Today in History — Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023
By The Associated Press, UPI, Wikipedia, History Timelines and other sources
Today is Saturday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2023. There are 323 days left in the year.
Beatles history, Feb. 11:
• 1963, The Beatles recorded all the tracks for their first album to be released in the U.K., “Please Please Me,” including “Twist and Shout” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” John Lennon had a bad cold and belted out “Twist and Shout” in one take.
• 1964, The Beatles performed their first American concert, at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C. In the following days, the band performed in New York and in Florida, but the concerts were not considered part of an official tour.
• 1965 (Fab Four FAQ 2.0), Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and hairdresser Maureen Cox were married. Brian Epstein was the best man at the nuptials attended by John Lennon and George Harrison. Paul McCartney was on holiday in Portugal. Ringo and Maureen divorced in 1975. Cynthia Lennon was staying at Maureen’s house on Dec. 9, 1980, when Ringo called to tell them that John Lennon had been shot and killed the night before. Maureen “Mo” Starkey Tigrett died on Dec. 30, 1994, at the age of 48 due to complications of leukemia.
• 1970, The Ringo Starr-Peter Sellers film “The Magic Christian” premiered in New York. The film’s soundtrack album included the Badfinger song “Come and Get It,” which was written by Paul McCartney.
• 1970, John Lennon paid 1,344 pounds in fines for protesting the South African rugby team playing in Scotland.
• 1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono played “Instant Karma” on the BBC TV show “Top of the Pops.
• 1972 (Fab Four FAQ 2.0), Badfinger’s Straight Up was released in the U.K. Badfinger’s second “real” album (discounting Magic Christian Music, largely composed of warmed-over Iveys tracks and minus Joey Molland) was actually a re-do of the No Dice follow-up, after George Harrison decided that the tracks recorded by Geoff Emerick were sub-par (though much of the material was not). In recasting Badfinger in his own layered, acoustic-textured sound, George got four tracks in before Bangladesh benefit duties brought his production input to an end. Todd Rundgren took over, finished up the basic tracks George left behind, and the result was probably the band’s best-loved album. In the states, it begat two hit singles, “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.”
• 2002, Friends of former Beatle George Harrison filed an amended death certificate. The original death certificate listed a fake address in Beverly Hills, Calif. Harrison died from cancer at the age of 58 on Nov. 29, 2001, several miles away in Hollywood Hills at a home owned by Paul McCartney.
Monkees history, Feb. 11:
• 1967, The Monkees’ album “More of the Monkees,” released by producer Don Kirshner, hits No. 1 in America. The Monkees fired Kirshner and announced that they would be playing all the instruments on all future recordings, starting with their third album “Headquarters” released later in 1967.
Elvis Presley history, Feb. 11:
• 1956, Elvis Presley appeared on “Stage Show” for the third time. He was finally given permission from CBS to perform “Heartbreak Hotel.” He also sang “Blue Suede Shoes.”
• 1960, Elvis Presley received his sergeant’s stripes.
• 1966, Elvis Presley arrived at MGM to begin pre-production work on the movie “Spinout.”
• 1979, The TV movie “Elvis,” starring Kurt Russell as the singer, airs on ABC.
David Bowie history, Feb. 11:
• 1972, David Bowie first performed as Ziggy Stardust, at a show in Tollworth, England.
Rolling Stones history, Feb. 11:
• 1967, The Rolling Stones released their album “Between The Buttons” in America, with “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday” on the track list.
• 1983, The Rolling Stones tour documentary “Let’s Spend The Night Together” opened in the U.S. and Canada.
Music history, Feb. 11:
• 1916, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presented its first concert. The symphony was the first by a municipal orchestra to be supported by taxes.
• 1935, Singer/guitarist Gene Vincent was born (died 1971).
• 1939, Songwriter Gerry Goffin (collaborated with first wife Carole King) was born (died 2014).
