March 2, 2005
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Today’s Highlights in History
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On March 2, 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden had won the popular vote. (Go to article.)
On March 2 ,1904 ,Theodor Seuss Geisel ,who wrote and illustrated the popular ‘Dr. Seuss’ children’s books , was born.Following his death onSept. 24 ,1991 ,his obituary appeared in The Times.(Go to obit. |Other Birthdays)
On March 2, 1861, Harper’s Weekly featured a cartoon about President Abraham Lincoln. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1793
Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas, was born near Lexington, Va.
1836
Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
1899
Congress established Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.
1917
Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship.
1923
Time magazine made its debut.
1933
The movie ”King Kong” had its world premiere in New York.
1939
Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected Pope; he took the name Pius XII.
1939
The Massachusetts legislature voted to ratify the Bill of Rights, 147 years after the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution had gone into effect.
1949
An American B-50 Superfortress, the Lucky Lady II, landed at Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop, around-the-world flight.
1985
The government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply.
1997
It was revealed that Vice President Al Gore had made fund-raising calls for the 1996 election on phones installed in government buildings for that purpose.
2002
Eleven Israelis were killed in a Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhood.
2004
A series of coordinated blasts in Iraq killed 181 people at shrines in Karbala and Baghdad as thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims gathered for a religious festival.
Current Birthdays
Ben Roethlisberger turns 23 years old today.
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger turns 23 years old today.
86
Jennifer Jones
Actress
82
Doc Watson
Bluegrass singer-musician
75
John Cullum
Actor (”Northern Exposure”)
74
Mikhail Gorbachev
Former Soviet president
74
Tom Wolfe
Author
66
Barbara Luna
Actress
64
Jon Finch
Actor
63
John Irving
Author
63
Lou Reed
Rock musician
54
Cassie Yates
Actress
53
Laraine Newman
Actress-comedian (”Saturday Night Live”)
52
Russell Feingold
U.S. senator, D-Wis.
50
Jay Osmond
Singer
50
Ken Salazar
U.S. senator, D-Colo.
49
John Cowsill
Pop musician (The Cowsills)
46
Larry Stewart
Country singer (Restless Heart)
29
Casey
Rock musician (Jimmie’s Chicken Shack)
28
Chris Martin
Rock singer (Coldplay)
28
Heather McComb
Actress (”Party of Five”)
20
Robert Iler
Actor (”The Sopranos”)
Historic Birthdays
Theodor Seuss Geisel
3/2/1904 – 9/24/1991
American author and illustrator (Dr. Seuss)
(Go to obit.)
64
Adrian VI
3/2/1459 – 9/14/1523
Dutch – Elected Pope in 1522
58
DeWitt Clinton
3/2/1769 – 2/11/1828
American who presided over construction of the Erie Canal
70
Sam Houston
3/2/1793 – 7/26/1863
American lawyer and politician
60
Bedrich Smetana
3/2/1824 – 5/12/1884
Bohemian composer of operas and symphonic poems
71
John Jay Chapman
3/2/1862 – 11/4/1933
American poet, dramatist, and critic
82
Pius XII
3/2/1876 – 10/9/1958
Italian Pope (1939-58)
50
Kurt Weill
3/2/1900 – 4/3/1950
German-bn. American composer
72
Edward Condon
3/2/1902 – 3/26/1974
American physicist
80
Geoffrey Grigson
3/2/1905 – 11/25/1985
English poet, editor, and literary critic
65
Ernst Haas
3/2/1921 – 9/12/1986
Austrian-bn. photojournalist
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