883 English sportsman and journalist
89	John L. Lewis 2/12/1880 – 6/11/1969 American labor leader and founder of the C.I.O.
96	Alice Roosevelt Longworth 2/12/1884 – 2/20/1980 American politically influential daughter of Theodore Roosevelt
66	Max Beckmann 2/12/1884 – 12/27/1950 German expressionist painter/printmaker
88	Omar Bradley 2/12/1893 – 4/8/1981 American general, 1st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
47	Louis Buchalter 2/12/1897 – 3/4/1944 American crime boss
81	Roy Harris 2/12/1898 – 10/1/1979 American composer/teacher
81	Joseph Alioto 2/12/1916 – 1/29/1998 Mayor of San Francisco

 

Updated February 10, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 11, 1945, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement during World War II.
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On Feb. 11, 1847, Thomas Alva Edison, the prolific inventor whose more than 1,000 patents included the light bulb and the gramophone, was born. Following his death on Oct. 18, 1931, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1847	Inventor Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio.
1858	A French girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary near Lourdes.
1929	Italy recognized the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.
1937	A sit-down strike against General Motors ended with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.
1945	President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin wrapped up a conference at Yalta in the Crimea by signing a series of agreements on the governance of post-World War II Europe.
1975	Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to head a major party in Britain when she was elected leader of opposition Conservative Party.
1979	Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15 years of exile.
1990	South African black activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.
2008	The Defense Department charged Khalid Sheikh Mohammed with murder and war crimes in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks.
2009	Democrat John Dingell of Michigan became the longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 53 years of service.
2009	President Robert Mugabe swore in longtime rival Morgan Tsvangirai as Zimbabwe’s prime minister.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin turns 48 years old today.

AP Photo/Stephan Savoia

Actor Taylor Lautner (“Twilight” movies) turns 20 years old today.

AP Photo/Joel Ryan

1928	Conrad Janis, Actor (“Mork and Mindy”), turns 84
1934	Tina Louise, Actress (“Gilligan’s Island”), turns 78
1936	Burt Reynolds, Actor, turns 76
1939	Gerry Goffin, Songwriter, turns 73
1941	Sergio Mendes, Bandleader, turns 71
1953	Jeb Bush, Former governor of Florida, brother of former President George W. Bush, turns 59
1961	Carey Lowell, Actress (“Law and Order”), turns 51
1962	Sheryl Crow, Rock singer, musician, turns 50
1969	Jennifer Aniston, Actress (“Friends”), turns 43
1971	Damian Lewis, Actor (“Band of Brothers”), turns 41
1979	Brandy, R&B singer, actress, turns 33
1980	Matthew Lawrence, Actor, turns 32
1981	Kelly Rowland, R&B singer (Destiny’s Child), turns 31

 

Historic Birthdays

Thomas Alva Edison 2/11/1847 – 10/18/1931 American inventor holding 1,093 patents.Go to obituary »

99	Bernard Le Bovier Fontenelle 2/11/1657 – 1/9/1757 French scientist and man of letters
73	Hans Jarta 2/11/1774 – 4/6/1847 Swedish political activist/administrator/publicist
77	William Henry Fox Talbot 2/11/1800 – 9/17/1877 English chemist/pioneer photographer
52	Otto Ludwig 2/11/1813 – 2/25/1865 German novelist/playwright/critic
44	Thomas, Jr. Hitchcock 2/11/1900 – 4/19/1944 American polo player
69	Arne Jacobsen 2/11/1902 – 3/24/1971 Danish architect/designer
50	Max Baer 2/11/1909 – 11/21/1959 American boxer
45	Farouk I 2/11/1920 – 3/18/1965 King of Egypt,1936-1952
76	Eva Gabor 2/11/1919 – 7/4/1995 Hungarian actress/pianist

 

Updated February 9, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 10, 1962, the Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for Rudolph Ivanovich Abel, a Soviet spy held by the United States.

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On Feb. 10, 1890, Boris Pasternak, the Russian Nobel Prize-winning novelist and poet, was born. Following his death on May 30, 1960, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1763	France ceded Canada to England under the Treaty of Paris, which ended the French and Indian War.
1840	Britain’s Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg-Gotha.
1846	Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – the Mormons – began an exodus west from Illinois.
1962	The Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for a Soviet spy held by the United States.
1964	Bob Dylan’s album “The Times They Are A-Changin”‘ was released.
1967	The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, dealing with presidential disability and succession, went into effect.
1989	Ron Brown was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African-American to head a major U.S. political party.
1992	Boxer Mike Tyson was convicted in Indianapolis of raping a Miss Black America contestant.
2004	Rapper-producer Kanye West’s debut CD, “The College Dropout,” was released.
2005	North Korea boasted publicly for the first time that it possessed nuclear weapons.
2007	Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., kicked off his presidential campaign with a speech at the state house in Springfield, Ill.
2007	Gen. David Petraeus took charge of U.S. forces in Iraq.
2011	Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down or leave the country and instead handed his powers to his vice president.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Elizabeth Banks turns 38 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

Actress Laura Dern turns 45 years old today.

AP Photo/Katy Winn

1930	Robert Wagner, Actor (“Hart to Hart”), turns 82
1939	Roberta Flack, Singer, turns 73
1940	Jimmy Merchant, Singer (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers), turns 72
1950	Mark Spitz, Olympic gold-medal swimmer, turns 62
1951	Robert Iger, Walt Disney Co. president and CEO, turns 61
1961	Alexander Payne, Director (“The Descendants,” “Sideways”), turns 51
1961	George Stephanopoulos, Broadcast journalist (“This Week”), turns 51
1991	Emma Roberts, Actress, turns 21
1997	Chloe Grace Moretz, Actress (“Hugo”), turns 15

 

Historic Birthdays

Boris Pasternak 2/10/1890 – 5/30/1960 Russian Nobel Prize-winning novelist/poet.Go to obituary »

64	Aaron Hill 2/10/1685 – 2/8/1750 English poet/dramatist/essayist
72	Andre-Ernest Gretry 2/10/1741 – 9/24/1813 French operatic composer
59	Charles Lamb 2/10/1775 – 12/27/1834 English essayist/critic
80	Harrison Gray Otis 2/10/1837 – 7/30/1917 American newspaper publisher-Los Angeles Times
75	William Allen White 2/10/1868 – 1/29/1944 American journalist/writer
86	Jimmy Durante 2/10/1893 – 1/29/1980 American comedian/entertainer
92	Harold Macmillan 2/10/1894 – 12/29/1986 English politician/prime minister
93	Dame Judith Anderson 2/10/1898 – 1/3/1992 Australian-bn. American stage and film actress
58	Bertolt Brecht 2/10/1898 – 8/14/1956 German poet/playwright
91	Stella Adler 2/10/1901 – 12/21/1992 American actress/teacher

 

Updated February 8, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 9, 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.

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On Feb. 9, 1910, Jacques Monod, the French Nobel Prize-winning biologist, was born. Following his death on May 31, 1976, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1773	William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, was born in Charles City County, Va.
1825	The House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.
1861	The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president.
1942	Daylight-saving “war time” went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.
1943	The World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.
1964	The Beatles made their first live American TV appearance, on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
1971	Apollo 14 returned to Earth after man’s third landing on the moon.
1984	Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov died less than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev.
2002	Britain’s Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died at age 71.
2009	New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez admitted he took banned substances from 2001 to 2003.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Mia Farrow turns 67 years old today.

AP Photo/Michael Perez

Actress Judith Light (“Who’s the Boss?”) turns 63 years old today.

AP Photo/Peter Kramer

1928	Roger Mudd, Broadcast journalist, turns 84
1940	J.M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize-winning author, turns 72
1942	Carole King, Singer, songwriter, turns 70
1943	Joe Pesci, Actor, turns 69
1944	Alice Walker, Author (“The Color Purple”), turns 68
1946	Jim Webb, U.S. senator, D-Va., turns 66
1963	Travis Tritt, Country singer, turns 49
1965	Julie Warner, Actress, turns 47
1975	Vladimir Guerrero, Baseball player, turns 37
1979	Ziyi Zhang, Actress (“Memoirs of a Geisha”), turns 33

