Today In History

Today is Wednesday, March 1, the 60th day of 2017. There are 305 days left in the year. Today is Ash Wednesday.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1867: Nebraska became the 37th state as President Andrew Johnson signed a proclamation.

ON THIS DATE

› 1565: The city of Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese knight Estacio de Sa.

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

› 1940: “Native Son” by Richard Wright was first published by Harper & Brothers.

› 1954: Four Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the spectators’ gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five members of Congress. The United States detonated a dry-fuel hydrogen bomb, codenamed Castle Bravo, at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

› 1957: “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss was released to bookstores by Random House.

› 1961: President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

› 1967: U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, D-N.Y., accused of misconduct, was denied his seat in the 90th Congress. (The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that Powell had to be seated.)

› 1997: Severe storms hit Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, and spawned tornadoes in Arkansas blamed for two dozen deaths.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actor Robert Clary is 91. Singer Harry Belafonte is 90. Actor Robert Conrad is 82. Rock singer Mike D’Abo (Manfred Mann) is 73. Actor Dirk Benedict is 72. Actor-director Ron Howard is 63. Actress Catherine Bach is 63. Country singer Janis Gill (aka Janis Oliver Cummins) (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 63. Actor Tim Daly is 61. Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 60. Actor Russell Wong is 54. Actor Chris Eigeman is 52. Actor John David Cullum is 51. Actor George Eads is 50. Actor Javier Bardem is 48. Actor Jack Davenport is 44. Rock musician Ryan Peake (Nickelback) is 44. Actor Jensen Ackles is 39. TV host Donovan Patton is 39. Rock musician Sean Woolstenhulme is 36. Actress Lupita Nyong’o is 34. Rhythm and blues singer Sammie is 30. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 23.