Today in History

Today is Wednesday, March 6, the 65th day of 2019. There are 300 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Dred Scott v. Sandford, ruled 7-2 that Scott, a slave, was not an American citizen and therefore could not sue for his freedom in federal court.

On this date:

In 1475, Italian artist and poet Michelangelo was born in Caprese in the Republic of Florence.

In 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell as Mexican forces led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna stormed the fortress after a 13-day siege; the battle claimed the lives of all the Texan defenders, nearly 200 strong, including William Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett.

In 1912, Oreo sandwich cookies were first introduced by the National Biscuit Co.

In 1933, a national bank holiday declared by President Franklin D. Roosevelt aimed at calming panicked depositors went into effect. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, wounded in an attempt on Roosevelt's life the previous month, died at a Miami hospital at age 59.

In 1944, U.S. heavy bombers staged the first full-scale American raid on Berlin during World War II.

In 1953, Georgy Malenkov was named premier of the Soviet Union a day after the death of Josef Stalin.

In 1964, heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

In 1970, a bomb being built inside a Greenwich Village townhouse by the radical Weathermen accidentally went off, destroying the house and killing three group members.

In 1983, in a case that drew much notoriety, a woman was gang-raped atop a pool table in a tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts, called Big Dan's; four men were later convicted of the attack.

In 1995, "The Jenny Jones Show" taped an episode on same-sex crushes during which Jonathan Schmitz learned his secret admirer was an acquaintance, Scott Amedure; three days later, Schmitz fatally shot Amedure, later telling police that Amedure had embarrassed him on national TV. (Schmitz was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison for second-degree murder but was released on parole in August, 2017; the episode was never included in the "Jenny Jones" syndication package, but did air on Court TV.)

In 2008, a Palestinian killed eight students at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem before he was slain; Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip praised the operation in a statement, and thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate.

In 2016, former first lady Nancy Reagan died in Los Angeles at age 94.

Ten years ago: The government reported the jobless rate reached 8.1 percent in Feb. 2009. While acknowledging an "astounding" number of job losses, President Barack Obama told critics of his $787 billion economic recovery plan in Columbus, Ohio, that it was saving jobs and said, "I know we did the right thing." NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, rocketed into space on a voyage to track down other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy.

Five years ago: Ukraine lurched toward breakup as lawmakers unanimously declared they wanted to join Russia and planned to put the decision to voters; President Barack Obama condemned the move and the West imposed the first real sanctions against Russia. Actress-singer Sheila MacRae, 92, died in Englewood, New Jersey.

One year ago: Top economic adviser Gary Cohn announced that he was leaving the White House after breaking with President Donald Trump on trade policy. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a one-time rising star in the Democratic Party, resigned after pleading guilty to cheating the city out of thousands of dollars to carry on an affair with her bodyguard. Schoolteachers in West Virginia announced an end to a nine-day walkout after state lawmakers approved a 5 percent pay raise.

Today's Birthdays: Former FBI and CIA director William Webster is 95. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is 93. Dancer-actress Carmen de Lavallade is 88. Former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is 82. Former Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., is 80. Actress-writer Joanna Miles is 79. Actor Ben Murphy is 77. Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is 75. Singer Mary Wilson (The Supremes) is 75. Rock musician Hugh Grundy (The Zombies) is 74. Rock singer-musician David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is 73. Actress Anna Maria Horsford is 72. Actor-director Rob Reiner is 72. Singer Kiki Dee is 72. Fox News reporter John Stossel is 72. Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz is 71. Rock singer-musician Phil Alvin (The Blasters) is 66. Sports correspondent Armen Keteyian is 66. Actor Tom Arnold is 60. Actor D.L. Hughley is 56. Country songwriter Skip Ewing is 55. Actor Shuler Hensley is 52. Actress Connie Britton is 52. Actress Moira Kelly is 51. Actress Amy Pietz is 50. Rock musician Chris Broderick (Megadeth) is 49. Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal is 47. Country singer Trent Willmon is 46. Country musician Shan Farmer (Ricochet) is 45. Rapper Beanie Sigel is 45. Rapper Bubba Sparxxx is 42. Actor Shawn Evans is 39. Rock musician Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend) is 35. Actor Eli Marienthal is 33. Actor Jimmy Galeota is 33. Rapper/producer Tyler, the Creator is 28. Actor Dillon Freasier is 23. Actress Savannah Stehlin is 23. Actress Millicent Simmonds (Film: "Wonderstruck") is 16.

Thought for Today: "Le sens commun n'est pas si commun." (Common sense is not so common.) -- Voltaire, French author and philosopher (1694-1778).

Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.