• 1939, Singer/songwriter Otis Clay was born (died 2016).
• 1940, NBC radio presented “The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street” for the first time.
• 1941, Brazilian musician and bandleader Sergio Mendes is born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.
• 1942, R&B singer Otis Clay is born in Waxhaw, Miss.
• 1942, Soul singer Leon Haywood is born in Houston, Texas.
• 1943, Blues singer Little Johnny Taylor is born in Arkansas.
• 1943, Trumpeter/flugelhornist Alan Rubin (Mr. Fabulous, The Blues Brothers Band) was born (died 2011).
• 1956, Violinist Didier Lockwood was born (died 2018).
• 1961, The front page headline in Britain’s Melody Maker reads: “£80,000 Lost On Pirate Juke Boxes.” This is a report of a nationwide swoop on bars, cafés, restaurants, clubs, amusem*nt arcades and public houses.
• 1962, Singer/songwriter/musician Sheryl Crow is born in Kennett, Mo. She works as an elementary school music teacher before landing a gig a backing vocalist on Michael Jackson’s “Bad World Tour” in 1987. Crow has released several top-selling albums and now has been nominated for indication into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1965, Cher recorded “Bang Bang.”
• 1967, The Turtles released “Happy Together.”
• 1967, Mojo Men performed “Sit Down I Think I Love You” and Jimmy Castor performed “Hey Leroy, Your Mamma’s Callin’ You” on American Bandstand.
• 1968, New York City’s fourth and current Madison Square Garden, located on Manhattan’s West Side at the site of what used to be the Pennsylvania Station building, opened with a “Salute to the USO” hosted by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. The new Garden seated 20,000 fans. The same evening, the New York Rangers played their final game at the third Garden, tying the Detroit Red Wings 3-3.
• 1977, Motown Productions debuts its first film “Scott Joplin,” based on the life of the ragtime composer. Billy Dee Williams earned accolades for his performance as the “Maple Leaf Rag” mastermind, but the film is widely criticized for being too grim.
• 1978, Yvonne Elliman performed “If I Can’t Have You” and David Gates performed “Goodbye Girl” on American Bandstand.
• 1979, R&B singer/actor Brandy (Brandy Norwood) is born in McComb, Miss.
• 1980, “WKRP in Cincinnati,” a TV series that takes place at a rock radio station, aired an episode devoted to the tragic events of Dec. 3, 1979, when 11 fans were killed at a Who concert at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.
• 1981, Kelly Rowland is born in Atlanta. She becomes the first member of Destiny’s Child to land a hit away from the group when “Dilemma,” her 2002 duet with Nelly, goes to No. 1 in America.
• 1983, Bob Seger’s album “The Distance” is certified platinum.
• 1985, Prince was named the Best International Solo Artist and “Purple Rain” won Best Film Soundtrack at the 4th annual BRIT Awards.
• 1986, The single “Superbowl Shuffle” by the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew was certified gold by the RIAA.
• 1986, Boy George guest-starred on an episode of “The A-Team” as a singer mistakenly booked into a country dance hall. He sang the hit song “Karma Chameleon.”
• 1987, In the wake of pianist Liberace’s death from AIDS, the London Daily Mirror asked if it could have back the $53,000 U.S. libel award the entertainer won from the paper more than 30 years earlier. The tabloid had called Liberace a “fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of mother love” in 1956.
• 1992, Michael Jackson’s single “Remember The Time” was released.
• 1992, Michael Jackson began a trip of Africa in Gaob. He had planned to visit the Ivory Coast and Tanzania.
• 1994, Prince premiered his song “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” on the 1994 Miss USA Pageant.
• 2009, Estelle Bennett, 67, one of the singing trio Ronettes, was found dead in her home in Englewood, N.J. Her sister Ronnie Spector died in January 2022, leaving their cousin Nedra Talley as the surviving Ronette.
