Today is Monday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2005. There are 327 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight in history:
On Feb. 7, 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England.
On this date:
In 1904, a fire began in Baltimore that raged for about 30 hours and destroyed more than 1,500 buildings.
In 1936, President Roosevelt authorized a flag for the office of the vice president.
In 1944, during World War II, the Germans launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy.
In 1944, Bing Crosby and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded “Swinging on a Star” for Decca Records in Los Angeles.
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 won the right to vote.
In 1974, the island nation of Grenada won independence from Britain.
In 1984, space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk.
In 1986, Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of his family’s rule.
In 1999, Jordan’s King Hussein died of cancer at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah.
Ten years ago: Ramzi Yousef, later convicted of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan, after two years as a fugitive.
Five years ago: With an astonishing comeback to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Tiger Woods gained his sixth straight PGA Tour victory, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1948 to win six in a row. The Web site Yahoo! came under a “denial of service” attack by Internet vandals. Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic was gunned down in a Belgrade restaurant and died later in a hospital. Magician Doug Henning died in Los Angeles at age 52.
One year ago: John Kerry won the Washington state and Michigan Democratic presidential primaries.
Today’s birthdays: Country singer Wilma Lee Cooper is 84. Author Gay Talese is 73. Actor Miguel Ferrer is 50. Reggae musician Brian Travers (UB40) is 46. Actor James Spader is 45. Country singer Garth Brooks is 43. Rock musician David Bryan (Bon Jovi) is 43. Comedian Eddie Izzard is 43. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 39. Actor Jason Gedrick is 38. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 27. Actress Tina Majorino is 20.
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).