Today In History

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 22, the 53rd day of 2017. There are 312 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1959: The inaugural Daytona 500 race was held; although Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, the victory was later awarded to Lee Petty.

ON THIS DATE

› 1862: Jefferson Davis, already the provisional president of the Confederacy, was inaugurated for a six-year term following his election in Nov. 1861.

› 1909: The Great White Fleet, a naval task force sent on a round-theworld voyage by President Theodore Roosevelt, returned after more than a year at sea.

› 1924: President Calvin Coolidge delivered the first radio broadcast from the White House as he addressed the country over 42 stations.

› 1935: It became illegal for airplanes to fly over the White House.

› 1940: The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was enthroned at age four in Lhasa, Tibet.

› 1974: Pakistan officially recognized Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan).

› 1980: The “Miracle on Ice” took place in Lake Placid, New York, as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets, 4-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.)

› 1997: Scientists in Scotland announced they had succeeded in cloning an adult mammal, producing a lamb named “Dolly.” (Dolly, however, was later put down after a short life marred by premature aging and disease.)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actor Paul Dooley is 89. Actor James Hong is 88. Movie director Jonathan Demme is 73. Actor John Ashton is 69. Actress Miou-Miou is 67. Actress Julie Walters is 67. Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is 67. Actress Ellen Greene is 66. Former Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is 65. Former White House adviser David Axelrod is 62. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 58. World Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh is 54. Actress Jeri Ryan is 49. Actor Thomas Jane is 48. TV host Clinton Kelly is 48. Actress Tamara Mello is 47. Actress-singer Lea Salonga is 46. Rock musician Scott Phillips is 44. Singer James Blunt is 43. Actress Drew Barrymore is 42. Actress Liza Huber is 42. Rock singer Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s) is 38. Actor Zach Roerig is 32. Actor Daniel E. Smith is 27.