• 2012, Whitney Houston, 48, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was tarnished by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, was found dead in a hotel room in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Los Angeles coroner said Houston died of accidental drowning in her bathtub but that cocaine and heart disease also played a role. Houston’s soaring voice lifted her to the top of the pop music world. She crossed over from music success to TV and movies, appearing in “The Bodyguard” (1992), as well as “Waiting to Exhale” (1995) and “The Preacher’s Wife” (1996). Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown died from pneumonia in 2015, six months after being found unconscious in a hotel bathtub.
• 2018, Singer Vic Damone, who possessed what Frank Sinatra once called “the best pipes in the business,” died in Florida at the age of 89.
Human Rights/Civil Rights history, Feb. 11:
• 1990, South African Black activist and future president Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.
U.S. presidency/cabinet/Congress history, Feb. 11:
• 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law favoring his Democratic-Republican Party — giving rise to the term “gerrymandering.”
• 1953, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower refuses a clemency appeal for alleged American spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were sentenced to die in the electric chair.
• 1971, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon issued Executive Order 11582 dealing with holidays given to federal employees.
• 1971, John Connally (1917-1993) replaced David Kennedy as Treasury Secretary under U.S. President Richard M. Nixon. He instituted a 10% surcharge on imports and repudiated fixed exchange rates.
• 1982, U.S. President Ronald Reagan attended a dinner for the foreign diplomatic corps. It was the first dinner of its kind since the Eisenhower administration.
• 1982, U.S. President Ronald Reagan agreed to review properties held by the Federal government and devise a plan to sell unneeded property. The funds would be used for paying off debt.
• 1987, President Ronald Reagan’s onetime political director, Lyn Nofziger, was convicted of illegally lobbying top White House aides. However, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later overturned Nofziger’s conviction, and the Supreme Court refused to reinstate it.
• 1992, U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, on a tour of six former Soviet republics, visited Armenia, where he heard an appeal from the republic’s president for U.S. help in resolving a bloody feud with neighboring Azerbaijan.
• 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced his choice of Miami prosecutor Janet Reno to be the nation’s first female attorney general, after two earlier candidates stumbled because they had hired illegal aliens.
• 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, meeting at the White House, failed to resolve key differences on trade.
• 1994, A judge in Fort Worth, Texas, ordered Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison acquitted of ethics charges after prosecutors refused to present their case.
• 1995, U.S. President Bill Clinton, in his weekly radio address, threatened to veto any attempt by Republicans to scrap plans to put 100,000 additional police officers on the streets.
• 2006, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded Harry Whittington, a companion during a weekend quail-hunting trip in Texas.
• 2012, Mitt Romney scored a narrow low turnout victory, 39% to 36%, over Ron Paul in Maine’s Republican presidential caucuses. Rick Santorum finished third with 18%. Newt Gingrich finished fourth, with 6%. Maine’s 24 delegates are not allocated by the results of the caucuses.
• 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama, during a joint White House news conference with French President Francois Hollande, vowed to come down like “a ton of bricks” on businesses that violated Iranian sanctions while nuclear negotiations were under way, and conceded “enormous frustration” with stalled Syrian peace talks.
• 2015, Vowing that Islamic State forces were “going to lose,” U.S. President Barack Obama urged Congress to authorize military action while ruling out large-scale U.S. ground combat operations reminiscent of Iraq and Afghanistan.
• 2016, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battled for the crucial backing of black and Hispanic voters during a Democratic debate in Milwaukee.
• 2016, The White House announced that U.S. President Barack Obama would nominate Dr. John B. King Jr. to lead the Education Department.
• 2017, A massive crowd energized in opposition to President Donald Trump and to a North Carolina law limiting LGBT rights streamed into the capital, Raleigh, for an annual civil rights march.
• 2017, Yale University announced it would change the name of a residential college honoring 19th-century alumnus and former U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun, who was an ardent supporter of slavery.
