On this day, Feb. 26
1915 The Mellon Institute for Industrial Research, on O’Hara Street, Oakland, was dedicated. 1934 An Akron-to-Pittsburgh passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad plunged off a bridge at Merchant Street as it sped into the North Side station; nine people were killed and 39 injured. 1948 The Pennsylvania Railroad announced plans to build a $4.5 million warehouse covering three blocks between Penn and Liberty avenues. 1984 The last U.S. Marines deployed to Beirut as part of an international peacekeeping force withdrew from the Lebanese capital. 1993 A truck bomb built by Islamic extremists exploded in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others. (The bomb failed to topple the North Tower into the South Tower, as the terrorists had hoped.)
2017 At the 89th Academy Awards, “Moonlight,” an LGBT coming of age drama, won three Oscars, including best picture of 2016 (in a startling gaffe, the musical “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner before the error was corrected).
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: Country-rock musician Paul Cotton (Poco), 78. Actor-director Bill Duke, 78. Singer Mitch Ryder, 76. Actor Marta Kristen (TV: “Lost in Space”), 76. Rock musician Jonathan Cain (Journey), 71. Singer Michael Bolton, 68. The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 67. Actor Greg Germann, 63. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., 63. Bandleader John McDaniel, 60. Actormartial artist Mark Dacascos, 57. Actor Jennifer Grant, 55. Rock musician Tim Commerford (Audioslave), 53. Singer Erykah Badu, 50. Actor Maz Jobrani (TV: “Superior Donuts”), 49. R&B singer Rico Wade (Society of Soul), 49. Olympic gold medal swimmer Jenny Thompson, 48. R&B singer Kyle Norman (Jagged Edge), 46. Actor Greg Rikaart, 44. Rock musician Chris Culos (O.A.R.), 42. R&B singer Corinne Bailey Rae, 42. Pop singer Nate Ruess (fun.), 39. Tennis player Li Na, 39. Latin singer Natalia Lafourcade, 37. Actor Teresa Palmer, 35. Thought for today: “One resists the invasion of armies; one does not resist the invasion of ideas.”