SUNDAY IN HISTORY

Today is Sunday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2015. There are 326 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

On Feb. 8, 1915, D.W. Griffith’s groundbreaking as well as controversial silent movie epic about the Civil War, “The Birth of a Nation,” premiered.

On this date:

In1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island, N.C., ended in victory for Union forces.

In1904, the Russo-Japanese War began as Japanese forces attacked Port Arthur.

In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

In 1942, during World War II, Japanese forces began invading Singapore.

In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed her accession to the British throne.

Tenyears ago: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced a ceasefire at a summit in Egypt.

Five years ago: Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit, hauling a newroom and observation deck for the International Space Station.

One year ago: Attorney General Eric Holder said same-sex spouses could not be compelled totestify against each other, should be eligible to file for bankruptcy jointly and were entitled to the same rights and privileges as federal prison inmates in opposite-sex marriages.

Today’s Birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 83. Newscaster Ted Koppel is 75. Actor Nick Nolte is 74. Actress Brooke Adams is 66. Author John Grisham is 60. Retired NBA All-Star and College Basketball Hall of Famer Marques Johnson is 59. Rock singer Vince Neil is 54. Dance musician Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is 41. Actor Seth Green is 41.

Thought for Today: “If each man or woman could understand that every other human life is as full of sorrows, or joys, or base temptations, of heartaches and of remorse as his own... how much kinder, how much gentler he would be.” — William Allen-White, American journalist (1868-1944).