This day in history

[February 08, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2011. There are 326 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Feb. 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

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 1693, a charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in the Virginia Colony.

In 1837, the Senate selected the vice president of the United States, choosing Richard Mentor Johnson after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.

In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War, a conflict over control of Manchuria and Korea, began as Japanese forces attacked Port Arthur.

In 1924, the first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City as Gee Jon, a Chinese immigrant convicted of murder, was put to death.

In 1960, work began on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles.

In 1968, three college students were killed in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley.

In 1971, NASDAQ, the world's first electronic stock exchange, held its first trading day.

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 2007, model, actress and tabloid sensation Anna Nicole Smith died in Florida at age 39 of an accidental drug overdose.

Ten years ago: The House Government Reform Committee opened hearings into former President Bill Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, with former prosecutors complaining that they hadn't been consulted before the pardon was granted. (In a 2002 report, the committee said it felt Rich's pardon "raised substantial questions of direct corruption, primarily whether pardons were issued in exchange for political and other financial contributions.") President George W. Bush sent his proposed $1.6 trillion ten-year tax cut plan to Congress. (Bush signed the tax cut package into law on June 7, 2001.)

Five years ago: President George W. Bush condemned deadly rioting sparked by cartoons of the prophet Muhammad as he urged foreign leaders to halt the spreading violence. U2 captured five Grammy awards for their album "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb," including album of the year.

One year ago: Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station. Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop superstar in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Nielsen Co. estimated that 106.5 million people watched the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts, beating the 1983 "M-A-S-H" finale, which had 105.97 million viewers. U.S. Rep. John Murtha, 77, died at a hospital in Arlington, Va., of complications from gall bladder surgery.

Today's birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 79. Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 71. Actor Nick Nolte is 70. Comedian Robert Klein is 69. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is 68. Singer Ron Tyson is 63. Actress Brooke Adams is 62. Actress Mary Steenburgen is 58. Author John Grisham is 56. Actor Henry Czerny is 52. Rock singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 50. Rock singer-musician Sammy Llanas (YAH'-nus) (The BoDeans) is 50. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson is 49. Actress Mary McCormack is 42. Rock musician Keith Nelson (Buckcherry) is 42. Retired NBA player Alonzo Mourning is 41. Actor Seth Green is 37. Actor Josh Morrow is 37. Rock musician Phoenix (Linkin Park) is 34. Rock musician Jeremy Davis (Paramore) is 26. Rock musician Max Grahn (Carolina Liar) is 23. Actor Ryan Pinkston is 23. Actress Karle Warren ("Judging Amy") is 19.

Thought for today: "Consistency is a paste jewel that only cheap men cherish." -- William Allen White, American journalist (1868-1944)

[Associated Press]

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