Today in history

1844

A 12-inch gun aboard the USS Princeton exploded as the ship was sailing on the Potomac River, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others.

1861

The Territory of Colorado was organized.

1917

The Associated Press reported that the United States had obtained a diplomatic communication sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to a German official in Mexico; the “Zimmermann Note,” which had been intercepted and decoded by Britain, proposed a German alliance with Mexico and Japan should the U.S. enter World War I. (Outrage over the telegram helped propel America into the conflict.)

1942

The heavy cruiser USS Houston and the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth were attacked by Japanese forces during the World War II Battle of Sunda Strait; both were sunk shortly after midnight on March 1 with a total loss of more than 1,000 men.

1953

Scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announced they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.

1960

A day after defeating the Soviets at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California, the United States won its first Olympic hockey gold medal by defeating Czechoslovakia, 9-4.

1967

American magazine publisher Henry R. Luce died in Phoenix, Arizona, at age 68.

1975

42 people were killed in London’s Underground when a train smashed into the end of a tunnel.

1986

Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme