Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2016. There are 312 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 23, 1836, the
siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas. On this date: In 1848,
the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, died in
Washington, D.C., at age 80. In 1863, British explorers John H. Speke
and James A. Grant announced they had found the source of the Nile
River to be Lake Victoria. In 1870, Mississippi was readmitted to the
Union. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with
Cuba to lease the area around Guantanamo Bay to the United States. In
1927, President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill creating the Federal
Radio Commission, forerunner of the Federal Communications Commission.
In 1934, Leopold III succeeded his late father, Albert I, as King of
the Belgians. In 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima
captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised a pair of American flags
(the second flag-raising was captured in the iconic Associated Press
photograph). In 1954, the first mass inoculation of schoolchildren
against polio using the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000
students were vaccinated. In 1965, film comedian Stan Laurel, 74, died
in Santa Monica, California. In 1970, Guyana became a republic within
the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1989, the Senate Armed Services
Committee voted 11-9 along party lines to recommend rejection of John
Tower as President George H.W. Bush's defense secretary. (Tower's
nomination went down to defeat in the full Senate the following month.)
In 1995, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 4,000 mark
for the first time, ending the day at 4,003.33. Ten years ago: The
snow-covered roof of a Moscow market collapsed, killing 66 people. A
United Arab Emirates company volunteered to postpone its takeover of
significant operations at six major U.S. seaports, giving the White
House more time to convince skeptical lawmakers the deal posed no
increased risks from terrorism. Japan's Shizuka Arakawa (shih-ZOO'-kuh
ah-rah-KAH'-wah) stunned favorites Sasha Cohen of the United States and
Irina Slutskaya (sloot-SKY'-yah) of Russia to claim the ladies' figure
skating gold medal at the Turin Winter Olympics. Five years ago: In a
major policy reversal, the Obama administration said it would no longer
defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal
law banning recognition of same-sex marriage. One year ago: A jury in
New York found the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation
Organization liable for their roles in terrorist attacks in Israel
between 2002 and 2004 in which Americans were killed or injured; the
Palestinians said later they would appeal the ruling. Tapping the
anxieties of aging baby boomers, President Barack Obama called for
tougher standards on brokers who manage retirement savings accounts.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald apologized for misstating
during a "CBS Evening News" segment that he had served in the
military's special forces. Today's Birthdays: Actor Peter Fonda is 76.
Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff is 73. Author
John Sandford is 72. Country-rock musician Rusty Young is 70. Actress
Patricia Richardson is 65. Former NFL player Ed "Too Tall" Jones is 65.
Rock musician Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) is 64. Singer Howard Jones is
61. Rock musician Michael Wilton (Queensryche) is 54. Country singer
Dusty Drake is 52. Actress Kristin Davis is 51. Tennis player Helena
Sukova is 51. Actor Marc Price is 48. TV personality/businessman
Daymond John (TV: "Shark Tank") is 47. Actress Niecy Nash is 46. Rock
musician Jeff Beres (Sister Hazel) is 45. Country singer Steve Holy is
44. Rock musician Lasse (loss) Johansson (The Cardigans) is 43. Actress
Kelly Macdonald is 40. Actor Josh Gad is 35. Actress Emily Blunt is 33.
Actor Aziz Ansari is 33. Actress Dakota Fanning is 22. Thought for
Today: "Men are more often bribed by their loyalties and ambitions than
by money. Robert H. Jackson, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1892-1954).
