Today in History

Today is Wednesday, March 14, the 74th day of 2012. There are 292 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 14, 1962, Democrat Edward M. Kennedy officially launched in Boston his successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts once held by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. (Edward Kennedy served in the Senate for nearly 47 years.)

On this date:

In 1743, a memorial service was held at Faneuil Hall in Boston honoring Peter Faneuil, who had donated the building bearing his name.

In 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an invention that revolutionized America's cotton industry.

In 1885, the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera "The Mikado" premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London.

In 1900, Congress ratified the Gold Standard Act.

In 1923, President Warren G. Harding became the first chief executive to file an income tax report.

In 1932, photography pioneer George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Co., died by his own hand at age 77 in Rochester, N.Y.

In 1939, the republic of Czechoslovakia was dissolved, opening the way for Nazi occupation of Czech areas and the separation of Slovakia.

In 1951, during the Korean War, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul.

In 1964, a jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, and sentenced him to death. (Both the conviction and death sentence were later overturned, but Ruby died before he could be retried.)

In 1967, the body of President John F. Kennedy was moved from a temporary grave to a permanent memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1980, a LOT Polish Airlines jet crashed while attempting to land in Warsaw, killing all 87 people aboard, including 22 members of a U.S. amateur boxing team.

In 1991, a British court overturned the wrongful convictions of the "Birmingham Six," who had spent 16 years in prison for a 1974 Irish Republican Army bombing, and ordered them released.

Ten years ago: The government charged the Arthur Andersen accounting firm with obstruction of justice, securing its first indictment in the collapse of Enron. (Although Arthur Andersen was later found guilty, its conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court; however, the damage to the firm's reputation was enough to put it out of business.) Serbia and Montenegro signed a historic accord to radically restructure their federation, dropping the name "Yugoslavia" and granting greater autonomy to prevent the country's final breakup.

Five years ago: The Pentagon released the transcript of a military hearing in which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said he "was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z." President George W. Bush, speaking from Mexico, said he was troubled by the Justice Department's misleading explanations to Congress of why it had fired eight U.S. attorneys, but said the firings were "entirely appropriate."

One year ago: In the wake of Japan's earthquake and tsunami and mounting nuclear crisis, President Barack Obama said he had offered the Japanese government any assistance the United States could provide. Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Darlene Love, Dr. John and Leon Russell were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Olympic champion Evan Lysacek won the 2010 Sullivan Award, becoming the fourth figure skater to be honored as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

Today's Birthdays: Former astronaut Frank Borman is 84. Singer Phil Phillips is 81. Actor Michael Caine is 79. Composer-conductor Quincy Jones is 79. Former astronaut Eugene Cernan is 78. Actor Raymond J. Barry is 73. Movie director Wolfgang Petersen is 71. Country singer Michael Martin Murphey is 67. Rock musician Walt Parazaider (Chicago) is 67. Actor Steve Kanaly is 66. Comedian Billy Crystal is 64. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is 64. Country singer Jann Browne is 58. Actor Adrian Zmed is 58. Prince Albert II, the ruler of Monaco, is 54. Actress Laila Robins is 53. Actress Tamara Tunie is 53. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald is 51. Producer-director-writer Kevin Williamson is 47. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is 46. Actress Megan Follows is 44. Rock musician Michael Bland is 43. Country singer Kristian Bush is 42. Rock musician Derrick (Jimmie's Chicken Shack) is 40. Actress Grace Park is 38. Actor Jake Fogelnest is 33. Actor Chris Klein is 33. Actress Kate Maberly is 30. Singer-musician Taylor Hanson (Hanson) is 29. Actor Jamie Bell is 26.

Thought for Today: "Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." -- Albert Einstein, German-born American physicist (born this date in 1879, died 1955).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.