Today In History

Today is Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, the 45th day of 2018. There are 320 days left in the year. This is Valentine’s Day.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1918: Russia converted from the Old Style Julian calendar to the New Style Gregorian calendar, “losing” 13 days in the process (for Russians, the day before was Jan. 31).

ON THIS DATE

› 1663: New France (Canada) became a royal province under King Louis XIV.

› 1778: The American ship Ranger carried the recently adopted Stars and Stripes to a foreign port for the first time as it arrived in France.

› 1849: President James K. Polk became the first U.S. chief executive to be photographed while in office as he posed for Matthew Brady in New York City.

› 1859: Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state.

› 1929: The “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” took place in a Chicago garage as seven rivals of Al Capone’s gang were gunned down.

› 1949: Israel’s Knesset convened for the first time.

› 1962: First lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducted a televised tour of the White House in a videotaped special that was broadcast on CBS and NBC (and several nights later on ABC).

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

TV personality Hugh Downs is 97. Actor Andrew Prine is 82. Country singer Razzy Bailey is 79. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is 76. Jazz musician Maceo Parker is 75. Movie director Alan Parker is 74. Journalist Carl Bernstein is 74. Former Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., is 71. TV personality Pat O’Brien is 70. Magician Teller (Penn and Teller) is 70. Cajun singer-musician Michael Doucet (Beausoleil) is

67. Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly is 58. Singer-producer Dwayne Wiggins is 57. Actress Sakina Jaffey is 56. Actor Enrico Colantoni is 55. Actor Zach Galligan is

54. Actor Valente Rodriguez is 54. Rock musician Ricky Wolking (The Nixons) is 52. Tennis player Manuela Maleeva is 51. Actor Simon Pegg is 48. Rock musician Kevin Baldes (Lit) is 46. Rock singer Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) is

46. Former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe is

46. Actor Jake Lacy is 32. Actor Brett Dier is 28. Actor Freddie Highmore is 26.