Today in History
Today is Thursday, Feb. 25, the 56th day of 2016. There are 310 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 25, 1986,
President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule
in the wake of a tainted election; Corazon Aquino assumed the
presidency. On this date: In 1836, inventor Samuel Colt patented his
revolver. In 1905, the Upton Sinclair novel "The Jungle" was first
published in serial form by the Appeal to Reason newspaper. In 1913,
the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power
to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect by Secretary
of State Philander Chase Knox. In 1922, French serial killer Henri
Landru, convicted of murdering 10 women and the son of one of them, was
executed in Versailles (vehr-SY'). In 1940, a National Hockey League
game was televised for the first time by New York City station W2XBS as
the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 6-2, at Madison
Square Garden. In 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev harshly
criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party
congress in Moscow. In 1964, Eastern Airlines Flight 304, a DC-8,
crashed shortly after taking off from New Orleans International
Airport, killing all 58 on board. Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius
Clay) became world heavyweight boxing champion as he defeated Sonny
Liston in Miami Beach. In 1973, the Stephen Sondheim musical "A Little
Night Music" opened at Broadway's Shubert Theater. In 1983, playwright
Tennessee Williams was found dead in his New York hotel suite; he was
71. In 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, 28 Americans were killed when
an Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. In
1994, American-born Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire with an
automatic rifle inside the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank,
killing 29 Muslims before he was beaten to death by worshippers. In
1996, blasts set off by suicide bombers in Jerusalem and Ashkelon
killed at least 27 people. A 12-mile tether connecting a half-ton
satellite to space shuttle Columbia broke as it was almost completely
unreeled. Cambodian activist Dr. Haing S. Ngor, who'd won an Academy
Award for his performance in the 1984 movie "The Killing Fields," was
shot to death outside his Los Angeles apartment. (Three gang members
were later convicted of murder.) Ten years ago: In Uganda, President
Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner in the central African
country's first multiparty election in 25 years. Apolo Anton Ohno upset
favored South Korean Ahn Hyun-soo to win the gold in the 500-meter
short track speedskating event at the Winter Games in Turin. Actor
Darren McGavin died in Los Angeles at age 83. Five years ago:
Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly took the first significant action
on their plan to strip collective bargaining rights from most public
workers, abruptly passing the measure in the small hours before
sleep-deprived Democrats realized what was happening. (The vote sent
the bill on to the Wisconsin Senate, where minority Democrats had fled
to Illinois to prevent a vote.) The Obama White House broke decades of
tradition, naming Jeremy Bernard the first man to ever serve as social
secretary in the female-dominated East Wing. Suze Rotolo, artist and
girlfriend of singer Bob Dylan, who was his lyrical muse when he came
to prominence in the early 1960s, died in New York at age 67. One year
ago: Secretary of State John Kerry fielded dozens of questions from
House Foreign Affairs Committee members worried about what Iran could
get in a deal being negotiated to block its ability to make an atomic
weapon. Today's Birthdays: Country singer Ralph Stanley is 89. Actor
Tom Courtenay is 79. Former CBS newsman Bob Schieffer is 79. Actress
Diane Baker is 78. Actress Karen Grassle is 74. Humorist Jack Handey is
67. Movie director Neil Jordan is 66. Rock musician Dennis Diken (The
Smithereens) is 59. Rock singer-musician Mike Peters (The Alarm; Big
Country) is 57. Actress Veronica Webb is 51. Actor Alexis Denisof is
50. Actress Tea (TAY'-ah) Leoni is 50. Comedian Carrot Top is 49.
Actress Lesley Boone is 48. Actor Sean Astin is 45. Singer Daniel
Powter is 45. Latin singer Julio Iglesias Jr. is 43. Rhythm-and-blues
singer Justin Jeffre is 43. Rock musician Richard Liles is 43. Actor
Anson Mount is 43. Comedian-actress Chelsea Handler is 41. Actress
Rashida Jones is 40. Country singer Shawna Thompson (Thompson Square)
is 38. Actor Justin Berfield is 30. Actors Oliver and James Phelps
("Harry Potter" movies) are 30. Rock musician Erik Haager (Carolina
Liar) is 29. Thought for Today: "Hero-worship is strongest where there
is least regard for human freedom. Herbert Spencer, British philosopher
(1820-1903).
