Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2016. There are 330 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 5, 1811, George, the Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent due to the mental illness of his father, Britain's King George III.

On this date:

In 1631, the co-founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, and his wife, Mary, arrived in Boston from England.

In 1783, Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.

In 1887, Verdi's opera "Otello" premiered at La Scala.

In 1911, Missouri's second Capitol building in Jefferson City burned down after being struck by lightning. Opera singer Jussi Bjoerling was born in Borlange, Dalarna, Sweden.

In 1917, Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, an immigration act severely curtailing the influx of Asians. Mexico's constitution was adopted.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices; critics accused Roosevelt of attempting to "pack" the court. (The proposal failed in Congress.)

In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Tuxedo Junction" for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.

In 1958, Gamal Abdel Nasser was formally nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic (a union of Syria and Egypt).

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions.

In 1989, the Soviet Union announced that all but a small rear-guard contingent of its troops had left Afghanistan.

Ten years ago: Jacob Robida, suspected of an attack at a Massachusetts gay bar, the killing of an Arkansas officer and the slaying of a mother of three, was mortally wounded in a shootout with authorities. Thousands of protesters in Beirut, Lebanon, enraged over Danish caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, torched the Danish mission. Iran ended all voluntary cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Pittsburgh Steelers won a record-tying fifth Super Bowl with a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Actor Franklin Cover ("The Jeffersons") died in Englewood, New Jersey, at age 77.

Five years ago: The leadership of Egypt's ruling party stepped down as the military figures spearheading the transition tried to placate protesters without giving them the one resignation they were demanding, that of President Hosni Mubarak. Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders led a class of seven voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; joining them were Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger. J. Paul Getty III, the troubled grandson of the billionaire oil magnate, died outside London at age 54.

One year ago: Jordan stepped up its air attacks on Islamic State facilities in Syria and expanded its airstrikes into Iraq for the first time after a captured Jordanian pilot was burned to death by the militant group. At the National Prayer Breakfast, President Barack Obama called the Islamic State group a "death cult" and condemned those who seek to use religion as a rationale for violence. RadioShack filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it would sell up to 2,400 stores.

Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron is 82. Actor Stuart Damon is 79. Tony-winning playwright John Guare is 78. Financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn is 77. Actor David Selby is 75. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong is 75. Football Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach is 74. Movie director Michael Mann is 73. Rock singer Al Kooper is 72. Actress Charlotte Rampling is 70. Racing Hall-of-Famer Darrell Waltrip is 69. Actress Barbara Hershey is 68. Actor Christopher Guest is 68. Actor Tom Wilkinson is 68. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows is 55. Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh is 54. Actress Laura Linney is 52. Rock musician Duff McKagan (Velvet Revolver) is 52. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Jose Maria Olazabal is 50. Actor-comedian Chris Parnell is 49. Rock singer Chris Barron (Spin Doctors) is 48. Singer Bobby Brown is 47. Actor Michael Sheen is 47. Actor David Chisum (TV: "Black Box") is 46. Country singer Sara Evans is 45. Country singer Tyler Farr is 32. Actor-singer Darren Criss (TV: "Glee") is 29. Actor Alex Brightman is 29. Rock musician Kyle Simmons (Bastille) is 28. Actor Jeremy Sumpter is 27. Drummer Graham Sierota (Echosmith) is 17.

Thought for Today: "Many excellent words are ruined by too definite a knowledge of their meaning." -- Aline Kilmer, American poet (1888-1941).