This day in history

[February 09, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2010. There are 325 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Feb. 9, 1960, Adolph Coors Co. chairman Adolph Coors III, 44, was shot to death during a botched kidnapping attempt while on his way to the family brewery in Golden, Colo. (Coors' body wasn't found for seven months; the man who killed him, Joseph Corbett Jr., served 19 years in prison. Corbett committed suicide in Aug. 2009.)

On this date:

In 1773, the ninth president of the United States, William Henry Harrison, was born in Charles City County, Va.

In 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected the provisional president of the Confederate States of America.

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established.

In 1942, daylight-saving "War Time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.

In 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces.

In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.

In 1971, the crew of Apollo 14 returned to Earth after man's third landing on the moon.

In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov died at age 69, less than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was succeeded by Konstantin U. Chernenko (chehr-NYEN'-koh).

In 2002, Britain's Princess Margaret, the high-spirited and unconventional sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died in London at age 71.

Ten years ago: Hackers stepped up their "denial of service" attacks on popular Internet sites, zeroing in on such targets as ETrade and ZDNet, inconveniencing millions of Web users and unnerving Wall Street. Boeing Co. engineers and technical workers began a 40-day strike.

Five years ago: Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina was forced out by board members, ending her nearly six-year reign. A new postage stamp honoring President Ronald Reagan was issued in ceremonies across the country.

One year ago: President Barack Obama used his first news conference since taking office to urgently pressure lawmakers to approve a massive economic recovery bill. All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs, telling ESPN he had used steroids while with the Texas Rangers for three years. Lindsey Vonn won the downhill for her second gold at the World Championships in Val D'isere, France, becoming the second American woman (after Andrea Mead Lawrence) to win two golds at a worlds. Playwright Robert Anderson ("Tea and Sympathy") died in New York at age 91.

Today's birthdays: Actress Kathryn Grayson is 88. Television journalist Roger Mudd is 82. Actress Janet Suzman is 71. Actress-politician Sheila James Kuehl (kyool) ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") is 69. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 68. Actor Joe Pesci is 67. Singer Barbara Lewis is 67. Author Alice Walker is 66. Actress Mia Farrow is 65. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) is 64. Singer Joe Ely is 63. Actress Judith Light is 61. Rhythm-and-blues musician Dennis "DT" Thomas (Kool & the Gang) is 59. Actor Charles Shaughnessy is 55. Former Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe is 53. Jazz musician Steve Wilson is 49. Country singer Travis Tritt is 47. Actress Julie Warner is 45. Country singer Danni Leigh is 40. Actor Jason George is 38. Actor-producer Charlie Day is 34. Rock singer Chad Wolf (Carolina Liar) is 34. Actor A.J. Buckley (TV: "CSI: NY") is 33. Rock musician Richard On (O.A.R.) is 31. Actress Ziyi Zhang is 31. Actor David Gallagher is 25. Actress Marina Malota is 22. Actress Camille Winbush ("The Bernie Mac Show") is 20.

Thought for today: "What we call progress is the exchange of one nuisance for another nuisance." -- Havelock Ellis, English psychologist (1859-1939)

[Associated Press]

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