Today is Monday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2006. There are 307 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Feb. 27, 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, caught fire. The Nazis, blaming the Communists, used the fire as a pretext for suspending civil liberties.
On this date:
In 1801, the District of Columbia was placed under the jurisdiction of Congress.
In 1807, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine.
In 1902, American author John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, Calif.
In 1922, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that guaranteed the right of women to vote.
In 1939, the Supreme Court outlawed sit-down strikes.
In 1960, the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviets, 3-2, at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, Calif. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.)
In 1972, President Nixon and Chinese Premier Chou En-lai issued the Shanghai Communique at the conclusion of Nixon’s historic visit to China.
In 1979, Jane M. Byrne confounded Chicago’s Democratic political machine as she upset Mayor Michael A. Bilandic to win their party’s mayoral primary. (Byrne went on to win the election.)
In 1986, the U.S. Senate approved telecasts of its debates on a trial basis.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush declared that “Kuwait is liberated, Iraq’s army is defeated,” and announced that the allies would suspend combat operations at midnight.
Ten years ago: Bob Dole won the North Dakota and South Dakota primaries, while Steve Forbes captured Arizona’s winner-take-all primary.
Five years ago: President Bush went before Congress with a $1.9 trillion spending plan that would sharply reduce growth in many government programs while leaving room to give Americans the biggest tax cut in two decades.
One year ago: Pope John Paul II made a surprise first public appearance after surgery, appearing at his Rome hospital window. The Iraqi government announced the capture of Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, Saddam Hussein’s half brother and former adviser. Academy Awards went to “Million Dollar Baby,” director Clint Eastwood, star Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Joanne Woodward is 76. Actress Elizabeth Taylor is 74. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 72. Actress Barbara Babcock is 69. Actor Howard Hesseman is 66. Actress Debra Monk is 57. Rock singer-musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 52. Rock musician Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) is 49. Actor Timothy Spall is 49. Rock musician Paul Humphreys (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) is 46. Country singer Johnny Van Zant (Van Zant) is 46. Basketball Hall-of-Famer James Worthy is 45. Actor Adam Baldwin is 44. Actor Grant Show is 44. Rock musician Mike Cross (Sponge) is 41. Actor Donal Logue is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chilli (TLC) is 35. Rock musician Jeremy Dean (Nine Days) is 34. Rhythm-and-blues singer Roderick Clark is 33. Chelsea Clinton is 26. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bobby Valentino (formerly Bobby Wilson) is 26. Singer Josh Groban is 25.
Thought for Today: “There is no inevitability in history except as men make it.” — Felix Frankfurter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1882-1965).