Today in History
Today is Thursday, Feb. 16, the 47th day of 2017. There are 318 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 16, 1862, the
Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee ended as some 12,000
Confederate soldiers surrendered; Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's victory
earned him the moniker "Unconditional Surrender Grant. On this date: In
1804, Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli Harbor to
burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia, which had fallen into the
hands of pirates during the First Barbary War. In 1868, the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks was organized in New York City. In 1923,
the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen's recently unearthed tomb was
unsealed in Egypt by English archaeologist Howard Carter. In 1937, Du
Pont research chemist Dr. Wallace H. Carothers, inventor of nylon,
received a patent for the synthetic fiber, described as "linear
condensation polymers. In 1945, American troops landed on the island of
Corregidor in the Philippines during World War II. In 1959, Fidel
Castro became premier of Cuba a month and a-half after the overthrow of
Fulgencio Batista. In 1961, the United States launched the Explorer 9
satellite. In 1968, the nation's first 911 emergency telephone system
was inaugurated in Haleyville, Alabama. In 1977, Janani Luwum, the
Anglican archbishop of Uganda, died in what Ugandan authorities said
was an automobile accident, although it's generally believed that he
was shot to death by agents of Idi Amin (EE'-dee ah-MEEN'). In 1987,
John Demjanjuk (dem-YAHN'-yuk) went on trial in Jerusalem, accused of
being "Ivan the Terrible," a guard at the Treblinka Nazi concentration
camp. (Demjanjuk was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against
humanity, but the conviction ended up being overturned by the Israeli
Supreme Court.) In 1996, 11 people were killed in a fiery collision
between an Amtrak passenger train and a Maryland commuter train in
Silver Spring, Maryland. Former California Governor Edmund G. "Pat"
Brown died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 90. In 1998, a China
Airlines Airbus A300-600R trying to land in fog near Taipei, Taiwan,
crashed, killing all 196 people on board, plus six on the ground. Ten
years ago: The Democratic-controlled House issued a symbolic rejection
of President George W. Bush's decision to deploy more troops to Iraq,
approving the nonbinding resolution by a vote of 246-182. An Italian
judge indicted 25 suspected CIA agents and a U.S. Air Force lieutenant
colonel in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect, Osama Moustafa
Hassan Nasr, who was taken from Italy to Egypt, where he was allegedly
tortured. (The Americans were later convicted in absentia.) Five years
ago: A federal judge in Detroit ordered life in prison for "underwear
bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (OO'-mahr fah-ROOK'
ahb-DOOL'-moo-TAH'-lahb), a Nigerian who had tried to blow up a packed
Northwest jetliner. New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid, a
two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, died of an apparent asthma attack in
Syria while reporting on the uprising against its president; he was 43.
Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter died in West Palm Beach, Florida, at
age 57. One year ago: Former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali (BOO'-trohs BOO'-trohs KHAL'-ee), 93, died in Cairo.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's courtroom chair was draped in
black to mark his death, a tradition dating to the 19th century. The
Czech Museum of Music presented a cantata, "A Salute to the
Re'cup'erating Ophelia," a rare piece of music written in three parts
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri and an unknown composer,
Cornetti, that was considered lost for more than 200 years. CJ the
German shorthaired pointer won best in show at the Westminster Kennel
Club. Today's Birthdays: Jazz/pop singer/actress Peggy King is 87.
Actor Jeremy Bulloch is 72. Actor William Katt is 66. Rhythm-and-blues
singer James Ingram is 65. Actor LeVar Burton is 60. Actor-rapper Ice-T
is 59. Actress Lisa Loring is 59. International Tennis Hall of Famer
John McEnroe is 58. Rock musician Andy Taylor is 56. Rock musician Dave
Lombardo (Slayer) is 52. Actress Sarah Clarke is 46. Rock musician
Taylor Hawkins (Foofighters) is 45. Olympic gold medal runner Cathy
Freeman is 44. Actor Mahershala Ali is 43. Singer Sam Salter is 42.
Electronic dance music artist Bassnectar is 39. Rapper Lupe Fiasco is
35. Actress Chloe Wepper is 31. Pop-rock singer Ryan Follese
(FAHL'-eh-say) (Hot Chelle (SHEL) Rae) is 30. Rock musician Danielle
Haim (HYM) is 28. Actress Elizabeth Olsen is 28. Actor Mike Weinberg is
24. Thought for Today: "The heart may think it knows better: the senses
know that absence blots people out. We have really no absent friends.
Elizabeth Bowen, Irish-born author (1899-1973).
