Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2021. There are 327 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.

On this date:

In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.

In 1931, aviator Amelia Earhart married publisher George P. Putnam in Noank, Connecticut.

In 1943, the government abruptly announced that wartime rationing of shoes made of leather would go into effect in two days, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person per year. (Rationing was lifted in October 1945.)

In 1948, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as U.S. Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.

In 1964, the Beatles arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to begin their first American tour.

In 1984, space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered spacewalk, which lasted nearly six hours.

In 1985, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, Mexico, by drug traffickers who tortured and murdered him.

In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of Haiti (he was overthrown by the military the following September).

In 1998, the Winter Olympic Games were opened in Nagano, Japan, by Emperor Akihito.

In 1999, Jordan's King Hussein died of cancer at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah.

In 2009, a miles-wide section of ice in Lake Erie broke away from the Ohio shoreline, trapping about 135 fishermen, some for as long as four hours before they could be rescued (one man fell into the water and later died of an apparent heart attack).

In 2019, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history, died at his home in Dearborn, Michigan at the age of 92; the Democrat had served in the House for 59 years before retiring in 2014. Frank Robinson, the first Black manager in Major League Baseball, died in Los Angeles at the age of 83.

Ten years ago: Speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Barack Obama echoed John F. Kennedy as he prodded business leaders to "ask yourselves what you can do for America," not just for company bottom lines. AOL Inc. announced the $315 million purchase of The Huffington Post website.

Five years ago: Von Miller forced two fumbles to set up Denver's two touchdowns and the Broncos' defense frustrated Cam Newton the entire game to carry Peyton Manning to his second NFL championship with a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. North Korea defied international warnings and launched a long-range rocket that the United Nations and others called a cover for a banned test of technology for a missile that could strike the U.S. mainland.

One year ago: Hundreds more Americans who were evacuated from the virus-stricken zone in China began arriving in the U.S., where they would be quarantined on military bases for two weeks. Japan confirmed 41 new cases of the virus on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, adding to 20 people who were escorted off the ship earlier. Two days after his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump took retribution against two officials who had delivered damaging testimony; he ousted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a national security aide, and Gordon Sondland, his ambassador to the European Union. Former NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who'd been killed with him in a helicopter crash, were buried in a cemetery near the family's Southern California home. Actor and comedian Orson Bean, 91, died after he was hit by a car while crossing a street in Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Author Gay Talese is 89. Former Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., is 86. Reggae musician Brian Travers (UB40) is 62. Comedy writer Robert Smigel is 61. Actor James Spader is 61. Country singer Garth Brooks is 59. Rock musician David Bryan (Bon Jovi) is 59. Actor-comedian Eddie Izzard is 59. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 56. Actor Jason Gedrick is 54. Actor Essence Atkins is 49. Rock singer-musician Wes Borland is 46. Rock musician Tom Blankenship (My Morning Jacket) is 43. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 43. Actor Tina Majorino is 36. Actor Deborah Ann Woll is 36. NBA player Isaiah Thomas is 32. NHL center Steven Stamkos is 31.