• 2019, Congressional negotiators reached agreement to prevent a government shutdown and finance construction of new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• 2019, Freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota apologized for tweets suggesting that members of Congress support Israel because they are being paid to do so. The tweets had brought bipartisan criticism.
• 2020, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary, edging moderate Pete Buttigieg. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet each dropped out of the Democratic presidential race.
• 2020, The four lawyers on the Justice Department team that prosecuted longtime Trump ally Roger Stone quit the case after the department overruled them and said it would seek a reduced amount of prison time for Stone.
• 2021, At the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, Democrats asserted that Trump had incited an attack on the U.S. Capitol, put his own vice president in danger and expressed solidarity with rioters who sought to overturn the 2020 election in his name.
• 2021, President Joe Biden ended the “national emergency” that former President Donald Trump had declared in order to take money from the Pentagon for a wall along the Mexican border.
• 2022, President Joe Biden called on President Vladimir Putin to pull back more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine’s borders and warned that the U.S. and its allies would “respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs” if Russia invades.
American Civil War history, Feb. 11:
• 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln bade farewell to his adopted hometown of Springfield, Ill., as he headed to Washington for his inauguration. The same day, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state.
• 1862, The Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson began in Tennessee. Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the fort five days later.
World War I history, Feb. 11:
• 1919, Friedrich Ebert (SPD), is elected President of Germany.
World War II history, Feb. 11:
• 1942, The Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore.
• 1943, General Dwight David Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
• 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement, in which Stalin agreed to declare war against Imperial Japan following Nazi Germany’s capitulation.
• 1946, The Yalta Agreement was published one year to the day after it had been signed, in simultaneous releases in Washington, D.C. (9 a.m.), London (2 p.m.) and Moscow (5 p.m.).
Korean War history, Feb. 11:
• 1951, U.N. forces pushed north across the 38th parallel once again.
• 1951, Gen. Douglas MacArthur informed the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “It is evident that the enemy has lost his chance for achieving a decisive military decision in Korea.” This statement came on the eve of the Chinese fourth phase offensive.
• 1951, The Chinese fourth phase offensive was launched against X Corps in central Korea along the Hoengsong-Wonju axis. The U.S. 2nd and 7th Infantry Divisions and the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team suffered 2,018 casualties during the Battle of Hoengsong. The largest single loss of U.S. soldiers happened when 530 men of the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions were completely overrun.
• 1953, Capt. Margaret G. Blake, the first Army nurse in Korea to earn the Bronze Star Medal, and one of the very few in any service to return voluntarily to Korea, finished her second tour of duty.
Vietnam War history, Feb. 11:
• 1973, The first release of American prisoners of war from Vietnam takes place.
• 1973, Due to “Vietnamization” the post of Senior Coast Guard Officer, Vietnam was discontinued.
• 1974, Communist-led rebels showered artillery fire into a crowded area of Phnom Penh, killing 139 and injuring 46 others. As the war in Vietnam wound down with the signing of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, the war in neighboring Cambodia was going from bad to worse.
Persian Gulf Wars, Feb. 11:
• 1987, Iran launched a campaign to retake the Fao Peninsula from Iraq with U.S. planning assistance. Chemical weapons were used in the attack.
• 1991, President George H.W. Bush met with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin L. Powell, who had just returned from the Gulf region. Afterward, Bush said he would hold off on a ground war against Iraq for the time being, saying allied air strikes had been “very, very effective.”
Terrorism history, Feb. 11:
• 2008, The Pentagon charged Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five other detainees at Guantanamo Bay with murder and war crimes in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks.
• 2012, In eastern Afghanistan gunmen burst into a family home of a provincial judge, killing him and his niece in the latest assassination of an Afghan government official. Mohammad Nasir, the head of the appeals court for Kunar province, was visiting family in neighboring Nangarhar province.
Mass shootings history, Feb. 11:
• 2016, A man shot six people dead at an education center in ji*zan Province, Saudi Arabia.
