Today in History
Today is Saturday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2018. There are 310 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Feb. 24, 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.
On this date:
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII issued an edict outlining his calendar reforms. (The Gregorian Calendar is the calendar in general use today.)
In 1761, Boston lawyer James Otis Jr. went to court to argue against "writs of assistance" that allowed British customs officers to arbitrarily search people's premises, declaring: "A man's house is his castle." (Although Otis lost the case, his statement provided early inspiration for American independence.)
In 1918, Estonia issued its Declaration of Independence.
In 1920, the German Workers Party, which later became the Nazi Party, met in Munich to adopt its platform.
In 1937, Mexico observed the first holiday honoring its national flag.
In 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship attempting to carry nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees perished.
In 1955, the Cole Porter musical "Silk Stockings" opened at the Imperial Theater on Broadway.
In 1968, "Fleetwood Mac," the group's debut album, was released in the United Kingdom on the Blue Horizon label.
In 1975, the Congressional Budget Office, charged with providing independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues, began operating under its first director, Alice Rivlin.
In 1983, a congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a "grave injustice."
In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $150,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt.
In 1996, Cuba downed two small American planes operated by the group Brothers to the Rescue that it claimed were violating Cuban airspace; all four pilots were killed.
Ten years ago: "No Country for Old Men" won Academy Awards for best picture, best director and best screenplay adaptation for Joel and Ethan Coen and best supporting actor for Javier Bardem (HAH'-veeayr bahr-DEHM'); Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for "There Will Be Blood," while Marion Cotillard (koh-tee-YAHR') was named best actress for "La Vie en Rose." Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel.