Today in History

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, March 1, the 60th day of 2017. There are 305 days left in the year. Today is Ash Wednesday.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 1, 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state as President Andrew Johnson signed a proclamation.

On this date:

In 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese knight Estacio de Sa.

In 1792, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II died; he was succeeded by his son, Francis II.

In 1815, Napoleon, having escaped exile in Elba, arrived in Cannes, France, and headed for Paris to begin his "Hundred Days" rule.

In 1932, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, New Jersey. (Remains identified as those of the child were found the following May.)

In 1940, "Native Son" by Richard Wright was first published by Harper & Brothers.

In 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the spectators' gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five members of Congress. The United States detonated a dry-fuel hydrogen bomb, codenamed Castle Bravo, at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

In 1957, "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss was released to bookstores by Random House.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

In 1967, U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, D-N.Y., accused of misconduct, was denied his seat in the 90th Congress. (The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that Powell had to be seated.)

In 1971, a bomb went off inside a men's room at the U.S. Capitol; the radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn blast.

In 1981, Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands began a hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he died 65 days later.

In 1997, severe storms hit Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, and spawned tornadoes in Arkansas blamed for two dozen deaths.

Ten years ago: Tornadoes killed 20 people in the Midwest and Southeast, including eight students at Enterprise High School in Alabama. Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who had been in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was relieved of command after disclosures about dilapidated buildings and inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers. An independent commission concluded the National Guard and Reserves weren't getting enough money or equipment.

Five years ago: Senate Democrats narrowly blocked, 51-48, an effort by Republicans to overturn President Barack Obama's order that most employers or their insurers cover the cost of contraceptives. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a measure legalizing same-sex marriage in his state, effective Jan. 2013. Online publisher and conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart died in Los Angeles at age 43.

One year ago: In the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, Republican Donald Trump won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia; Ted Cruz won Alaska, Oklahoma and his home state of Texas; Marco Rubio won Minnesota. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia while Bernie Sanders prevailed in Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Robert Clary is 91. Singer Harry Belafonte is 90. Actor Robert Conrad is 82. Rock singer Mike D'Abo (Manfred Mann) is 73. Former Sen. John Breaux, D-La., is 73. Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 73. Actor Dirk Benedict is 72. Actor-director Ron Howard is 63. Actress Catherine Bach is 63. Country singer Janis Gill (aka Janis Oliver Cummins) (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 63. Actor Tim Daly is 61. Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 60. Rock musician Bill Leen is 55. Actor Bryan Batt is 54. Actor Maurice Bernard is 54. Actor Russell Wong is 54. Actor Chris Eigeman is 52. Actor John David Cullum is 51. Actor George Eads is 50. Actor Javier Bardem is 48. Actor Jack Davenport is 44. Rock musician Ryan Peake (Nickelback) is 44. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 43. Singer Tate Stevens is 42. Actor Jensen Ackles is 39. TV host Donovan Patton is 39. Rock musician Sean Woolstenhulme is 36. Actress Lupita Nyong'o is 34. Pop singer Kesha (formerly Ke$ha) is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sammie is 30. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 23.

Thought for Today: "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." -- Rudyard Kipling, English author (1865-1936).