• 2019, Robert Bowers, charged with gunning down 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue, pleaded not guilty to hate crimes and dozens of other counts.
Science/space travel/exploration/aviation/invention history, Feb. 11:
• 1847, American inventor Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio. Edison died at the age of 84 on Oct. 18, 1931, from complications of diabetes.
• 1939, A Lockheed XP-38 flies from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes.
• 1970, Japan launches Oshumi, its first satellite, and it had made a complete revolution around the earth. This achievement made Japan the worlds “fourth space power,” after the Soviet Union (1957), the United States (1958) and France (1965).
• 1984, The 10th Space Shuttle mission returned to Earth safely.
• 1995, The space shuttle Discovery landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla., ending a historic rendezvous mission with Russia’s Mir space station.
• 2016, It was reported that scientists had detected gravitational waves. The waves had been detected on Sept. 14, 2015, by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in Livingston, La., and Hanford, Wash.
Nuclear weapons history, Feb. 11:
• 1971, The Seabed Arms Control Treaty, which banned placement of weapons of mass destruction on the ocean floor beyond a 12-mile limit, was signed in Washington, London and Moscow.
• 1981, More than 100,000 gallons of radioactive coolant leaked into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating eight workers.
Today’s Highlights in History:
On Feb. 11, 660 B.C., Tradition holds that Japan was founded as Jimmu ascended the throne as the country’s first emperor.
On Feb. 11, 1531, The Church of England grudgingly accepted King Henry VIII as its supreme head.
On Feb. 11, 1858, French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous reported the first of 18 visions of a lady dressed in white in a grotto near Lourdes. The Catholic Church later accepted that the visions were of the Virgin Mary.
On Feb. 11, 1878, The Boston Bicycle Club, the first bicycle club in the United States, is formed.
On Feb. 11, 1900, The Baltimore Orioles of the National League sold their stars — third baseman John McGraw, catcher Wilbert Robinson and infielder Bill Keister — to the St. Louis Cardinals. McGraw, the team’s player-manager, batted .391 in 1899, but the Orioles are being contracted out of the National League.
On Feb. 11, 1911, The Chicago Cubs acquired second baseman Dave Shean from the Boston Rustlers for third baseman Scotty Ingerton and pitcher Big Jeff Pfeffer. This is the second time that Boston has traded with the Cubs for Big Jeff.
On Feb. 11, 1914, Declining to remain with the Chicago Cubs as a player after being fired as manager, second baseman Johnny Evers is traded to the Boston Braves for second baseman Bill Sweeney and cash considerations. Evers will have one good season left, leading the “Miracle Braves” to the National League pennant and winning the Chalmers Award for Most Valuable Player. Meanwhile, Sweeney will sour in Chicago.
On Feb. 11, 1915, New York Giants president Harry Hempstead rejects the International League’s request for permission to put a team in the Bronx. The shift of the IL’s Jersey City to the nearby borough, already the home to the Yankees, was conceived as a way to prop up the failing minor league franchise and perhaps as an opportunity to thwart the invasion of the Federal League into the Big Apple.
On Feb. 11, 1916, After playing two seasons in Cleveland, Ohio, the American Association Mud Hens transferred back to Toledo. The franchise spent two seasons in Cleveland to block a Federal League team from moving in there.
On Feb. 11, 1923, With rookie Jim Bottomley in the wings, the St. Louis Cardinals sent first baseman Jack Fournier to the Brooklyn Robins in a trade for catcher Hy Myers. The veteran Fournier says he will quit if he has to move, but gives in and plays another five seasons. Fournier, with 22 home runs this year, will finish second in the National League, but his 20 stolen bases in 43 attempts — the 20th century worst percentage for anyone with 20 steals — will barely qualify him for the 20-20 club.
On Feb. 11, 1916, Anarchist Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.
On Feb. 11, 1922, The Toronto St. Patricks and the Ottawa Senators recorded the first tie game in NHL history.