Historic Birthdays

Jacques Monod 2/9/1910 – 5/31/1976 French Nobel Prize-winning biologist.Go to obituary »

71	Gasparo Angiolini 2/9/1731 – 2/6/1803 Italian choreographer/composer
78	Luther Martin 2/9/1748 – 7/10/1826 American lawyer
68	William Henry Harrison 2/9/1773 – 4/4/1841 9th President of the United States
72	Samuel Tilden 2/9/1814 – 8/4/1886 American lawyer and governor of New York
75	Mrs. Patrick Campbell 2/9/1865 – 4/9/1940 English actress
51	Amy Lowell 2/9/1874 – 5/12/1925 American critic/lecturer/and poet
67	Ronald Colman 2/9/1891 – 5/19/1958 English-bn. American stage and film actor
85	Dean Rusk 2/9/1909 – 12/20/1994 American secretary of state under Kennedy and Johnson
71	Bill Veeck 2/9/1914 – 1/2/1986 American baseball club owner
41	Brendan Behan 2/9/1923 – 3/20/1964 Irish author/political commentator

Updated February 7, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 8, 1996, in a ceremony at the Library of Congress, President Clinton signed legislation revamping the telecommunications industry, saying it would “bring the future to our doorstep.”
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On Feb. 8, 1878, Martin Buber, the German-Jewish religious philosopher, was born. Following his death on June 13, 1965, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1693	A charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
1837	The Senate selected Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky as vice president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.
1904	The Russo-Japanese War began.
1910	The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.
1915	D.W. Griffith’s silent movie epic about the Civil War, “The Birth of a Nation,” premiered in Los Angeles.
1922	President Warren G. Harding had a radio installed in the White House.
1924	The first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.
1968	Three college students died in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley.
1971	NASDAQ, the world’s first electronic stock exchange, held its first trading day.
1993	General Motors sued NBC, alleging that the program “Dateline NBC” had rigged two crashes to show that GM pickups were prone to fires. (NBC settled the lawsuit the following day.)
1999	The Senate heard closing arguments in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.
2007	Model and tabloid sensation Anna Nicole Smith died at age 39 of an accidental drug overdose.
2010	Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop superstar in Los Angeles Superior Court. (Murray was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail.)

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Mary Steenburgen turns 59 years old today.

AP Photo/Peter Kramer

Denver Broncos head coach John Fox turns 57 years old today.

AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

1932	John Williams, Composer, conductor, turns 80
1940	Ted Koppel, Broadcast journalist, turns 72
1941	Nick Nolte, Actor, turns 71
1942	Robert Klein, Comedian, turns 70
1943	Creed Bratton, Actor (“The Office”), turns 69
1949	Brooke Adams, Actress, turns 63
1961	Vince Neil, Rock singer (Motley Crue), turns 51
1962	Lisa Jackson, EPA administrator, turns 50
1969	Mary McCormack, Actress, turns 43
1970	Alonzo Mourning, Basketball player, turns 42
1974	Seth Green, Actor (“Austin Powers” movies), turns 38

Historic Birthdays

Martin Buber 2/8/1878 – 6/13/1965 German-Jewish religious philosopher.Go to obituary »

75	Il Guercino 2/8/1591 – 12/22/1666 Italian fresco painter
79	Jacques Cassini 2/8/1677 – 4/18/1756 French astronomer
82	Daniel Bernoulli 2/8/1700 – 3/17/1782 Swiss mathematician
80	John Ruskin 2/8/1819 – 1/20/1900 English writer/critic/artist
71	William Tecumseh Sherman 2/8/1820 – 2/14/1891 American Civil War general
77	Jules Verne 2/8/1828 – 3/24/1905 French author
88	Dame Edith Evans 2/8/1888 – 10/14/1976 English stage actress
88	King Vidor 2/8/1894 – 11/1/1982 American film director
62	Chester Carlson 2/8/1906 – 9/19/1968 American physicist and inventor of xerography
68	Elizabeth Bishop 2/8/1911 – 10/6/1979 American poet/short story writer
74	Lana Turner 2/8/1921 – 6/29/1995 American film actress
24	James Dean 2/8/1931 – 9/30/1955 American film actor