 Today's
highlight in history:
On Feb. 8, 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.
On this date:
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 1862, the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island, N.C, ended in
victory for Union forces led by Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside.
In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War, a conflict over control of
Manchuria and Korea, began as Japanese forces attacked Port Arthur.
In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.
In 1922, President Warren G. Harding had a radio installed in the
White House.
In 1942, during World War II, Japanese forces began invading
Singapore, which fell a week later.
In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed her accession to the British
throne following the death of her father, King George VI.
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 1992, the XVI Olympic Winter Games opened in Albertville, France.
Ten years ago: The Winter Olympics opened in Salt Lake City
with an emotional tribute to America's heroes, from the pioneers of
the West to past Olympic champions to the thousands who'd perished
on Sept. 11. The Taliban's foreign minister (Mullah Abdul Wakil
Muttawakil) turned himself in to authorities in Afghanistan. William
T. Dillard Sr., founder of one of the nation's largest retail
chains, died in Little Rock, Ark., at age 87.
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 Five years ago: Model, actress and tabloid
sensation Anna Nicole Smith died in Florida at age 39 of an
accidental drug overdose. A federal judge in Fargo, N.D., sentenced
Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. to death for the slaying of college student
Dru Sjodin (droo shoh-DEEN'). Rival Palestinian leaders signed an
agreement on a power-sharing government at Saudi-brokered talks in
Mecca.
One year ago: Wael Ghonim (WY'-uhl goh-NEEM'), a Google
executive who'd helped ignite Egypt's uprising, appeared before
protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square for the first time after being
released from detention; he told them, "We won't give up."
Today's birthdays: Composer-conductor John
Williams is 80. Newscaster Ted Koppel is 72. Actor Nick Nolte is 71.
Comedian Robert Klein is 70. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is
69. Singer Ron Tyson is 64. Actress Brooke Adams is 63. Actress Mary
Steenburgen is 59. Author John Grisham is 57. Actor Henry Czerny is
53. Rock singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 51. Rock singer-musician
Sammy Llanas (YAH'-nus) (The BoDeans) is 51. Environmental
Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson is 50. Actress Mary
McCormack is 43. Rock musician Keith Nelson (Buckcherry) is 43.
Retired NBA player Alonzo Mourning is 42. Actor Seth Green is 38.
Actor Josh Morrow is 38. Rock musician Phoenix (Linkin Park) is 35.
Rock musician Jeremy Davis (Paramore) is 27. Rock musician Max Grahn
(Carolina Liar) is 24. Actor Ryan Pinkston is 24. Actress Karle
Warren ("Judging Amy") is 20.
Thought for today: "Discussion is an exchange of knowledge;
an argument an exchange of ignorance." -- Robert Quillen,
American journalist (1887-1948)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
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