Today In History

Today in History: Wednesday, February  08, 2017
AP Highlight in History:
On Feb. 8, 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after being implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
On this date in:
1693 A charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
1837 The Senate selected Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky as vice president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.
1904 The Russo-Japanese War began.
1910 The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.
1915 D.W. Griffith’s silent movie epic about the Civil War, “The Birth of a Nation,” premiered in Los Angeles.
1922 President Warren G. Harding had a radio installed in the White House.
1924 The first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.
1968 Three college students died in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley.

AP Photo

1971 NASDAQ, the world’s first electronic stock exchange, held its first trading day.
1993 General Motors sued NBC, alleging that the program “Dateline NBC” had rigged two crashes to show that GM pickups were prone to fires. (NBC settled the lawsuit the following day.)
1999 The Senate heard closing arguments in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.
2007 Model and tabloid sensation Anna Nicole Smith died at age 39 of an accidental drug overdose.
2010 Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop superstar in Los Angeles Superior Court. (Murray was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail.)
Today’s Birthdays:
Chicago Bears head coach John Fox turns 62 years old today.

AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

Name Profession Age
Jack Larson Actor (“Adventures of Superman”) 89
John Williams Composer, conductor 85
Ted Koppel Broadcast journalist 77
Nick Nolte Actor 76
Robert Klein Comedian 75
Creed Bratton Actor (“The Office”) 74
Brooke Adams Actress 68
Vince Neil Rock singer (Motley Crue) 56
Lisa Jackson Former EPA administrator 55
Mary McCormack Actress 48
Alonzo Mourning Basketball player 47
Seth Green Actor 43
Cecily Strong Actress, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”) 33
Actress Mary Steenburgen turns 64 years old today.

AP Photo/Peter Kramer

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