Today in History
Today is Thursday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2017. There are 332 days
left in the year. This is Groundhog Day. Today's Highlight in History:
On Feb. 2, 1887, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, held its first Groundhog
Day festival. On this date: In 1653, New Amsterdam now New York City
was incorporated. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the
Mexican-American War, was signed. In 1914, Charles Chaplin made his
movie debut as the comedy short "Making a Living" was released by
Keystone Film Co. The musical "Shameen Dhu," featuring the song "Too Ra
Loo Ra Loo Ral," opened on Broadway. In 1925, the legendary Alaska
Serum Run ended as the last of a series of dog mushers brought a
life-saving treatment to Nome, the scene of a diphtheria epidemic, six
days after the drug left Nenana. In 1932, Duke Ellington and His
Orchestra recorded "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
for Brunswick Records. In 1942, a Los Angeles Times column by W.H.
Anderson urged security measures against Japanese-Americans, arguing
that a Japanese-American "almost inevitably ... grows up to be a
Japanese, not an American. In 1959, public schools in Arlington and
Norfolk, Virginia, were racially desegregated without incident. In
1964, Ranger 6, a lunar probe launched by NASA, crashed onto the
surface of the moon as planned, but failed to send back any TV images.
In 1971, Idi Amin, having seized power in Uganda, proclaimed himself
president. In 1980, NBC News reported the FBI had conducted a sting
operation targeting members of Congress using phony Arab businessmen in
what became known as "Abscam," a codename protested by Arab-Americans.
In 1990, in a dramatic concession to South Africa's black majority,
President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress
and promised to free Nelson Mandela. In 1992, longtime "Miss America"
emcee Bert Parks died in La Jolla (HOY'-uh), California, at age 77. Ten
years ago: Tornadoes killed 21 people in central Florida. A grim report
from the world's leading climate scientists and government officials
said that global warming was so severe, it would "continue for
centuries" and that humans were to blame. Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued
an order making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get
vaccinated against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that causes
cervical cancer. Five years ago: Egyptian security forces clashed with
stone-throwing protesters enraged by the failure of police to prevent a
soccer riot the night before that killed 74 people. Donald Trump
announced his endorsement of Republican Mitt Romney for president,
saying the former Massachusetts governor was "not going to allow bad
things to continue to happen to this country we all love. One year ago:
Health officials reported that a person in Texas had become infected
with the Zika (ZEE'-kuh) virus through sex in the first case of the
illness being transmitted within the United States. A suicide bomber
detonated an explosive aboard a Somali Airbus, forcing it to make an
emergency landing at Mogadishu's international airport; only the bomber
was killed. Yahoo announced it was laying off about 1,700 employees.
Bob Elliott, half of the enduring television and radio comedy team Bob
and Ray, died in Cundy's Harbor, Maine, at age 92. Today's Birthdays:
Gossip columnist Liz Smith is 94. Former French President Valery
Giscard d'Estaing (val-eh-REE' ZHEES'-kahr deh-STANG') is 91. Actor
Robert Mandan is 85. Comedian Tom Smothers is 80. Rock singer-guitarist
Graham Nash is 75. Television executive Barry Diller is 75. Actor Bo
Hopkins is 73. Country singer Howard Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers) is
71. TV chef Ina (EE'-nuh) Garten is 69. Actor Jack McGee is 68. Actor
Brent Spiner (SPY'-nur) is 68. Rock musician Ross Valory (Journey) is
68. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is 65. The president of South Korea,
Park Geun-hye (goon-hay), is 65. Model Christie Brinkley is 63. Actor
Michael Talbott is 62. Actress Kim Zimmer is 62. Actor Michael T. Weiss
is 55. Actor-comedian Adam Ferrara is 51. Rock musician Robert DeLeo
(Army of Anyone; Stone Temple Pilots) is 51. Actress Jennifer Westfeldt
is 47. Rock musician Ben Mize is 46. Rapper T-Mo is 45. Actress Marissa
Jaret Winokur is 44. Actress Lori Beth Denberg is 41. Singer Shakira is
40. Actor Rich Sommer is 39. Country singer Blaine Larsen is 31.
Actress Zosia Mamet is 29. Thought for Today: "Absence is to love what
wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great.
Bussy-Rabutin, French soldier and writer (1618-1693).
