Today in History
Today is Wednesday, March 8, the 67th day of 2017. There are 298 days
left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On March 8, 1917,
Russia's "February Revolution" (referring to the Old Style calendar)
began in Petrograd; the result was the abdication of the Russian
monarchy in favor of a provisional government that was overthrown later
the same year by the Bolsheviks. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, 78,
creator of the rigid airships bearing his name, died in Berlin. The
U.S. Senate voted to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule. On
this date: In 1702, England's Queen Anne acceded to the throne upon the
death of King William III. In 1817, the New York Stock & Exchange
Board, which had its beginnings in 1792, was formally organized; it
later became known as the New York Stock Exchange. In 1854, U.S.
Commodore Matthew C. Perry made his second landing in Japan; within a
month, he concluded a treaty with the Japanese. In 1874, the 13th
president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, died in Buffalo, New
York, at age 74. In 1930, the 27th president of the United States,
William Howard Taft, died in Washington at age 72. In 1942, Imperial
Japanese forces oc'cup'ied Rangoon (Yangon) during World War II. In
1965, the United States landed its first combat troops in South Vietnam
as 3,500 Marines arrived to defend the U.S. air base at Da Nang. In
1966, Nelson's Pillar, a 120-foot-high column in Dublin honoring
British naval hero Horatio Nelson, was bombed by the Irish Republican
Army. In 1979, technology firm Philips demonstrated a prototype compact
disc player during a press conference in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. In
1983, in a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals
convention in Orlando, Florida, President Ronald Reagan referred to the
Soviet Union as an "evil empire. In 1999, baseball Hall of Famer Joe
DiMaggio died in Hollywood, Florida, at age 84. In 2014, Malaysia
Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, vanished
during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, setting off a massive
search. (To date, the fate of the jetliner and its oc'cup'ants has yet
to be determined.) Ten years ago: President George W. Bush arrived in
Sao Paulo, Brazil, as he began a 6-day tour of Latin America. House
Democrats unveiled legislation to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat
troops from Iraq by the fall of 2008; the White House said President
Bush would veto it. In his first news conference since taking over
command of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus said insurgents
were seeking to intensify attacks and that it was "very likely"
additional U.S. forces would be sent to areas outside Baghdad where
militant groups were regrouping. Five years ago: Syria's deputy oil
minister (Abdo Husameddine) announced in a video that he had defected
from President Bashar Assad's regime. Jesse Owens was posthumously made
an inaugural member of the IAAF Hall of Fame more than 75 years after
he won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. (Owens, Carl
Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and nine others were the first athletes to
be honored by the IAAF in its newly created Hall of Fame.) James T.
"Jimmy" Ellis, 74, the frontman for The Trammps who released "Disco
Inferno," died in Rock Hill, South Carolina. One year ago: Democrat
Bernie Sanders breathed new life into his longshot White House bid with
a crucial win in Michigan's primary while Hillary Clinton breezed to an
easy victory in Mississippi; Republican Donald Trump swept to victory
in Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii, while Ted Cruz carried Idaho. Sir
George Martin, the Beatles' urbane producer who guided the band's
swift, historic transformation from rowdy club act to musical and
cultural revolutionaries, died at age 90. Today's Birthdays: Actress
Sue Ane (correct) Langdon is 81. College Football Hall of Famer Pete
Dawkins is 79. Baseball player-turned-author Jim Bouton is 78.
Songwriter Carole Bayer Sager is 73. Actor-director Micky Dolenz (The
Monkees) is 72. Singer-musician Randy Meisner is 71. Pop singer Peggy
March is 69. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice is 64. Jazz musician Billy
Childs is 60. Singer Gary Numan is 59. NBC News anchor Lester Holt is
58. Actor Aidan Quinn is 58. Country musician Jimmy Dormire is 57.
Actress Camryn Manheim is 56. Actor Leon (no last name) is 54. Rock
singer Shawn Mullins (The Thorns) is 49. Neo-soul singer Van Hunt is
47. Actress Andrea Parker is 47. Actor Boris Kodjoe is 44. Actor
Freddie Prinze Jr. is 41. Actress Laura Main is 40. Actor James Van Der
Beek is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kameelah Williams (702) is 39.
Actor Nick Zano is 39. Rock singer Tom Chaplin (Keane) is 38. Rock
musician Andy Ross (OK Go) is 38. Actress Jessica Collins is 34.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Kristinia (kris-teh-NEE'-ah) DeBarge is 27.
Thought for Today: "Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury
that costs nothing. Dodie Smith, English playwright (1896-1990).
