Today in History

Today is Wednesday, March 1, the 60th day of 2023. There are 305 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On March 1, 1974, seven people, including former Nixon White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman, former Attorney General John Mitchell and former assistant Attorney General Robert Mardian, were indicted on charges of conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with the Watergate break-in. (These four defendants were convicted in January 1975, though Mardian’s conviction was later reversed.)

On this date:

In 1815, Napoleon, having escaped exile in Elba, arrived in Cannes, France, and headed for Paris to begin his “Hundred Days” rule.

In 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state as President Andrew Johnson signed a proclamation.

In 1893, inventor Nikola Tesla first publicly demonstrated radio during a meeting of the National Electric Light Association in St. Louis by transmitting electromagnetic energy without wires.

In 1932, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, New Jersey. (Remains identified as those of the child were found the following May.)

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, back from the Yalta Conference, proclaimed the meeting a success as he addressed a joint session of Congress.

In 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the spectators’ gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five members of Congress.

In 1966, the Soviet space probe Venera 3 impacted the surface of Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to reach another planet; however, Venera was unable to transmit any data, its communications system having failed.

In 1971, a bomb went off inside a men’s room at the U.S. Capitol; the radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn blast.

In 2005, Dennis Rader, the churchgoing family man accused of leading a double life as the BTK serial killer, was charged in Wichita, Kansas, with 10 counts of first-degree murder. (Rader later pleaded guilty and received multiple life sentences.) A closely divided Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for juvenile criminals.

In 2010, Jay Leno returned as host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show.”

In 2015, tens of thousands marched through Moscow in honor of slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who had been shot to death on Feb. 27.

In 2020, state officials said New York City had its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, a woman in her late 30s who had contracted the virus while traveling in Iran. Health officials in Washington state, announcing what was believed at the time to be the second U.S. death from the coronavirus, said the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in the Seattle area.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama, still deadlocked with Republican congressional leaders, formally enacted $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts a few hours before the midnight deadline required by law. In Bangladesh, protesters clashed with police for a second day and the death toll rose to at least 44 from violence triggered by a death sentence given to an Islamic party leader for crimes linked to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, escalating tensions with China and other trading partners and raising the prospect of higher prices for Americans. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects winners of the peace prize, announced that someone using a stolen identity nominated Trump for the award. The committee leader said it appeared the same person was responsible for forging nominations in 2017, as well.

One year ago: Russian forces escalated their attacks on crowded urban areas, bombarding the central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called a blatant campaign of terror. In his first State of the Union address, President Joe Biden aimed to rally the American public to bear the costs of supporting Ukraine’s fight to stave off the massive Russian invasion. He also outlined his plans to combat soaring inflation.

Today’s birthdays: Singer/actor Harry Belafonte is 96. Rock singer Mike D’Abo (Manfred Mann) is 79. Former Sen. John Breaux, D-La., is 79. Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 79. Actor Dirk Benedict is 78. Actor-director Ron Howard is 69. Country singer Janis Oliver (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 69. Actor Catherine Bach is 68. Actor Tim Daly is 67. Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 66. Rock musician Bill Leen is 61. Actor Bryan Batt is 60. Actor Maurice Benard is 60. Actor Russell Wong is 60. Actor Chris Eigeman is 58. Actor George Eads is 56. Actor Javier Bardem is 54. Actor Jack Davenport is 50. Rock musician Ryan Peake (Nickelback) is 50. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 49. Singer Tate Stevens is 48. Actor Jensen Ackles is 45. TV host Donovan Patton is 45. Actor Joe Tippett is 41. Actor Lupita Nyong’o is 40. Pop singer Kesha (formerly Ke$ha) is 36. R&B singer Sammie is 36. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 29.

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