This day in history

[March 01, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Monday, March 1, the 60th day of 2010. There are 305 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On March 1, 1932, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, N.J. (Remains identified as those of the child were found the following May.)

On this date:

In 1790, President George Washington signed a measure authorizing the first U.S. Census.

In 1809, the Illinois Territory came into existence.

In 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed an act creating Yellowstone National Park.

In 1890, J.P. Lippincott published the first U.S. edition of the Sherlock Holmes mystery "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle.

In 1940, the novel "Native Son" by Richard Wright was first published by Harper and Brothers.

In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five congressmen.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps.

In 1981, Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands began a hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he died 65 days later.

In 2003, suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (HAH'-leed shayk moh-HAH'-med) was captured by Pakistani and CIA agents.

Ten years ago: Candidates in both major parties turned their focus to Super Tuesday, a day after Texas Governor George W. Bush won Leap Day primaries in Virginia, North Dakota and Washington state, while Vice President Al Gore won in Washington state. A gunman in Wilkinsburg, Pa. fatally shot three men and wounded two others; the shooter, Ronald Taylor, was later convicted and sentenced to death. Classes were canceled at Buell Elementary School in Mount Morris Township, Mich., a day after 6-year-old Kayla Rolland was fatally shot by a fellow first-grader. (The boy shooter was never prosecuted because of his age.)

Five years ago: Dennis Rader, the churchgoing family man accused of leading a double life as the BTK serial killer, was charged in Wichita, Kan. with 10 counts of first-degree murder. (Rader later pleaded guilty and received multiple life sentences.) A closely divided Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for juvenile criminals.

One year ago: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations concluded its 14th annual summit in Thailand by vowing to push ahead with plans to become a European Union-style economic community by 2015. At a one-day summit in Brussels, European Union leaders flatly rejected a new multibillion euro bailout for eastern Europe.

Today's birthdays: Actor Robert Clary is 84. Singer Harry Belafonte is 83. Former U.S. Solicitor General Robert H. Bork is 83. Actor Robert Conrad is 75. Rock singer Mike D'Abo (Manfred Mann) is 66. Former Senator John Breaux (D-La.) is 66. Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 66. Actor Dirk Benedict is 65. Actor Alan Thicke is 63. Actor-director Ron Howard is 56. Actress Catherine Bach is 56. Country singer Janis Gill (aka Janis Oliver Cummins) (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 56. Actor Tim Daly is 54. Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 53. Rock musician Bill Leen is 48. Actor Maurice Bernard is 47. Actor Russell Wong is 47. Actor John David Cullum is 44. Actor George Eads is 43. Actor Javier Bardem (HAH'-vee-ayr bahr-DEHM') is 41. Actor Jack Davenport is 37. Rock musician Ryan Peake (Nickelback) is 37. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 36. Actor Jensen Ackles is 32. TV host Donovan Patton is 32. Rock musician Sean Woolstenhulme is 29. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sammie is 23.

Thought for today: "Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all work out in the end." -- David Niven, British actor (born this date in 1910, died 1983)

[Associated Press]

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