Today in History

Today is Saturday, Feb. 12, the 43rd day of 2022. There are 322 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in a log cabin in Hardin (now LaRue) County, Kentucky.

On this date:

In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, who had claimed the throne of England for nine days, and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were beheaded after being condemned for high treason.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.

In 1912, Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, abdicated, marking the end of the Qing Dynasty.

In 1914, groundbreaking took place for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (A year later on this date, the cornerstone was laid.)

In 1973, Operation Homecoming began as the first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.

In 1983, composer-pianist Eubie Blake, who wrote such songs as "I'm Just Wild About Harry" and "Memories of You," died in Brooklyn, New York, five days after turning 100.

In 1999, the Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice.

In 2000, Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, died in Santa Rosa, California, at age 77.

In 2002, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic went on trial in The Hague, accused of war crimes (he died in 2006 before the trial could conclude).

In 2006, figure skater Michelle Kwan effectively retired from competition as she withdrew from the Turin Olympics due to injury (she was replaced on the U.S. team by Emily Hughes). Snowboarder Shaun White beat American teammate Danny Kass to win the Olympic gold medal.

In 2019, Mexico's most notorious drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was convicted in New York of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation; a jury whose members' identities were kept secret as a security measure had deliberated for six days. (Guzman is serving a life sentence at the federal supermax prison facility in Florence, Colorado.)

In 2020, Holland America Line said a cruise ship, the MS Westerdam, which had been barred from docking by four governments because of fears of the coronavirus, would arrive the next day in Cambodia. In Japan, officials confirmed 39 new cases on a cruise ship that had been quarantined at Yokohama, bringing the total number of cases on the Diamond Princess to 174.

Ten years ago: State governor Henrique Capriles won Venezuela's first-ever opposition presidential primary by a wide margin. Adele emerged as the top winner at the Grammy Awards, winning six trophies, including record and song of the year (for "Rolling in the Deep") and album of the year (for "21?), in a ceremony shadowed by the death of Whitney Houston the day before.

Five years ago: Northern California authorities ordered the evacuation of some 200,000 people from communities near the Oroville Dam, where an emergency spillway was in danger of flooding. (After officials drained water from the lake behind the dam and made emergency repairs, residents were allowed to return.) At the Grammy Awards, Adele took home all five awards she was nominated for, including album ("25"), as well as record and song of the year ("Hello"). Grammy-winning jazz singer Al Jarreau, 76, died at a Los Angeles hospital, just days after announcing his retirement from touring because of exhaustion.

One year ago: Lawyers for Donald Trump defended him against impeachment at his Senate trial by accusing Democrats of waging a campaign of "hatred" against the former president and manipulating his words in the lead-up to the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol. The nation's top public health agency said in-person schooling could be done safely amid the pandemic, with mask use, social distancing and other strategies; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said vaccination of teachers, while important, was not a prerequisite for reopening.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director Costa-Gavras is 89. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell is 88. Actor Joe Don Baker is 86. Author Judy Blume is 84. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is 80. Country singer Moe Bandy is 78. Actor Maud Adams is 77. Actor Cliff DeYoung is 76. Actor Michael Ironside is 72. Rock musician Steve Hackett is 72. Rock singer Michael McDonald is 70. Actor Joanna Kerns is 69. Actor Zach Grenier is 68. Actor-talk show host Arsenio Hall is 66. Actor John Michael Higgins is 59. Actor Raphael Sbarge is 58. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is 57. Actor Christine Elise is 57. Actor Josh Brolin is 54. Singer Chynna Phillips is 54. Rock musician Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies) is 52. Actor Jesse Spencer is 43. Rapper Gucci Mane is 42. Actor Sarah Lancaster is 42. Actor Christina Ricci is 42. Actor Jennifer Stone is 29. Actors Baylie and Rylie Cregut (TV: "Raising Hope") are 12.