Today in History

Today is Friday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2015. There are 321 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 13, 1935, a jury in Flemington, New Jersey, found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-slaying of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. (Hauptmann was later executed.)

On this date:

In 1542, the fifth wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery.

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was officially declared winner of the 1860 presidential election as electors cast their ballots.

In 1914, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, also known as ASCAP, was founded in New York.

In 1920, the League of Nations recognized the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland.

In 1939, Justice Louis D. Brandeis retired from the U.S. Supreme Court. (He was succeeded by William O. Douglas.)

In 1945, during World War II, Allied planes began bombing the German city of Dresden. The Soviets captured Budapest, Hungary, from the Germans.

In 1960, France exploded its first atomic bomb in the Sahara Desert.

In 1965, during the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized Operation Rolling Thunder, an extended bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese.

In 1975, a late-night arson fire set by a disgruntled custodian broke out on the 11th floor of the north tower of New York's World Trade Center; the blaze spread to six floors, but caused no direct casualties.

In 1980, the 13th Winter Olympics opened in Lake Placid, New York.

In 1988, the 15th Winter Olympics opened in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

In 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, allied warplanes destroyed an underground shelter in Baghdad that had been identified as a military command center; Iraqi officials said 500 civilians were killed.

Ten years ago: Final results showed clergy-backed Shiites and independence-minded Kurds had swept to victory in Iraq's landmark elections. The late Ray Charles' final album, "Genius Loves Company," won eight Grammy awards. The AFC won the Pro Bowl, defeating the NFC 38-27.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama delivered a video address to the 7th U.S.-Islamic World Forum meeting in Doha, Qatar, as part of his continuing effort to repair strained U.S. relations with the world's Muslims. Hannah Kearney won the women's moguls for first U.S. gold medal at the Olympic Games in Vancouver; Apolo Anton Ohno won the silver medal in the short-track 1,500-meter speedskating final, to tie Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian.

One year ago: Comcast Corp. agreed to buy Time Warner Cable Inc. for $45.2 billion in stock (the deal is under regulatory review). Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland dominated her favorite event at the Sochi Olympics, winning the women's cross-country 10-kilometer classical race despite skiing with a fractured foot; Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu won the men's short program on a night that four-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko retired from competitive skating. Actor Ralph Waite, 85, died in Palm Desert, California.

Today's Birthdays: U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager (ret.) is 92. Actress Kim Novak is 82. Actor George Segal is 81. Actor Bo Svenson is 74. Actress Carol Lynley is 73. Singer-musician Peter Tork (The Monkees) is 73. Actress Stockard Channing is 71. Talk show host Jerry Springer is 71. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is 69. Singer Peter Gabriel is 65. Actor David Naughton is 64. Rock musician Peter Hook is 59. Actor Matt Salinger is 55. Singer Henry Rollins is 54. Actor Neal McDonough is 49. Singer Freedom Williams is 49. Actress Kelly Hu is 47. Rock singer Matt Berninger (The National) is 44. Rock musician Todd Harrell (3 Doors Down) is 43. Singer Robbie Williams is 41. Singer-songwriter Feist is 39. Rhythm-and-blues performer Natalie Stewart is 36. Actress Mena Suvari is 36. Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (also known as Prince Michael Jackson I) is 18.

Thought for Today: "The world has no sympathy with any but positive griefs; it will pity you for what you lose, but never for what you lack." -- Anne Sophie Swetchine, Russian-French author (1782-1857).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.