On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7.
John Glenn and mission control
In 1790, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II died.
In 1792, President George Washington signed an act creating the U.S. Post Office.
In 1809, the Supreme Court, in United States v. Peters, 9 US 115, ruled that no state legislature could annul the judgments or determine the jurisdictions of federal courts.
In 1839, Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia.
In 1848, Karl Marx's influential "Communist Manifesto" was published in London by a group called the Communist League. [They always omit poor Engels. Wasn't he just as evil? — Ed.]
In 1938, Anthony Eden resigned as British foreign secretary following Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's decision to negotiate with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
In 1944, U.S. bombers began raiding German aircraft manufacturing centers in a series of attacks that became known as "Big Week."
In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. Rabinowitz, ruled 5-3 that authorities making a lawful arrest did not need a warrant to search and seize evidence in an area that was in the "immediate and complete control" of the suspect.
In 1959, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 600 for the first time, at 602.21.
In 1965, The Ranger 8 spacecraft crashed on the moon after sending back thousands of pictures of the lunar surface.
In 1971, the National Emergency Warning Center in Colorado erroneously ordered U.S. radio and TV stations off the air; some stations heeded the alert, which was not lifted for about 40 minutes.
In 1991, U.S. troops penetrated Iraq, capturing as many as 500 Iraqi soldiers. Also in 1991, the United States approved a $400 million loan guarantee to Israel for housing Soviet Jewish immigrants but banned use of the money in the occupied territories.
In 1992, Israeli armored ground forces withdrew from Lebanese villages following a one-day strike. Israel defended the incursion as necessary but the U.N. secretary-general protested the assault. Also in 1992, an FDA panel urged limiting access to silicone gel-filled breast implants.
In 1998, American Tara Lipinski became at age 15 the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympics history when she won the ladies' figure skating title at Nagano, Japan.
In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush said in Seoul that the United States had no intention of attacking North Korea and would work toward reunification efforts.
In 2003, the Pentagon announced that 1,700 U.S. troops would be sent to the Philippines to take on an extremist Muslim group.
In 2004, conservatives won the majority of seats in the Iraq parliamentary election. Also in 2004, an estimated 4,500 people were left homeless after fire swept through an area of Nairobi, Kenya. And, a San Francisco judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order that would have halted the city's same-sex marriages, while California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the state attorney general to take immediate legal steps to stop same-sex weddings in San Francisco. (On March 11, 2004, the California Supreme Court ordered an immediate halt to same-sex weddings in San Francisco.) Bypassing angry Senate Democrats, President George W. Bush installed Alabama Attorney General William Pryor as a US appeals court judge in his second "recess appointment" of a controversial nominee in five weeks.
In 2005, Israel's Cabinet gave final approval to the government's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements. Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton traveled to Lampuuk, Indonesia, ground zero of tsunami devastation where they promised survivors that more help would come. Jeff Gordon won his third Daytona 500. Allen Iverson was selected MVP of the NBA All-Star game, helping the Eastern Conference to a 125-115 victory. Journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson shot himself to death at age 67.
In 2006, the Danish newspaper that published controversial cartoons of Muslim Prophet Mohammed and triggered widespread, angry and often deadly protests ran a full-page apology in Saudi papers.
In 2007, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have no challenge rights in U.S. courts.
In 2008, a U.S. missile interceptor, launched from a U.S. Navy ship, knocked down a dying satellite 130 miles over the Pacific Ocean. Officials said the satellite contained 1,000 pounds of frozen toxic fuel. Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew returned to Earth, after delivering a new European lab to the international space station.
In 2009, an explosion killed more than 30 people at a Shiite funeral procession in Pakistan, touching off a wave of violence. Another 50 to 75 others were injured in what officials believed was a suicide bombing attack. President Barack Obama warned a gathering of mayors at the White House that he would "call them out" if they wasted the money from his massive economic stimulus plan. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the week at 7,365.67, the lowest level in more than six years. Israeli President Shimon Peres chose Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government. The WTA fined Dubai Tennis Championships organizers a record $300,000 after Israeli player Shahar Peer was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates.
Today's Birthdays: Fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt is 86. Author-screenwriter Richard Matheson is 84. Actor Sidney Poitier is 83. Racing Hall of Famer Bobby Unser is 76. Actress Marj Dusay is 74. Jazz-soul singer Nancy Wilson is 73. Racing Hall of Famer Roger Penske is 73. Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is 69. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Phil Esposito is 68. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is 68. Movie director Mike Leigh is 67. Actress Brenda Blethyn is 64. Actress Sandy Duncan is 64. Rock musician J. Geils is 64. Actor Peter Strauss is 63. Rock singer-musician-producer Walter Becker (Steely Dan) is 60. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is 59. Country singer Kathie Baillie is 59. Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is 56. Actor Anthony Stewart Head is 56. Country singer Leland Martin is 53. Actor James Wilby is 52. Rock musician Sebastian Steinberg is 51. Comedian Joel Hodgson is 50. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley is 47. Rock musician Ian Brown (Stone Roses) is 47. Actor Willie Garson is 46. Actor French Stewart is 46. Actor Ron Eldard is 45. Model Cindy Crawford is 44. Actor Andrew Shue is 43. Actress Lili Taylor is 43. Singer Brian Littrell is 35. Actress Lauren Ambrose is 32. Actor Jay Hernandez is 32. Country musician Coy Bowles is 31. Actress Majandra Delfino is 29. Singer-musician Chris Thile (THEE'-lee) is 29. Actor Jake Richardson is 25. Singer Rihanna is 22.
Those Born On This Date Include: American Revolutionary War hero William Prescott (1726); photographer Ansel Adams (1902); Soviet leader Alexei Kosygin (1904); TV emcee John Daly (1914); & film director Robert Altman (1925).
Today In Entertainment February 20
In 1967, singer Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was born.
In 1969, "Goodbye Cream," a documentary of Cream's farewell concert, opened in Baltimore. Fans and critics alike panned the movie for its poor sound quality and strange editing.
In 1970, the John Lennon single "Instant Karma" was released.["Surely not to live in pain & fear?" — Ed.]
In 1974, Cher filed for separation from Sonny Bono after ten years of marriage.
In 1982, singer Pat Benatar and her guitarist, Neil Geraldo, got married in Hawaii.
In 1993, Jackyl lead singer Jesse James Dupree was arrested for allegedly exposing himself on stage during a concert a few days earlier in Long Beach, California.
In 1997, Ben and Jerry's introduced a new ice cream flavor, Phish Food, named after the rock group Phish. It contained chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, caramel and fish-shaped fudge.
In 1999, film critic Gene Siskel died at a hospital outside Chicago, at age 53.
In 2000, the Fox TV network canceled the scheduled rebroadcast of its highly rated special "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?" after learning that the groom, Rick Rockwell, once was accused of hitting and threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend, accusations Rockwell denied.
In 2003, pyrotechnics from Great White's stage show at The Station in West Warwick, R.I., ignited soundproofing foam and burned the dump down. One hundred people died, including band guitarist Ty Longley. About 200 other club-goers were injured.
In 2005, actress Sandra Dee died aged 62; musical actor John Raitt did the same, he was 88.
In 2007, Britney Spears checked into rehab. She checked out the next day.
Thought for Today "I've always believed in the adage that the secret of eternal youth is arrested development." — Alice Roosevelt Longworth, former first daughter (born 1884, died this date in 1980).
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