 Today's highlight in history:
On March 5, 1512, cartographer Gerardus Mercator, creator of the
Mercator Projection map of the world, was born in Flanders in the
Holy Roman Empire.
On this date:
In 1770, the Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who'd
been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five
people.
In 1868, the Senate was organized into a Court of Impeachment to
decide charges against President Andrew Johnson, who was later
acquitted.
In 1933, in German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44
percent of the vote; the Nazis joined with a conservative
nationalist party to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.
In 1934, the first Mothers-in-Law Day celebration and parade took
place in Amarillo, Texas.
In 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at
Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
In 1953, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died after three decades in
power.
In 1959, a fire at the Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville,
Ark., claimed the lives of 21 teenagers trapped inside a locked
dormitory room.
In 1960, Cuban newspaper photographer Alberto Korda took the
now-famous picture of guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara during
a memorial service in Havana for victims of a ship explosion. Elvis
Presley was discharged from the U.S. Army.
In 1963, country music performers Patsy Cline, "Cowboy" Copas and "Hawkshaw"
Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tenn., that also claimed
the life of pilot Randy Hughes (Cline's manager).
In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons went
into effect after 43 nations ratified it.
In 1979, NASA's Voyager 1 space probe flew past Jupiter, sending
back photographs of the planet and its moons.
In 1982, comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose in
a rented bungalow in Hollywood; he was 33.
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Ten years ago: President George W. Bush slapped punishing
tariffs of eight to 30 percent on several types of imported steel in
an effort to aid the ailing U.S. industry. California Rep. Gary
Condit, dogged by the Chandra Levy scandal, lost a Democratic
primary election to Dennis Cardoza. (In November 2010, Ingmar
Guandique (wahn-DEE'-kay) was convicted of killing Levy and was
later sentenced to 60 years in prison.)
Five years ago: A suicide car bomber turned a venerable
Baghdad book market into a deadly inferno, killing some three dozen
people. Nine U.S. soldiers died in two separate incidents north of
Baghdad. President George W. Bush, facing criticism he'd been
ignoring Latin America, said the U.S. would spend tens of millions
of dollars to improve education, housing and health care across the
region.
One year ago: Egyptians turned their anger toward ousted
President Hosni Mubarak's internal security apparatus, storming the
agency's main headquarters and other offices. Alberto Granado, 88,
who'd accompanied Ernesto "Che" Guevara on a journey of discovery
across Latin America described in "The Motorcycle Diaries," died in
Havana.
Today's birthdays: Actor James Noble is 90. Actor James B.
Sikking is 78. Actor Dean Stockwell is 76. Actor Fred Williamson is
74. Actress Samantha Eggar is 73. Actor Michael Warren is 66. Actor
Eddie Hodges is 65. Singer Eddy Grant is 64. Rock musician Alan
Clark (Dire Straits) is 60. Actress-comedian Marsha Warfield is 58.
Magician Penn Jillette is 57. Actress Adriana Barraza is 56. Rock
singers Charlie and Craig Reid (The Proclaimers) are 50. Rock
musician John Frusciante (froo-SHAN'-tee) (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is
42. Singer Rome is 42. Actor Kevin Connolly is 38. Actress Jill
Ritchie is 38. Actress Jolene Blalock is 37. Actress Eva Mendes is
37. Model Niki Taylor is 37. Actor Sterling Knight is 23. Actor Jake
Lloyd is 23.
Thought for today: "Tomorrow is a thief of pleasure."
-- Sir Rex Harrison, British actor (1908-1990)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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