Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 22, the 53rd day of 2017. There are 312 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 22, 1732 (New
Style date), the first president of the United States, George
Washington, was born in Westmoreland County in the Virginia Colony. On
this date: In 1862, Jefferson Davis, already the provisional president
of the Confederacy, was inaugurated for a six-year term following his
election in Nov. 1861. In 1892, "Lady Windermere's Fan" by Oscar Wilde
was first performed at London's St. James' Theater. In 1909, the Great
White Fleet, a naval task force sent on a round-the-world voyage by
President Theodore Roosevelt, returned after more than a year at sea.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge delivered the first radio broadcast
from the White House as he addressed the country over 42 stations. In
1935, it became illegal for airplanes to fly over the White House. In
1940, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was enthroned at age four in
Lhasa, Tibet. In 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 race was held;
although Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, the
victory was later awarded to Lee Petty. In 1967, more than 25,000 U.S.
and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Junction City, aimed at
smashing a Vietcong stronghold near the Cambodian border. (Although the
communists were driven out, they later returned.) In 1974, Pakistan
officially recognized Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). In 1980, the
"Miracle on Ice" took place in Lake Placid, New York, as the United
States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets, 4-3. (The U.S. team went
on to win the gold medal.) In 1987, pop artist Andy Warhol died at a
New York City hospital at age 58; talk-show host David Susskind was
found dead in his Manhattan hotel suite; he was 66. In 1997, scientists
in Scotland announced they had succeeded in cloning an adult mammal,
producing a lamb named "Dolly. (Dolly, however, was later put down
after a short life marred by premature aging and disease.) Ten years
ago: Britain's Ministry of Defense announced that Prince Harry, a
second lieutenant in the British army, would be deployed to Iraq
(officials later reversed the decision because of insurgent threats;
Harry later served two tours of duty in Afghanistan). The U.N. nuclear
watchdog agency said Iran had ignored a Security Council ultimatum to
freeze uranium enrichment, and instead expanded its program by setting
up hundreds of centrifuges. Five years ago: Mitt Romney and Rick
Santorum swapped accusations about health care, spending earmarks and
federal bailouts in the 20th debate of the roller-coaster race for the
Republican presidential nomination, held in Mesa, Arizona. Two Marine
Corps helicopters collided over a remote section of the California
desert during a nighttime exercise, killing seven Marines. A jury in
Charlottesville, Virginia, found University of Virginia lacrosse player
George W. Huguely (HYOOG'-lee) V (the Fifth) guilty of second-degree
murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend and lacrosse player Yeardley
(YAHRD'-lee) Love in May 2010 (Huguely was sentenced to 23 years in
prison). One year ago: President Barack Obama sent lawmakers an
official $1.9 billion request to combat the spread of the Zika
(ZEE'-kuh) virus in Latin America and the U.S. (Congress passed a $1.1
billion package in Sept. 2016.) The City Council of Charlotte, North
Carolina, voted 7-4 to pass a new law allowing transgender people to
choose public bathrooms that corresponded to their gender identity.
Country singer Sonny James, 87, died in Nashville. British
cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, 103, died in London. The Lady Vols'
streak of 565 consecutive weeks in The Associated Press women's
basketball poll ended as Tennessee fell out of the Top 25. Today's
Birthdays: Actor Paul Dooley is 89. Actor James Hong is 88. Movie
director Jonathan Demme (DEH'-mee) is 73. Actor John Ashton is 69.
Actress Miou-Miou is 67. Actress Julie Walters is 67. Basketball Hall
of Famer Julius Erving is 67. Actress Ellen Greene is 66. Former Sen.
Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is 65. Former White House adviser David Axelrod is
62. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 58. World Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh
is 54. Actress-comedian Rachel Dratch is 51. Actor Paul Lieberstein is
50. Actress Jeri Ryan is 49. Actor Thomas Jane is 48. TV host Clinton
Kelly is 48. Actress Tamara Mello is 47. Actress-singer Lea Salonga
(LAY'-uh suh-LONG'-guh) is 46. Actor Jose Solano is 46. International
Tennis Hall-of-Famer Michael Chang is 45. Rock musician Scott Phillips
is 44. Singer James Blunt is 43. Actress Drew Barrymore is 42. Actress
Liza Huber is 42. Rock singer Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's) is 38.
Actor Zach Roerig is 32. Actor Daniel E. Smith is 27. Thought for
Today: "It is infinitely better to have a few good men than many
indifferent ones. President George Washington (1732-1799).