Today in History

Today is Sunday, Feb. 25, the 56th day of 2018. There are 309 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 25, 1793, President George Washington held the first Cabinet meeting on record at his Mount Vernon home; attending were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox and Attorney General Edmund Randolph.

On this date:

In 1507, England's Queen Elizabeth I was excommunicated by Pope Pius V, who accused the monarch of heresy.

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 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.

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

In 1943, Allied troops reoccupied the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia after clashing with German troops during World War II.

In 1950, "Your Show of Shows," starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris, debuted on NBC-TV.

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 1973, the Stephen Sondheim musical "A Little Night Music" opened at Broadway's Shubert Theater.

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, American-born Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein 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.

Ten years ago: A 2006 Associated Press photograph of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wearing traditional local garb during a visit to Kenya began circulating online; the Obama campaign accused Hillary Clinton's campaign of being responsible, a charge rejected by Clinton officials. The New York Philharmonic arrived in North Korea to perform a concert, the same day Lee Myung-bak was sworn in as South Korea's first conservative president in a decade.

Five years ago: A high-stakes civil trial started in New Orleans to assign blame and help figure out exactly how much more BP and other companies should pay for the 2010 Gulf oil spill. (U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled in September 2014 that BP acted with "gross negligence"; BP ended up reaching a record-setting $20 billion settlement with the federal government and five Gulf states.) Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, 96, died in Hanover, New Hampshire.

One year ago: Democrats chose former Labor Secretary Tom Perez as their new national chairman during a meeting in Atlanta. A man accused of driving drunk plowed into a Mardi Gras parade crowd, injuring more than 30 people (Neilson Rizzuto later pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts of negligent vehicular injuring and 14 related misdemeanor counts; he was sentenced to roughly three years behind bars.) Actor Bill Paxton, 61, died in Los Angeles. The annual Golden Raspberry Awards bestowed four "honors" to both Dinesh D'Souza's documentary "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party" and the superhero blockbuster "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Today's Birthdays: Actress Ann McCrea is 87. Actor Tom Courtenay is 81. Former CBS newsman Bob Schieffer is 81. Actress Diane Baker is 80. Actress Karen Grassle is 76. Former professional wrestler Ric Flair is 69. Humorist Jack Handey is 69. Movie director Neil Jordan is 68. Rock singer-musician/actor John Doe (X) is 65. Rock musician Dennis Diken (The Smithereens) is 61. Rock singer-musician Mike Peters (The Alarm; Big Country) is 59. Actress Veronica Webb is 53. Actor Alexis Denisof is 52. Actress Tea Leoni is 52. Comedian Carrot Top is 51. Actress Lesley Boone is 50. Actor Sean Astin is 47. Singer Daniel Powter is 47. Latin singer Julio Iglesias Jr. is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Justin Jeffre is 45. Rock musician Richard Liles is 45. Actor Anson Mount is 45. Comedian-actress Chelsea Handler is 43. Actress Rashida Jones is 42. Country singer Shawna Thompson (Thompson Square) is 40. Actor Justin Berfield is 32. Actors James and Oliver Phelps ("Harry Potter" movies) are 32. Actress Jameela Jamil is 32. Rock musician Erik Haager (Carolina Liar) is 31.

Thought for Today: "Open-mindedness is not the same as empty-mindedness. To hang out a sign saying, 'Come right in; there is no one at home' is not the equivalent of hospitality." -- John Dewey, American philosopher and educator (1859-1952).