Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2017. There are 326 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 8, 1942, during
World War II, Japanese forces began invading Singapore, which fell a
week later. On this date: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at
Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to
murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1862, the Civil War Battle of
Roanoke Island, North Carolina, ended in victory for Union forces led
by Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside. In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was
incorporated. In 1915, D.W. Griffith's groundbreaking as well as
controversial silent movie epic about the Civil War, "The Birth of a
Nation," premiered in Los Angeles under its original title, "The
Clansman. In 1922, President Warren G. Harding had a radio installed in
the White House. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, Malaga fell to
Nationalist and Italian forces. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed
her accession to the British throne following the death of her father,
King George VI. In 1968, three college students were killed in a
confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, South Carolina,
during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley. In
1973, Senate leaders named seven members of a select committee to
investigate the Watergate scandal, including its chairman, Sen. Sam J.
Ervin, D-N.C. In 1989, 144 people were killed when an
American-chartered Boeing 707 filled with Italian tourists slammed into
a fog-covered mountain in the Azores. In 1992, the XVI Olympic Winter
Games opened in Albertville, France. In 1996, in a ceremony at the
Library of Congress, President Bill Clinton signed legislation
revamping the telecommunications industry, saying it would "bring the
future to our doorstep. Ten years ago: Model, actress and tabloid
sensation Anna Nicole Smith died in Hollywood, Florida, at age 39 of an
accidental drug overdose. A federal judge in Fargo, North Dakota,
sentenced Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. to death for the slaying of college
student Dru Sjodin (droo shoh-DEEN'). (Rodriguez remains in prison as
his case is appealed.) Rival Palestinian leaders signed an agreement on
a power-sharing government at Saudi-brokered talks in Mecca. Five years
ago: Washington state lawmakers voted to approve same-sex marriage.
Kyle Dyer, an anchor for Denver station KUSA-TV, was seriously injured
when she was bitten in the face by an 85-pound Argentine mastiff while
conducting a live studio interview on the dog's rescue from an icy
pond. One year ago: President Barack Obama asked Congress for more than
$1.8 billion in emergency funding to fight the Zika (ZEE'-kuh) virus
and the mosquitoes that were spreading it in the United States and
abroad, but said "there shouldn't be a panic on this. Villanova was No.
1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the first
time. (The 20-3 Wildcats made the jump from third following then-No. 1
Oklahoma's loss to Kansas State and then-No. 2 North Carolina's losses
to Louisville and Notre Dame.) Today's Birthdays: Composer-conductor
John Williams is 85. Newscaster Ted Koppel is 77. Actor Nick Nolte is
76. Comedian Robert Klein is 75. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is
74. Singer Ron Tyson is 69. Actress Brooke Adams is 68. Actress Mary
Steenburgen is 64. Author John Grisham is 62. Retired NBA All-Star and
College Basketball Hall of Famer Marques Johnson is 61. Actor Henry
Czerny is 58. The former president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino
III, is 57. Rock singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 56. Rock
singer-musician Sammy Llanas (YAH'-nus) (The BoDeans) is 56. Former
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson is 55.
Movie producer Toby Emmerich is 54. Actress Missy Yager (Film:
"Manchester by the Sea") is 49. Actress Mary McCormack is 48. Rock
musician Keith Nelson (Buckcherry) is 48. Basketball Hall of Famer
Alonzo Mourning is 47. Dance musician Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (Daft
Punk) is 43. Actor Seth Green is 43. Actor Josh Morrow is 43. Rock
musician Phoenix (Linkin Park) is 40. Actor William Jackson Harper (TV:
"The Good Place") is 37. Actor Jim Parrack is 36. Folk singer-musician
Joey Ryan (Milk Carton Kids) is 35. Actress-comedian Cecily Strong is
33. Rock musician Jeremy Davis is 32. Hip-hop artist Anderson.Paak is
31. Rock musician Max Grahn (Carolina Liar) is 29. Actor Ryan Pinkston
is 29. Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton is 27. Actress Karle Warren
is 25. Thought for Today: "Children see things very well sometimes and
idealists even better. Lorraine Hansberry, American author and
dramatist (1930-1965).
