Today in history

On Feb. 12, 1554, Lady Jane Grey, who had claimed the throne of England for nine days, and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were beheaded after being condemned for high treason.

In 1689 the Declaration of Rights was signed in England, proclaiming William and Mary king and queen for life.

In 1733 English colonists led by James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, Ga.

In 1818 Chile officially proclaimed its independence, more than seven years after initially renouncing Spanish rule.

In 1870 women in the Utah Territory gained the right to vote.

In 1907 more than 300 people died when the steamer Larchmont collided with a schooner off Block Island in New England.

In 1908 the first round-theworld automobile race began in New York. (It ended in Paris the following August.)

In 1909 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.

In 1912 the Manchu Dynasty abdicated in China, making way for the establishment of a provincial republic.

In 1915 the cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington.

In 1924 George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” premiered in New York.

In 1940 the radio play “The Adventures of Superman” made its debut on the Mutual network with Bud Collyer as the Man of Steel.

In 1962 the Soviet Union backed down from an attempt to restrict allied use of air corridors to Berlin.

In 1968 “Soul on Ice” by Eldridge Cleaver was first published.

In 1973 the first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.

In 1975 Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II asked for a $1 million raise in her living allowance due to rising expenses.

In 1999 the Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice; Clinton told Americans he was “profoundly sorry” for what he had said and done in the Monica Lewinsky affair that triggered it.

In 2000 Charles Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, died in Santa Rosa, Calif.; he was 77.