Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Feb. 25, the 56th day of 2017. There are 309 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 25, 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect by Secretary of State Philander Chase Knox.

On this date:

In 1836, inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver.

In 1905, the Upton Sinclair novel "The Jungle" was first published in serial form by the Appeal to Reason newspaper.

In 1922, French serial killer Henri Landru, convicted of murdering 10 women and the son of one of them, was executed in Versailles.

In 1940, a National Hockey League game was televised for the first time by New York City station W2XBS as the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 6-2, at Madison Square Garden.

In 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev harshly criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party congress in Moscow.

In 1957, the Supreme Court, in Butler v. Michigan, overturned a Michigan statute making it a misdemeanor to sell books containing obscene language that would tend to corrupt "the morals of youth." Chicago gangster George "Bugs" Moran, a rival of Al Capone, died in prison at age 63.

In 1964, Eastern Airlines Flight 304, a DC-8, crashed shortly after taking off from New Orleans International Airport, killing all 58 on board. Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) became world heavyweight boxing champion as he defeated Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.

In 1977, the ice hockey comedy "Slap Shot" starring Paul Newman was released by Universal Pictures.

In 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election; Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.

In 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, 28 Americans were killed when an Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

In 1994, an American-born Jewish settler opened fire with an automatic rifle inside the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank, killing 29 Muslims before he was beaten to death by worshippers.

In 1997, a jury in Media, Pennsylvania, convicted chemical fortune heir John E. du Pont of third-degree murder, deciding he was mentally ill when he shot and killed world-class wrestler David Schultz. (Du Pont died in prison in Dec. 2010 while serving a 13- to 30-year sentence; he was 72.)

Ten years ago: A female suicide bomber triggered a ball bearing-packed charge, killing at least 41 people at a mostly Shiite college in Baghdad. In Detroit, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan stressed religious unity during what was billed as his final major speech, saying the world was at war because Christians and Muslims were divided. "The Departed" won best picture at the Academy Awards; its director, Martin Scorsese, won an Oscar on his sixth nomination.

Five years ago: A gunman killed two American military advisers with shots to the back of the head inside Afghanistan's heavily guarded Interior Ministry as protests raged for a fifth day over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. army base. Lynn D. "Buck" Compton, 90, a veteran whose World War II exploits were depicted in the television miniseries "Band of Brothers," died in Burlington, Washington.

One year ago: Brawling from the get-go, a fiery Marco Rubio went after Donald Trump during their Republican debate in Houston, lacerating the front-runner's position on immigration, his privileged background, his speaking style and more; Ted Cruz piled on, too, questioning Trump's conservative credentials. A gunman stormed into a Hesston, Kansas, factory and shot 17 people, killing three, before being shot dead by police.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Tom Courtenay is 80. Former CBS newsman Bob Schieffer is 80. Actress Diane Baker is 79. Actress Karen Grassle is 75. Humorist Jack Handey is 68. Movie director Neil Jordan is 67. Rock musician Dennis Diken (The Smithereens) is 60. Rock singer-musician Mike Peters (The Alarm; Big Country) is 58. Actress Veronica Webb is 52. Actor Alexis Denisof is 51. Actress Tea Leoni is 51. Comedian Carrot Top is 50. Actress Lesley Boone is 49. Actor Sean Astin is 46. Singer Daniel Powter is 46. Latin singer Julio Iglesias Jr. is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Justin Jeffre is 44. Rock musician Richard Liles is 44. Actor Anson Mount is 44. Comedian-actress Chelsea Handler is 42. Actress Rashida Jones is 41. Country singer Shawna Thompson (Thompson Square) is 39. Actor Justin Berfield is 31. Actors James and Oliver Phelps ("Harry Potter" movies) are 31. Rock musician Erik Haager (Carolina Liar) is 30.

Thought for Today: "If people behaved in the way nations do they would all be put in straitjackets." -- Tennessee Williams, American playwright (born in 1911, died this date in 1983).