On Feb. 11, 1923, In a pitcher’s deal, the Brooklyn Robins sent Clarence Mitchell to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for George Smith.
On Feb. 11, 1928, The New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates swap pitchers: Burleigh Grimes for Vic Aldridge. Grimes, 19-8 with the Giants last season, will lead the National League in wins this year with 25 after his return to Pittsburgh. Aldridge holds out until May 3 and then will win just four games for New York.
On Feb. 11, 1929, The Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.
On Feb. 11, 1929, Miss Bobbi Trout, an 18-year-old tomboy who took up flying to avoid dish-washing, broke three world aviation records.
On Feb. 11, 1937, A six-week-old sit-down strike against General Motors ended, with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.
On Feb. 11, 1937, Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack is interviewed by Boake Carter, one of the most famous journalists of the period, in a television demonstration by the Philco company to display its new technology. It is the first-ever baseball interview on television, although the audience consists only of selected guests at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, a few miles away from Philco’s studio.
It was 79 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1944 …
• A sermon denouncing racial prejudice at Saint Louis University, a Catholic Division 1 research school in Missouri, was delivered by Father Claude H. Heaths, S.J. Fr. Hiethaus was promptly, forcibly transferred out of state, but less than six months later, the first five Blacks enrolled at SLU in summer of 1944. SLU became the first historically white institution of higher learning in a former slave state to admit persons of color.
It was 78 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1945 …
• All 100 tons of the German gold reserve was transported from Berlin to a salt mine near Eisenach.
It was 77 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1946 …
• The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament was formally introduced by the International Council of Religious Education at its 1946 meeting at Central High School in Columbus, Ohio.
It was 76 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1947 …
• Derek Shulman (lead vocalist for Gentle Giant) is born in Glasgow, Scotland.
It was 75 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1948 …
• Sergei Eisenstein (born in 1898 in Latvia), Russian film director, died. He pioneered the dialectic montage where two film shots were arranged to clash in order to produce an emotional or intellectual response in the viewer.
It was 74 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1949 …
• Willie Pep becomes the first boxer in the history of the 126-pound class to regain a lost championship with a 15-round unanimous decision over Sandy Saddler at Madison Square Garden.
It was 73 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1950 …
• Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings scores three goals for his first NHL hat trick. Howe also has two assists in the 9-4 victory over the Boston Bruins.
It was 72 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1951 …
• Kwame Nkrumah won the first parliamentary election on Gold Coast (Ghana).
It was 71 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1952 …
• A series of deadly deadly avalanches begin in Europe following a 10-day snowstorm. The worst affected was Austria where an avalanche crashed down on the ski resort in Melkoede. Twenty people, almost all German tourists, were killed at the resort and another 10 were seriously injured.
• Philadelphia’s Paul Arizin scores 26 points to win MVP honors and lead the East team to a 108-91 win over the West in the second NBA All-Star game. George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers leads the way for the West with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
It was 70 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1953 …
• The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel.
It was 69 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1954 …
• A 75,000-watt light bulb was lit at the Rockefeller Center in New York to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Thomas Alva Edison’s first light bulb.
It was 68 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1955 …
• Nationalist Chinese completed the evacuation of the Tachen Islands.
It was 67 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1956 …
• Two former members of the British Foreign Office who had disappeared from England in 1951, Burgess and Maclean amid rumors that they were spies for the Soviet Union appear in Moscow confirming suspicions may well have been correct.
It was 66 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1957 …
• The USS William C. Lawe (DD 763) rescues all hands from the sinking Italian merchant vessel, Giacomo H. Atlieri, off Cape Bonifati, Italy.
• The NHL Players Association is formed and Ted Lindsay of the Detroit Red Wings is elected president.
It was 65 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1958 …
• Ruth Carol Taylor was the first black woman to become a stewardess by making her initial flight.
