This day in history

[February 17, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2009. There are 317 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

One hundred years ago, on Feb. 17, 1909, Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo (also known as Goyathlay, "One Who Yawns") died at Fort Sill, Okla., at age 79.

On this date:

In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president.

In 1809, the Ohio legislature voted to establish Miami University in present-day Oxford. (The school opened in 1824.)

In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sunk in Charleston Harbor, S.C., by the Confederate hand-cranked submarine HL Hunley, which also sank.

In 1865, Columbia, S.C., burned as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in. (It's not clear which side set the blaze.)

In 1897, the forerunner of the National PTA, the National Congress of Mothers, convened its first meeting, in Washington.

In 1904, the original two-act version of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" was poorly received at its premiere at La Scala in Milan, Italy.

In 1947, the Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.

In 1959, the United States launched Vanguard 2, a satellite which carried meteorological equipment.

In 1964, the Supreme Court, in Wesberry v. Sanders, ruled that congressional districts within each state had to be roughly equal in population.

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon departed on his historic trip to China.

Ten years ago: In a satellite-linked address to college campuses across the country, President Bill Clinton made his case for shoring up Social Security and Medicare. Israeli security guards shot and killed three Kurds who had forced their way into the Israeli consulate in Berlin; the protesters were enraged by reports that Israel had aided in the arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Five years ago: John Kerry won the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary, with John Edwards placing second and Howard Dean coming in a distant third. Cingular Wireless agreed to pay nearly $41 billion in cash to buy AT&T Wireless Services. Former Mexican president Jose Lopez Portillo died in Mexico City at age 83.

One year ago: President George W. Bush rejected proposed Democratic changes to his prized international AIDS relief program, issuing a challenge to Congress from Tanzania to "stop the squabbling" and renew it as is. Kosovo declared itself a nation in defiance of Serbia and Russia. Ryan Newman snapped an 81-race winless streak, giving car owner Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory. The East beat the Western Conference 134-128 in the NBA All-Star Game.

Today's birthdays: Bandleader Orrin Tucker is 98. Actor Hal Holbrook is 84. Mystery writer Ruth Rendell is 79. Singer Bobby Lewis is 76. Comedian Dame Edna (AKA Barry Humphries) is 75. Country singer-songwriter Johnny Bush is 74. Football Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown is 73. Actress Mary Ann Mobley is 70. Actress Brenda Fricker is 64. Actress Rene Russo is 55. Actor Richard Karn is 53. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 47. Basketball player Michael Jordan is 46. Actor-comedian Larry the Cable Guy is 46. TV personality Rene Syler is 46. Movie director Michael Bay is 44. Singer Chante Moore is 42. Rock musician Timothy J. Mahoney (311) is 39. Actor Dominic Purcell is 39. Actress Denise Richards is 38. Rock singer-musician Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) is 37. Actor Jerry O'Connell is 35. Country singer Bryan White is 35. Actress Kelly Carlson is 33. Actor Jason Ritter is 29. TV personality Paris Hilton is 28. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 28. Actress Meaghan Jette Martin is 17.

Thought for today: "Life has got to be lived -- that's all there is to it. At 70, I would say the advantage is that you take life more calmly. You know that 'this, too, shall pass!'" -- Eleanor Roosevelt, American first lady (1884-1962)

[Associated Press]

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