Today's Highlight in History:
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk, which lasted nearly six hours.
On this date:
In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England.
In 1857, a French court acquitted author Gustave Flaubert of obscenity for his serialized novel "Madame Bovary."
In 1904, a fire began in Baltimore that raged for about 30 hours and destroyed more than 1,500 buildings.
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized a flag for the office of the vice president.
In 1943, the government announced the start of shoe rationing, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person for the remainder of the year.
In 1944, Germany launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
In 1948, General Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by General Omar Bradley.
Forty-five years ago, in 1964, The Beatles began their first American tour as they arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
In 1971, women in Switzerland gained the right to vote through a national referendum, 12 years after a previous attempt failed.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, the island nation of Grenada won independence from Britain.
In 1983, Elizabeth H. Dole was sworn in as the first female secretary of transportation by the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
In 1986, Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of family rule.
In 1990, the Soviet Union's Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power by agreeing to let other political parties compete for control of the country.
In 1991, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti's first democratically elected president.
In 1995, Ramzi Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Ten years ago: Jordan's King Hussein died of cancer at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah. NASA launched the Stardust spacecraft on a mission to chase a comet in hopes of collecting a sample of comet dust.
Five years ago: John Kerry won the Washington state and Michigan Democratic presidential primaries.
In 2005, defrocked priest Paul Shanley, the most notorious figure in the sex scandal that rocked the Boston Archdiocese, was convicted of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at his church during the 1980s. (Shanley was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison.)
One year ago: John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination as chief rival Mitt Romney suspended his campaign. Fourteen refinery workers were killed in a sugar dust explosion near Savannah, Ga. A gunman opened fire at a Kirkwood, Mo., council meeting, killing two police officers and three city officials before being fatally shot by law enforcers. In Los Angeles, a man who claimed responsibility for the deaths of three relatives opened fire on a SWAT unit, killing one officer; the gunman was killed by a police sniper. After two months of delay, shuttle Atlantis blasted into orbit with Europe's gift to the international space station, a $2 billion science lab named Columbus.
Born on this date & still alive: Country singer Wilma Lee Cooper is 88. Author Gay Talese is 77. U.S. senator (D-Wis.) Herb Kohl is 74. Actor Miguel Ferrer is 54. Reggae musician Brian Travers (UB40) is 50. [See, damnit, there's another UB40er whose b-day is here. — Ed.] Comedy writer Robert Smigel is 49. Actor James Spader is 49. Country singer Garth Brooks is 47. Rock musician David Bryan (Bon Jovi) is 47. Actor-comedian Eddie Izzard is 47. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 44. Actor Jason Gedrick is 42. Actress Essence Atkins is 37. Rock singer-musician Wes Borland (Black Light Burns) is 34. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 31.
On February seventh, 1944, Bing Crosby and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded "Swinging on a Star" in Los Angeles for Decca Records.
In 1964, thousands of screaming fans greeted The Beatles as they arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for their first US tour.
In 1965, George Harrison had his tonsils removed at a London hospital.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, Stephen Stills became the first artist to record on digital equipment, at a recording studio in Los Angeles. However, Ry Cooder is credited with releasing the first digitally recorded record because Stills never released the material. [Either way, the end of the music industry commenced that very day. — Ed.]
In 1980, Pink Floyd performed "The Wall" for the first time in the U. S. The band only did the show in Los Angeles and New York.
In 1981, country singer John Conlee joined the Grand Ole Opry.
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Michael Jackson visited the Stockton, California, elementary school where five students were killed by a gunman the month before. He brought T-shirts and cassettes for the kids. [Ick. Just ... ick. — Ed.]
In 2000, magician Doug Henning died in Los Angeles after battling liver cancer. He was 52. That same day, Foghat singer "Lonesome" Dave Peverett died of pneumonia in Orlando, Florida. He was 56.
In 2005, Paul McCartney performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in Jacksonville, Florida. He was the first act to play that gig following Janet Jackson exposing her breast at the previous year's Super Bowl halftime show. [At least he kept his junk under control. — Ed.]
Thought for Today: "A cruel story runs on wheels, and every hand oils the wheels as they run." — Ouida (Marie Louise de la Ramee), English writer (1839-1908). [No shit. That might have to go at the top of the page. — Ed.]
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