On this day, Feb. 15

1798 In the U.S. House of Representatives, meeting in Philadelphia, Rep. Roger Griswold of Connecticut used a cane to attack Rep. Matthew Lyon of Vermont, who defended himself with a set of tongs. Mr. Griswold was enraged over the House’s refusal to expel Mr. Lyon for spitting tobacco juice in his face two weeks earlier.

1854 The Summit tunnel of the Pennsylvania Railroad was opened, allowing continuous rail travel between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

1946 Following the signing of an agreement for an 18½-cent hourly wage increase, 70,000 U.S. Steel employees in the Pittsburgh area began to return to work, ending a 27-day shutdown of the mills.

Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology). — Compiled by Rick Nowlin

Today’s birthdays: Actress Claire Bloom, 88. Jazz musician Henry Threadgill, 75. Actress Jane Seymour, 68. “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, 65. Model Janice Dickinson, 64. Actor-comedian Steven Michael Quezada, 56. Latin singer Gloria Trevi, 51. Actress-director Miranda July, 45. Singer-songwriter-musician Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), 39. Actor Zach Gordon, 21.

Thought for today: “Fools act on imagination without knowledge, pedants act on knowledge without imagination.” — Alfred North Whitehead, English philosopher (born this date in 1861, died 1947)