On this day, Feb. 5
1865 The Pittsburgh Clearing House Association was opened for business with John Harper as president.
1918 During World War I, the Cunard liner SS Tuscania, which was transporting about 2,000 American troops to Europe, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Irish Sea. More than 200 lives were lost.
1932 Barney Dreyfuss, president and owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1899 and an organizer of the first World Series, died at the age of 66 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
1971 Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the moon in the first of two lunar excursions.
1993 President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, granting workers up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for family emergencies. 2006 The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, the fifth Super Bowl win for the team, 2110, over the Seattle Seahawks, in Detroit. Detroit native and Steelers running back Jerome Bettis subsequently announced his retirement from football.
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: Tony-winning playwright John Guare, 84. Financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn, 83. Actor David Selby, 81. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong, 81. Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, 80. Movie director Michael Mann, 79. Rock singer Al Kooper, 78. Actor Charlotte Rampling, 76. Racing Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip, 75. Actor Barbara Hershey, 74. Actor Christopher Guest, 74. Actor Tom Wilkinson, 74. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, 63. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows, 61. Actor Jennifer Jason Leigh, 60. Actor Laura Linney, 58. Rock musician Duff McKagan (Velvet Revolver), 58. World Golf Hall of Famer Jose Maria Olazabal, 56. Actor-comedian Chris Parnell, 55. Rock singer Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), 54. Singer Bobby Brown, 53. Actor Michael Sheen, 53. Actor David Chisum, 52. Country singer Sara Evans, 51. Country singer Tyler Farr, 38. Actor Alex Brightman, 35. Actor Henry Golding, 35. Rock musician Kyle Simmons (Bastille), 34. Drummer Graham Sierota (Echosmith), 23. Thought for today: “Many excellent words are ruined by too definite a knowledge of their meaning.”