Post by MacBeth on Feb 17, 2009 6:55:44 GMT -5
In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president.
In 1809, the Ohio legislature voted to establish Miami University in present-day Oxford. (The school opened in 1824.)
In 1817, a street in Baltimore became the first to be lighted with gas from America's first gas company.
In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sunk in Charleston Harbor, S.C., by the Confederate hand-cranked submarine HL Hunley, which also sank.
In 1865, Columbia, S.C., burned as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in. (It's not clear which side set the blaze.)
In 1897, the forerunner of the National PTA, the National Congress of Mothers, convened its first meeting, in Washington.
In 1904, the original two-act version of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" was poorly received at its premiere at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
In 1933, Newsweek magazine was first published.
In 1947, the Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
In 1959, the United States launched Vanguard 2, a satellite which carried meteorological equipment.
In 1964, the Supreme Court, in Wesberry v. Sanders, ruled that congressional districts within each state had to be roughly equal in population.
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon departed on his historic trip to China.
In 1974, 49 people were trampled to death at a soccer stampede in Cairo, after crowds tear down entry barriers to the Zamalek vs Dukla game.
In 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue," winning a six-game match in Philadelphia.
In 1999, in a satellite-linked address to college campuses across the country, President Bill Clinton made his case for shoring up Social Security and Medicare. Israeli security guards shot and killed three Kurds who had forced their way into the Israeli consulate in Berlin; the protesters were enraged by reports that Israel had aided in the arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
In 2004, John Kerry won the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary, with John Edwards placing second and Howard Dean coming in a distant third. Cingular Wireless agreed to pay nearly $41 billion in cash to buy AT&T Wireless Services. Former Mexican president Jose Lopez Portillo died in Mexico City at age 83.
In 2008, President George W. Bush rejected proposed Democratic changes to his prized international AIDS relief program, issuing a challenge to Congress from Tanzania to "stop the squabbling" and renew it as is. Kosovo declared itself a nation in defiance of Serbia and Russia.
In 1809, the Ohio legislature voted to establish Miami University in present-day Oxford. (The school opened in 1824.)
In 1817, a street in Baltimore became the first to be lighted with gas from America's first gas company.
In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sunk in Charleston Harbor, S.C., by the Confederate hand-cranked submarine HL Hunley, which also sank.
In 1865, Columbia, S.C., burned as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in. (It's not clear which side set the blaze.)
In 1897, the forerunner of the National PTA, the National Congress of Mothers, convened its first meeting, in Washington.
In 1904, the original two-act version of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" was poorly received at its premiere at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
In 1933, Newsweek magazine was first published.
In 1947, the Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
In 1959, the United States launched Vanguard 2, a satellite which carried meteorological equipment.
In 1964, the Supreme Court, in Wesberry v. Sanders, ruled that congressional districts within each state had to be roughly equal in population.
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon departed on his historic trip to China.
In 1974, 49 people were trampled to death at a soccer stampede in Cairo, after crowds tear down entry barriers to the Zamalek vs Dukla game.
In 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue," winning a six-game match in Philadelphia.
In 1999, in a satellite-linked address to college campuses across the country, President Bill Clinton made his case for shoring up Social Security and Medicare. Israeli security guards shot and killed three Kurds who had forced their way into the Israeli consulate in Berlin; the protesters were enraged by reports that Israel had aided in the arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
In 2004, John Kerry won the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary, with John Edwards placing second and Howard Dean coming in a distant third. Cingular Wireless agreed to pay nearly $41 billion in cash to buy AT&T Wireless Services. Former Mexican president Jose Lopez Portillo died in Mexico City at age 83.
In 2008, President George W. Bush rejected proposed Democratic changes to his prized international AIDS relief program, issuing a challenge to Congress from Tanzania to "stop the squabbling" and renew it as is. Kosovo declared itself a nation in defiance of Serbia and Russia.