Today In History

Today in History: Wednesday, February  15, 2017
AP Highlight in History:
On Feb. 15, 1820, American suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams, Mass.
 

AP Photo/New York University

 

On this date in:
1564 Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa.
1764 The city of St. Louis was established.
1898 The U.S. battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor, killing more than 260 crew members and bringing the U.S. closer to war with Spain over the issue of Cuban independence.
 

AP Photo

 

1933 President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt escaped an assassination attempt in Miami that claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak.
1952 A funeral was held at Windsor Castle for Britain’s King George VI, who had died nine days earlier.
1965 Canada’s new maple leaf flag was unfurled in ceremonies in Ottawa.
1971 Britain and Ireland “decimalised” their currencies, making one pound equal to 100 new pence instead of 240 pence.
1989 The Soviet Union announced that the last of its troops had left Afghanistan after more than nine years of military intervention.
2002 Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded a gold medal to resolve a judging controversy at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
2005 Defrocked priest Paul Shanley was sentenced in Boston to 12 to 15 years in prison on child rape charges.
2008 Business tycoon Steve Fossett, 63, was declared dead five months after his small plane vanished over California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. (His remains were discovered later in the year.)
2011 Protesters swarmed Wisconsin’s capitol after Gov. Scott Walker proposed cutbacks in benefits and bargaining rights for public employees.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actress Amber Riley (“Glee”) turns 31 years old today.
 

AP Photo/Jordan Strauss

 

Name Profession Age
John Anderson Former Illinois congressman 95
Brian Holland Songwriter 76
Melissa Manchester Singer 66
Jane Seymour Actress (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) 66
Matt Groening Cartoonist (“The Simpsons”) 63
Darrell Green Football Hall of Famer 57
Dallas Stars right wing Jaromir Jagr turns 45 years old today.
 

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

 

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