Monday, March 05, 2012

This day in history

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[March 05, 2012]  (AP)  Today is Monday, March 5, the 65th day of 2012. There are 301 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On March 5, 1512, cartographer Gerardus Mercator, creator of the Mercator Projection map of the world, was born in Flanders in the Holy Roman Empire.

On this date:

In 1770, the Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who'd been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five people.

In 1868, the Senate was organized into a Court of Impeachment to decide charges against President Andrew Johnson, who was later acquitted.

In 1933, in German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44 percent of the vote; the Nazis joined with a conservative nationalist party to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.

In 1934, the first Mothers-in-Law Day celebration and parade took place in Amarillo, Texas.

In 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.


In 1953, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died after three decades in power.

In 1959, a fire at the Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, Ark., claimed the lives of 21 teenagers trapped inside a locked dormitory room.

In 1960, Cuban newspaper photographer Alberto Korda took the now-famous picture of guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara during a memorial service in Havana for victims of a ship explosion. Elvis Presley was discharged from the U.S. Army.

In 1963, country music performers Patsy Cline, "Cowboy" Copas and "Hawkshaw" Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tenn., that also claimed the life of pilot Randy Hughes (Cline's manager).

In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons went into effect after 43 nations ratified it.

In 1979, NASA's Voyager 1 space probe flew past Jupiter, sending back photographs of the planet and its moons.

In 1982, comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose in a rented bungalow in Hollywood; he was 33.

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Ten years ago: President George W. Bush slapped punishing tariffs of eight to 30 percent on several types of imported steel in an effort to aid the ailing U.S. industry. California Rep. Gary Condit, dogged by the Chandra Levy scandal, lost a Democratic primary election to Dennis Cardoza. (In November 2010, Ingmar Guandique (wahn-DEE'-kay) was convicted of killing Levy and was later sentenced to 60 years in prison.)

Five years ago: A suicide car bomber turned a venerable Baghdad book market into a deadly inferno, killing some three dozen people. Nine U.S. soldiers died in two separate incidents north of Baghdad. President George W. Bush, facing criticism he'd been ignoring Latin America, said the U.S. would spend tens of millions of dollars to improve education, housing and health care across the region.

One year ago: Egyptians turned their anger toward ousted President Hosni Mubarak's internal security apparatus, storming the agency's main headquarters and other offices. Alberto Granado, 88, who'd accompanied Ernesto "Che" Guevara on a journey of discovery across Latin America described in "The Motorcycle Diaries," died in Havana.

Today's birthdays: Actor James Noble is 90. Actor James B. Sikking is 78. Actor Dean Stockwell is 76. Actor Fred Williamson is 74. Actress Samantha Eggar is 73. Actor Michael Warren is 66. Actor Eddie Hodges is 65. Singer Eddy Grant is 64. Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 60. Actress-comedian Marsha Warfield is 58. Magician Penn Jillette is 57. Actress Adriana Barraza is 56. Rock singers Charlie and Craig Reid (The Proclaimers) are 50. Rock musician John Frusciante (froo-SHAN'-tee) (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 42. Singer Rome is 42. Actor Kevin Connolly is 38. Actress Jill Ritchie is 38. Actress Jolene Blalock is 37. Actress Eva Mendes is 37. Model Niki Taylor is 37. Actor Sterling Knight is 23. Actor Jake Lloyd is 23.

Thought for today: "Tomorrow is a thief of pleasure." -- Sir Rex Harrison, British actor (1908-1990)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

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