2 March: Sam Houston Born, Tejas Declares Independence; GOP Steals Another Election; King Kong Premieres; Miles Cuts "Kind Of Blue"

Today is Tuesday, March 2, the 61st day of 2010. There are 304 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac.Today's Highlight in History:
On March 2, 1836, the Republic of Texas formally declared its independence from Mexico.

On this date:
In 1793, the first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, was born near Lexington, Va.
In 1807, Congress outlawed the importation of slaves to the United States, effective the following year.
In 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden had won the popular vote. [Do you see a pattern here? — Ed.]

In 1899, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state was established.
In 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship as President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act.
In 1923, Time magazine debuted.
In 1925, the first system of interstate highway numbering was introduced in the United States.
In 1930, English author and poet D.H. Lawrence died in Vence, France at age 44.
In 1939, the Massachusetts legislature voted to ratify the Bill of Rights, 147 years after the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution had gone into effect. (Georgia and Connecticut soon followed.) Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected pope on his 63rd birthday; he took the name Pius the 12th.

In 1943, the Battle of the Bismarck Sea began; U.S. and Australian warplanes were able to inflict heavy damage on a Japanese convoy.
In 1945, units of the U.S. 9th Army reached the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, Germany.
In 1949, a U.S. Air Force B-50 Superfortress, the Lucky Lady II, piloted by Capt. James Gallagher, landed at Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop, around-the-world flight in just more than 94 hours.
In 1958, a multinational expedition led by British explorer Vivian Fuchs completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica by way of the South Pole in 99 days.
In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored an NBA record 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks.

In 1977, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a strict code of ethics.
In 1985, The federal government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply.
In 1989, representatives from the 12 European Community nations agreed to ban all production of CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) by the end of the 20th century.
In 1990, more than 6,000 drivers went on strike against Greyhound Lines Inc. (the company, later declaring an impasse in negotiations, fired the strikers).
In 1991, Yugoslavia's federal army was sent to Croatia to protect Serbs after violence erupted between Croatian security forces and villagers.
In 1992, U.S. President George H.W. Bush vetoed a bill linking improvements in human rights to continued most-favored-nation trade status for China.
In 1997, it was revealed that Vice President Al Gore had made fund-raising calls for the 1996 election on phones installed in government buildings for that purpose.
In 1999, Texas Governor George W. Bush announced he was forming a presidential exploratory committee. Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan launched a third White House bid.
In 2000, former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet left Britain for his homeland, hours after he was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial on charges of human rights abuses. [According to the UPI:] The British government abruptly dropped extradition proceedings against former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who had been under house arrest in London for 16 months as Spain sought to try him for crimes committed during his regime. A federal jury in Washington convicted Maria Hsia, a friend and political supporter of Vice President Al Gore, of arranging more than $100,000 in illegal donations during the 1996 presidential campaign. (Hsia was later sentenced to three months of home confinement.)
In 2004, a series of coordinated blasts in Iraq killed 181 people at shrines in Karbala and Baghdad as thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims gathered for a religious festival. Also in 2004, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., locked up the Democratic presidential nomination with a series of primary victories. Former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers was charged with falsifying the books at the long-distance company; his chief financial officer, Scott Sullivan, pleaded guilty to fraud and agreed to testify against him. (Ebbers was later convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy and sentenced to 25 years in prison; Sullivan was sentenced to five years.) Marge Schott, the controversial former owner of the Cincinnati Reds, died at age 75.
In 2005, the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq reached 1,500. The woman who'd accused NBA star Kobe Bryant of rape settled her lawsuit against him, ending the case. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan urged Congress to scrutinize spending and taxes to help solve the problem of federal budget deficits that he called "unsustainable."
In 2006, the U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval to a long-term extension of the USA Patriot Act, after settling disputes over privacy rights of U.S. citizens. The law had been enacted in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Also in 2006, the United States and India announced agreement on a plan to allow India to buy U.S. nuclear fuel and reactor components. India in return reportedly would separate military and civilian nuclear programs and allow inspections.
In 2007, U.S. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey announced his resignation amid charges of poor conditions for patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
In 2008, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin's hand-picked successor, scored a crushing victory in Russia's presidential election. Also in 2008, the latest clash between Israel and Hamas continued to escalate with more than 100 Palestinians killed in five days of intense fighting. Four adults and two children were slain in a shooting and stabbing rampage at a Memphis house; three children survived. Jessie Dotson, brother of one of the victims, is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be secretary of health and human services. Soldiers assassinated the president of Guinea-Bissau, Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira. American International Group, the insurance giant whose massive failure helped bring on the global financial crisis, reported a record U.S. quarterly loss of $61.7 billion. The federal government in bailout and extended financing paid AIG about $180 billion to keep the firm afloat. Also in 2009, the Central Intelligence Agency was accused of destroying 92 tapes recording harsh interrogation proceedings with the al-Qaida terror suspects.
Today's Birthdays: Bluegrass singer-musician Doc Watson is 87. Actor John Cullum is 80. Author Tom Wolfe is 80. Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev is 79. Actress Barbara Luna is 71. Actor Jon Finch is 69. Author John Irving is 68. Singer Lou Reed is 68. Actress Gates McFadden is 61.