It was 64 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1959 …
• Iran turned down Soviet aid in favor of a U.S. proposal for aid.
• The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South, which will later become South Yemen, is created as a protectorate of the United Kingdom.
It was 63 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1960 …
• “Tonight Show” host Jack Paar walked off the program in a censorship dispute with NBC. Despite his very public resignation, Paar returned to the Tonight Show less than a month later.
It was 62 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1961 …
• Adolf Eichmann (a high-ranking Nazi and SS Obersturmbannfuhrer during World War II) was indicted today on 15 criminal charges in Jerusalem, Israel. He was convicted in December of 1961 and hanged in Jerusalem on June 1, 1962.
•A U.N. plebiscite resulted in the union of the southern part of British Cameroon with the Republic of Cameroon. By the end of 1963, the Foncha-led government made public its plan to dedicate the plebiscite day to its youth. This implied that Oct. 26 will become obsolete and that the Youth Day would henceforth be on Feb. 11.
It was 61 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1962 …
• Nine U.S. and South Vietnamese crewmen are killed in a SC-47 crash about 70 miles north of Saigon. The aircraft was part of Operation Farm Gate, a mission that had initially been designed to provide advisory support in assisting the South Vietnamese Air Force to increase its capability.
It was 60 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1963 …
• A CIA Domestic Operations Division was created.
It was 59 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1964 …
• Cambodian Prince Sihanouk blamed the U.S. for a South Vietnamese air raid on a village in his country.
• Greeks and Turks began fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.
• The Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan) breaks off diplomatic relations with France.
It was 58 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1965 …
• U.S. and South Vietnamese planes made their first bombing raids on North Vietnam. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the air strikes against targets in North Vietnam in retaliation for guerrilla attacks on the American military in South Vietnam. The American “Rolling Thunder” bombing campaign intensified.
• Braves officials, who already intend to move to Atlanta, Ga., for 1966, proposed to pay 5 cents from each ticket sold to a fund for the purpose of bringing a new major league team to Milwaukee, Wis. Teams, Inc., a civic group, accepts the offer, buys out the park for Opening Day and stages “Stand Up for Milwaukee Day.”
• Willie Mays became the highest paid player in baseball. He signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for $130,000 a year.
It was 57 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1966 …
• Vice President Hubert Humphrey began a tour of Vietnam.
It was 56 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1967 …
• The Monkees’ album “More of the Monkees,” released by producer Don Kirshner, hits No. 1 in America. The Monkees fired Kirshner and announced that they would be playing all the instruments on all future recordings, starting with their third album “Headquarters” released later in 1967.
It was 55 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1968 …
• Israeli-Jordanian border clashes continued.
It was 54 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1969 …
• A Lockheed SP2E Neptune crashed in the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County, Calif., while on night training. Seven seamen were killed.
It was 53 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1970 …
• The Atlanta Hawks scored 97 points, the most ever scored in the second half of an NBA game, en route to a 155-131 win at San Diego. The record for any half was set by Phoenix, which scored 107 points in the first half against Denver on Nov. 10, 1990.
It was 52 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1971 …
• In San Francisco, Officer Charles Lagasa was killed in an accidental helicopter crash at Lake Merced.
• Montreal’s Jean Beliveau scores his 500th goal in the Canadiens’ 6-2 victory over the Minnesota North Stars.
• The 100th episode of “Ironside” aired.
It was 51 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1972 …
• McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Life magazine scrapped plans to publish what turned out to be a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.
It was 50 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1973 …
• The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 to set an NBA record for the most consecutive losses in a season at 20.
It was 49 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1974 …
• A total of 48 Major League Baseball players exercised their rights to settle their contracts through the new arbitration procedure. Pitcher Dick Woodson will become the first player to go through arbitration, winning his case against the Minnesota Twins.
It was 48 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1975 …
• Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Tory Party, the first woman to lead the British Conservative Party. in England. She later became Prime Minister and held office from 1979-1990.
