Today in History
Today is Monday, Feb. 20, the 51st day of 2017. There are 314 days left
in the year. This is Presidents Day. Today's Highlight in History: On
Feb. 20, 1942, Lt. Edward "Butch" O'Hare became the U.S. Navy's first
flying ace of World War II by shooting down five Japanese bombers while
defending the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in the South Pacific.
(O'Hare, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, was killed in action in
1943; Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is named for him.) On this
date: In 1792, President George Washington signed an act creating the
United States Post Office Department. In 1816, the opera buffa "The
Barber of Seville" by Gioachino Rossini premiered in Rome under its
original title, "Almaviva, or the Useless Precaution. In 1862, William
Wallace Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln and
first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, died at the White House, apparently of
typhoid fever. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an
immigration act which excluded "idiots, imbeciles, feebleminded
persons, epileptics, insane persons" from being admitted to the United
States. In 1915, the Panama Pacific International Exposition opened in
San Francisco (the fair lasted until December). In 1938, Anthony Eden
resigned as British foreign secretary following Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain's decision to negotiate with Italian dictator Benito
Mussolini. In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v.
Rabinowitz, ruled 5-3 that authorities making a lawful arrest did not
need a warrant to search and seize evidence in an area that was in the
"immediate and complete control" of the suspect. In 1962, astronaut
John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth as he flew
aboard Project Mercury's Friendship 7 spacecraft. In 1971, the National
Emergency Warning Center in Colorado erroneously ordered U.S. radio and
TV stations off the air; some stations heeded the alert, which was not
lifted for about 40 minutes. In 1987, a bomb left by Unabomber Ted
Kaczynski exploded behind a computer store in Salt Lake City, seriously
injuring store owner Gary Wright. Soviet authorities released Jewish
activist Josef Begun. In 1998, Tara Lipinski of the U.S. won the
ladies' figure skating gold medal at the Nagano Olympics; fellow
American Michelle Kwan won the silver. In 2003, a fire sparked by
pyrotechnics broke out during a concert by the group Great White at The
Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, killing 100 people and
injuring about 200 others. Ten years ago: In a victory for President
George W. Bush, a divided federal appeals court ruled that Guantanamo
Bay detainees could not use the U.S. court system to challenge their
indefinite imprisonment. In New Orleans, thousands of hurricane-weary
residents joined with rowdy visitors to celebrate the second Mardi Gras
since Katrina. Five years ago: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
(dih-MEE'-tree med-VYEH'-dyev) held an unprecedented meeting with
opposition leaders, who said they were encouraged by his promises to
make it easier for anti-Kremlin parties to take part in elections.
Former senator and astronaut John Glenn celebrated the 50th anniversary
of his history-making space flight at Ohio State University by kicking
off a forum about NASA's future. One year ago: Six people were shot to
death in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area; an Uber driver is charged with
murder and attempted murder in the apparently random attacks. Donald
Trump barreled to victory in South Carolina's Republican primary;
Hillary Clinton pulled out a crucial win over Bernie Sanders in
Nevada's Democratic caucuses. A funeral Mass was held for Supreme Court
Justice Antonin Scalia at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in Washington. Lindsey Vonn clinched a record
20th World Cup crystal globe title in La Thuile (lah tweel), Italy,
surpassing Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. Today's Birthdays: Gloria
Vanderbilt is 93. Actor Sidney Poitier is 90. Racing Hall of Famer
Bobby Unser is 83. Actress Marj Dusay is 81. Jazz-soul singer Nancy
Wilson is 80. Racing Hall of Famer Roger Penske is 80.
Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is 76. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Phil
Esposito is 75. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is 75.
Movie director Mike Leigh is 74. Actress Brenda Blethyn is 71. Actress
Sandy Duncan is 71. Rock musician J. Geils is 71. Actor Peter Strauss
is 70. Rock musician Billy Zoom (X) is 69. Rock
singer-musician-producer Walter Becker (Steely Dan) is 67. Former
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is 66. Country singer Kathie
Baillie is 66. Actor John Voldstad is 66. Newspaper heiress Patricia
Hearst is 63. Actor Anthony Stewart Head is 63. Country singer Leland
Martin is 60. Actor James Wilby is 59. Rock musician Sebastian
Steinberg is 58. Comedian Joel Hodgson (HAHD'-suhn) is 57. Basketball
Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley is 54. Rock musician Ian Brown (Stone
Roses) is 54. Actor Willie Garson is 53. Actor French Stewart is 53.
Actor Ron Eldard is 52. Model Cindy Crawford is 51. Actor Andrew Shue
is 50. Actress Lili Taylor is 50. Actress Andrea Savage is 44. Singer
Brian Littrell is 42. Actress Lauren Ambrose is 39. Actor Jay Hernandez
is 39. Actress Chelsea Peretti is 39. Country musician Coy Bowles is
38. Actress Majandra Delfino is 36. Singer-musician Chris Thile
(THEE'-lee) is 36. Actress-singer Jessie Mueller is 34. Comedian Trevor
Noah is 33. Actor Jake Richardson is 32. Actress Daniella Pineda is 30.
Singer Rihanna is 29. Actor Jack Falahee is 28. Thought for Today:
"There is no hope of joy except in human relations. Antoine de
Saint-Exupery, French author-aviator (1900-1944).
