TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS SUNDAY, FEB. 26, the 57th day of 2017. There are 308 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY: On this date in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional act establishing Mount McKinley National Park (now Denali National Park) in the Alaska Territory.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the Island of Elba and headed back to France in a bid to regain power.

In 1904, the United States and Panama proclaimed a treaty under which the U.S. agreed to undertake efforts to build a ship canal across the Panama isthmus.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional act establishing Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge signed a measure establishing Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

In 1942, “How Green Was My Valley” won the Academy Award for best picture of 1941, beating out nine other films, including “The Maltese Falcon” and “Citizen Kane.”

In 1945, authorities ordered a midnight curfew at nightclubs, bars and other places of entertainment across the nation.

In 1952, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed its own atomic bomb. In 1962, after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, astronaut John Glenn told a joint meeting of Congress, “Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge have always paid dividends in the long run.”

In 1970, National Public Radio was incorporated.

In 1992, Armenian forces attacked the village of Khodzhaly, resulting in the deaths of 613, according to Azerbaijani authorities.

In 1993, a truck bomb built by terrorists exploded in the parking garage of New York’s World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Game show host Tom Kennedy is 90. Singer Fats Domino is 89. Rock musician Jonathan Cain (Journey) is 67. Singer Michael Bolton is 64. Bandleader John McDaniel is 56. Actor-martial artist Mark Dacascos is 53. Actress Jennifer Grant is 51. Singer Erykah Badu is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rico Wade (Society of Soul) is 45. Olympic gold medal swimmer Jenny Thompson is

44. Rock musician Chris Culos (O.A.R.) and rhythm-and-blues singer Corinne Bailey Rae are 38. Pop singer Nate Ruess (fun.) and tennis player Li Na are

35. Latin singer Natalia Lafourcade is

33. Actress Taylor Dooley is 24.