Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP
------------------------------------
! TODAY IN HISTORY !
------------------------------------
Today is Ash Wednesday, March 5, the 64th day of 2014. There are 301 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. Churchill declared: "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent."
On this date:
In 1766, Antonio de Ulloa arrived in New Orleans to asssume his duties as the first Spanish governor of the Louisiana Territory, where he encountered resistance from the French residents.
In 1770, the Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who'd been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five people.
In 1868, the Senate was organized into a Court of Impeachment to decide charges against President Andrew Johnson, who was later acquitted.
In 1933, in German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44 percent of the vote; the Nazis joined with a conservative nationalist party to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.
In 1934, the first Mothers-in-Law Day celebration and parade took place in Amarillo, Texas.
In 1953, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died after three decades in power. Composer Sergei Prokofiev died in Moscow at age 61.
In 1960, Cuban newspaper photographer Alberto Korda took the now-famous picture of guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara during a memorial service in Havana for victims of a ship explosion. Elvis Presley was discharged from the U.S. Army.
In 1963, country music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in the crash of their plane, a Piper Comanche, near Camden, Tenn., along with pilot Randy Hughes (Cline's manager).
In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons went into effect after 43 nations ratified it.
In 1979, NASA's Voyager 1 space probe flew past Jupiter, sending back photographs of the planet and its moons.
In 1982, comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose in a rented bungalow in Hollywood; he was 33.
In 1994, a jury in Pensacola, Fla., convicted anti-abortion activist Michael F. Griffin of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Dr. David Gunn; Griffin was immediately sentenced to life in prison.
Ten years ago: Martha Stewart was convicted in New York of obstructing justice and lying to the government about why she'd unloaded her Imclone stock just before the price plummeted; her ex-stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, also was found guilty in the stock scandal. (Each later received a five-month prison sentence.)
Five years ago: President Barack Obama hosted a White House summit where he pumped allies and skeptics alike for ways to overhaul the nation's costly and frustrating health care system. As thousands demonstrated outside, California Supreme Court justices listened to legal arguments over the passage of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. NATO agreed, after intense internal debate, to restore normal relations with Russia seven months after it had frozen ties in response to Moscow's invasion of Georgia.
One year ago: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Latin America's most vocal and controversial leader, died at age 58 after a struggle with cancer. The Senate Intelligence Committee voted 12-3 to approve President Barack Obama's pick of John Brennan to lead the CIA. Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole announced that airline passengers would be able to carry small knives, souvenir baseball bats, golf clubs and other sports equipment onto planes (the plan was dropped three months later amid fierce congressional and industry opposition). Fox announced its 24-hour sports cable network called Fox Sports 1, which launched Aug. 17, 2013.
Today's Birthdays: Actor James Noble is 92. Actor Paul Sand is 82. Actor James B. Sikking is 80. Actor Dean Stockwell is 78. Actor Fred Williamson is 76. Actress Samantha Eggar is 75. Actor Michael Warren is 68. Actor Eddie Hodges is 67. Singer Eddy Grant is 66. Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 62. Actress-comedian Marsha Warfield is 60. Magician Penn Jillette is 59. Actress Adriana Barraza is 58. Rock singers Charlie and Craig Reid (The Proclaimers) are 52. Rock musician John Frusciante (froo-SHAN'-tee) is 44. Singer Rome is 44. Actor Kevin Connolly is 40. Actress Jill Ritchie is 40. Actress Jolene Blalock is 39. Actress Eva Mendes is 39. Model Niki Taylor is 39. Actress Kimberly McCullough is 36. Actor Sterling Knight is 25. Actor Jake Lloyd is 25.
Thought for Today: "Boredom is the root of all evil — the despairing refusal to be oneself." — Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813-1855).
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
