Today in History 2-24-22

Today is Thursday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2022. There are 310 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 24, 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship attempting to carry nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees perished.

On this date:

In 1803, in its Marbury v. Madison decision, the Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of statutes.

In 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.

In 1981, a jury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of "Scarsdale Diet" author Dr. Herman Tarnower. (Sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, Harris was granted clemency by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo in December 1992.)

In 1986, the Supreme Court struck down, 6-3, an Indianapolis ordinance that would have allowed women injured by someone who had seen or read pornographic material to sue the maker or seller of that material.

In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $150,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt.

In 1989, a state funeral was held in Japan for Emperor Hirohito, who had died the month before at age 87.

In 1993, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney resigned after more than eight years in office.

In 2002, the Salt Lake City Olympics came to a close, the same day Canada won its first hockey gold in 50 years (the U.S. won silver) and three cross-country skiers were thrown out of the games for using a performance-enhancing drug.

In 2008, Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel.

In 2011, Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey marking the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

In 2015, the Justice Department announced that George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin in a 2012 confrontation, would not face federal charges.

In 2020, former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted in New York on charges of rape and sexual assault involving two women. (Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in state prison.)

Ten years ago: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Tunisia for a conference on Syria, called Russia and China "despicable" for opposing U.N. action aimed at stopping the bloodshed caused by the Damascus regime's crackdown on an anti-government uprising. Jan Berenstain, 88, who with her husband, Stan, wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bears books, died in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

Five years ago: Vice President Mike Pence assured the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas that he and President Donald Trump would work tirelessly on foreign and domestic issues important to the group, such as enacting business-friendly policies at home and supporting Israel abroad.

One year ago: The acting head of the Capitol Police acknowledged to a House panel that the department had intelligence warning of a "significant likelihood for violence" on Jan. 6 but said officers were not prepared for the insurrection that would follow. Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot and two of the singer's French bulldogs were stolen in Hollywood during what police described as an armed robbery; the singer offered a $500,000 reward for the return of her dogs. (The dogs were recovered unharmed two days later; five people would be charged either with carrying out the attack or as alleged accomplices.) Palm Beach County defied Florida's governor and refused to lower its flags for a day in honor of the late conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh; flags at the state Capitol and in the Town of Palm Beach were lowered.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Dominic Chianese is 91. Opera singer-director Renata Scotto is 88. Singer Joanie Sommers is 81. Actor Jenny O'Hara is 80. Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., is 80. Actor Barry Bostwick is 77. Actor Edward James Olmos is 75. Singer-writer-producer Rupert Holmes is 75. Rock singer-musician George Thorogood is 72. Actor Debra Jo Rupp is 71. Actor Helen Shaver is 71. News anchor Paula Zahn is 66. Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 66. Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 64. Actor Mark Moses is 64. Actor Beth Broderick is 63. Actor Emilio Rivera is 61. Singer Michelle Shocked is 60. Movie director Todd Field is 58. Actor Billy Zane is 56. Actor Bonnie Somerville is 48. Jazz musician Jimmy Greene is 47. Former boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 45. Rock musician Matt McGinley (Gym Class Heroes) is 39. Actor Wilson Bethel is 38. Actor Alexander Koch is 34. Actor Daniel Kaluuya (Film: "Get Out") is 33. Rapper-actor O'Shea Jackson Jr. is 31.