Today in history

Today is Wednesday, March 8, the 67th day of 2017. There are 298 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1917: Russia’s “February Revolution” (referring to the Old Style calendar) began in Petrograd; the result was the abdication of the Russian monarchy in favor of a provisional government that was overthrown later the same year by the Bolsheviks. The U.S. Senate voted to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.

ON THIS DATE

› 1817: The New York Stock & Exchange Board, which had its beginnings in 1792, was formally organized; it later became known as the New York Stock Exchange.

› 1965: The United States landed its first combat troops in South Vietnam as 3,500 Marines arrived to defend the U.S. air base at Da Nang.

› 1979: Technology firm Philips demonstrated a prototype compact disc player during a press conference in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

› 1983: In a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals convention in Orlando, Florida, President Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.”

› 2014: Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, setting off a massive search. (To date, the fate of the jetliner and its occupants has yet to be determined.)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Sue Ane Langdon is 81. College Football Hall of Famer Pete Dawkins is 79. Baseball player-turned-author Jim Bouton is 78. Songwriter Carole Bayer Sager is 73. Actor-director Micky Dolenz (The Monkees) is 72. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice is 64. Jazz musician Billy Childs is 60. Singer Gary Numan is 59. NBC News anchor Lester Holt is 58. Actor Aidan Quinn is 58. Country musician Jimmy Dormire is 57. Actress Camryn Manheim is 56. Actor Leon is 54. Rock singer Shawn Mullins (The Thorns) is 49. Neo-soul singer Van Hunt is 47. Actress Andrea Parker is 47. Actor Boris Kodjoe is 44. Actor James Van Der Beek is 40. Rhythm and blues singer Kameelah Williams (702) is 39. Actor Nick Zano is 39. Rock singer Tom Chaplin (Keane) is 38. Rock musician Andy Ross (OK Go) is 38. Actress Jessica Collins is 34. Rhythm and blues singer Kristinia DeBar ge is 27.