This day in history

[February 16, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Wednesday, Feb. 16, the 47th day of 2011. There are 318 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Feb. 16, 1968, the nation's first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated, in Haleyville, Ala.

On this date:

In 1804, Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli Harbor to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia, which had fallen into the hands of pirates.

In 1862, during the Civil War, some 14,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered at Fort Donelson, Tenn. (Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's victory earned him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender Grant.")

In 1868, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was organized in New York City.

In 1923, the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen's recently unearthed tomb was unsealed in Egypt by English archaeologist Howard Carter.

In 1945, American troops landed on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines during World War II.

In 1959, Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba a month and a-half after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.

In 1960, the nuclear-powered radar picket submarine USS Triton departed New London, Conn. on the first submerged circumnavigation by a vessel.

In 1961, the United States launched the Explorer 9 satellite.

In 1977, Janani Luwum, the Anglican archbishop of Uganda, and two other men were killed in what Ugandan authorities said was an automobile accident.

In 1998, a China Airlines Airbus A300-600R trying to land in fog near Taipei, Taiwan, crashed, killing all 196 people on board.

Ten years ago: The United States and Britain staged air strikes against radar stations and air defense command centers in Iraq. President George W. Bush met with Mexican President Vicente Fox on the first foreign trip of Bush's presidency. Dr. William H. Masters, who with his partner and later wife Virginia Johnson, pioneered research in the field of human sexuality, died in Tucson, Ariz., at age 85.

Five years ago: The U.S. Army said goodbye to its last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, handing over equipment from the MASH unit to doctors and nurses in Pakistan, the scene of an October 2005 earthquake. President George W. Bush said he was satisfied with Vice President Dick Cheney's explanation about his shooting accident; Texas authorities said they had closed their investigation without filing any charges. Rene Preval was declared the winner of Haiti's presidential election. Russia's Evgeni Plushenko beat world champion Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland by 27.12 points to win the gold medal in men's figure skating at the Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

One year ago: Officials reported the capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (BEHR'-uh-dahr), the Afghan Taliban's No. 2 commander, by a joint CIA and Pakistani team. President Barack Obama announced more than $8 billion in new federal loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors in Georgia.

Today's birthdays: Singer Patty Andrews is 93. Kim Jong Il, the president of North Korea, is 69. Actor Jeremy Bulloch is 65. Actor William Katt is 60. Rhythm-and-blues singer James Ingram is 59. Actor LeVar Burton is 54. Actor-rapper Ice-T is 53. Actress Lisa Loring is 53. International Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe is 52. Rock musician Andy Taylor is 50. Rock musician Dave Lombardo (Slayer) is 46. Rock musician Taylor Hawkins (Foofighters) is 39. Olympic gold medal runner Cathy Freeman is 38. Singer Sam Salter is 36. Rapper Lupe Fiasco is 29. Actor Mike Weinberg is 18.

Thought for today: "Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it." -- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

[Associated Press]

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