Actress Cassie Yates is 59. Actress Laraine Newman is 58. Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisc., is 57. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is 55. Singer Jay Osmond is 55. Pop musician John Cowsill (The Cowsills) is 54. Tennis player Kevin Curren is 52. Country singer Larry Stewart (Restless Heart) is 51. Rock singer Jon Bon Jovi is 48. Blues singer-musician Alvin Youngblood Hart is 47. Actor Daniel Craig is 42. Rock musician Casey (Jimmie's Chicken Shack) is 34. Rock singer Chris Martin (Coldplay) is 33. Actress Heather McComb is 33. Actress Bryce Dallas Howard is 29. NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is 28. Actor Robert Iler ("The Sopranos") is 25.
(Stations: Rock musician Casey, one name, is correct)
Those Born On This Date Include: Statesman DeWitt Clinton, chief sponsor of the Erie Canal project (1769); Pope Leo XIII (1810); journalist, politician and reformer Carl Schurz (1829); publisher Max Schuster (1897); German composer Kurt Weill (1900); children's author "Dr. Seuss," Theodor Geisel (1904); baseball player Mel Ott (1909); entertainer Desi Arnaz (1917); actress Jennifer Jones (1919); author Philip K. Dick (1928); guitarist Rory Gallagher (1949); singer Karen Carpenter (1950).
Today In Entertainment March 2
In 1933, the movie "King Kong" had its world premiere in New York.

In 1944, "Casablanca" won the best picture Academy Award. Jennifer Jones was named best actress for her role in "The Song of Bernadette." Paul Lukas won best actor award for "Watch on the Rhine."
In 1959, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis held the first of two recording sessions that yielded the album "Kind of Blue."
In 1964, The Beatles began work in London on the film "A Hard Day's Night."
In 1965, the movie version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" had its world premiere in New York.
In 1967, Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night" was named Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards. The Song of the Year award went to John Lennon and Paul McCartney for "Michelle."
In 1988, Paul Simon won record of the year for "Graceland," the first time a winning record did not hit the top 40. U2's "The Joshua Tree" won album of the year. Little Richard got a standing ovation for announcing himself as winner for best new artist and complaining the Grammys never gave him anything.
In 1989, Madonna's Pepsi commercial premiered on TV. It was set to her new single "Like A Prayer." The ad was pulled a few days later because of its controversial religious images. Also in 1989, singer J.P. Pennington announced he was leaving the band Exile. [Who? What? Anyone? — Ed.]
In 1992, actress Sandy Dennis died in Connecticut at age 54.
In 1999, singer Dusty Springfield died, after battling breast cancer, at her home outside London. She was 59.
In 2004, Academy Award-winning actress Mercedes McCambridge died in La Jolla, Calif., at age 87.
In 2006, singer Gary Glitter was convicted of obscene acts with two young Vietnamese girls. He was sentenced to prison.
Thought for Today: "The price one pays for pursuing any profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side." — James Baldwin, American author (1924-1987).