This day in history

[February 08, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2010. 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 1978, the deliberations of the Senate were broadcast on radio for the first time as members opened debate on the Panama Canal treaties.

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: Internet vandals continued an unprecedented campaign of electronic assaults against the biggest names in cyberspace, disrupting access for consumers to popular Web sites including eBay, Amazon.com and CNN.com. Republican George W. Bush won the Delaware presidential primary.

Five years ago: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (ah-ree-EL' shah-ROHN') and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (mahk-MOOD' ah-BAHS') announced a cease-fire at a summit in Egypt. An earlier-than-usual Mardi Gras festival opened in New Orleans with sparse crowds. Longtime CBS newsman George Herman died in Washington D.C. at age 85. Doobie Brothers drummer Keith Knudsen died in Kentfield, Calif. at age 56.

One year ago: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss won five Grammys, including album of the year, for "Raising Sand." R&B singer Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of making a criminal threat (he was later sentenced to five years of probation for beating his longtime girlfriend, singer Rihanna). The NFC rallied to a 30-21 victory over the AFC in the Pro Bowl.

Today's birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 78. Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 70. Actor Nick Nolte is 69. Comedian Robert Klein is 68. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is 67. Singer Ron Tyson is 62. Actress Brooke Adams is 61. Actress Mary Steenburgen is 57. Author John Grisham is 55. Actor Henry Czerny is 51. Rock singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 49. Rock singer-musician Sammy Llanas (YAH'-nus) (The BoDeans) is 49. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson is 48. Actor Gary Coleman is 42. Actress Mary McCormack is 41. Rock musician Keith Nelson (Buckcherry) is 41. Retired NBA player Alonzo Mourning is 40. Actor Seth Green is 36. Actor Josh Morrow is 36. Rock musician Phoenix (Linkin Park) is 33. Rock musician Jeremy Davis (Paramore) is 25. Rock musician Max Grahn (Carolina Liar) is 22. Actor Ryan Pinkston is 22. Actress Karle Warren ("Judging Amy") is 18.

Thought for today: "Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year." -- Franklin P. Adams, American journalist (1881-1960)

[Associated Press]

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