It was 47 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1976 …
• Figure skater John Curry wins Britain’s first Olympic gold in figure skating and the country’s first medal at the winter games for 12 years.
It was 46 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1977 …
• A 20.2-kilogram lobster was caught off Nova Scotia. This was the heaviest known crustacean to date.
• The Chicago Cubs traded two-time National League batting champion Bill Madlock and infielder Rob Sperring to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Bobby Murcer, third baseman Steve Ontiveros and a minor league pitcher. In 1976, Madlock led the NL with a .339 mark, while Murcer hit 23 home runs and 90 RBI. Madlock leaves Chicago having hit .336 for them, which ties him with Riggs Stephenson for the top career average in team history.
It was 45 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1978 …
• The People’s Republic of China lifted a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.
• George Gervin of San Antonio scored 23 fourth-quarter points, one more than the entire Golden State team, as the Spurs won in overtime 131-122.
It was 44 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1979 …
• Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15 years of exile. Premier Shapour Bakhtiar resigned. The Islamic revolution of Iran establishes an Islamic theocracy under Khomeini’s leadership.
It was 43 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1980 …
• “WKRP in Cincinnati,” a TV series that takes place at a rock radio station, aired an episode devoted to the tragic events of Dec. 3, 1979, when 11 fans were killed at a Who concert at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.
It was 42 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1981 …
• More than 100,000 gallons of radioactive coolant leak into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating eight workers.
It was 41 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1982 …
• France nationalized five groups of major industries and 39 banks.
• ABC-TV’s presentation of “The Winds of War” concluded. The 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most-watched television program in history at the time.
• Houston Rockets’ center Moses Malone grabs an NBA-record 21 offensive rebounds in a 117-100 win over Seattle.
• For the first time in NHL history, referee Kerry Fraser awards penalty shots in the same period. Vancouver’s Thomas Gradin and Ivan Hlinka each score against Red Wings goalie Gilles Gilbert in the third period of a 4-4 tie at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena.
• Ozzie Smith agreed to go to the St. Louis Cardinals to complete the December deal that finally sends Gary Templeton to the San Diego Padres. An outside arbitrator, Tom Roberts, will determine The Wizard of Oz’s Cardinal salary before the season starts, awarding the light-hitting Gold Glove shortstop $450,000, rather than the $750,000 he requested.
It was 40 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1983 …
• Bob Seger’s album “The Distance” is certified platinum.
It was 39 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1984 …
• Mohammad Maqbool Butt, founder of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was hanged in New Delhi’s Tihar jail for the murder of intelligence officer Ravindra Hareshwa Mhatre. In 2004, Mohammed Aslam (49) was charged with the kidnap, false imprisonment and murder of Mhatre.
• Wayne Gretzkyof the Edmonton Oilers set a National Hockey League record when he scored his 11th short handed goal of the season.
It was 38 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1985 …
• Jordan’s King Hussein and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord.
• Kent Hrbek signed a new contract, making him the Twins’ first million dollar player. The Minnesota first baseman was the runner-up for the American League Most Valuable Player last season, finishing second to Tiger closer Willie Hernandez, after batting .311 along with 27 homers and 107 RBIs for the second-place club.
It was 37 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1986 …
• U.S. President Ronald Reagan defended his budget and said that he will veto any tax increase.
• Activist Anatoly Scharansky was released by the Soviet Union and left the country after nine years of captivity as part of an East-West prisoner exchange.
It was 36 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1987 …
• Peggy Hettrick (37) in Fort Collins, Colo., was murdered. Timothy Masters (15) was convicted and sentenced to life in 1999 for the crime. He served 9 1/2 years of a life sentence for the murder until DNA evidence from the body in 2008 was found to match the victim’s ex-boyfriend and not Masters. The Constitution of the Philippines went into effect.
• Cynthia Payne is acquitted of nine charges of controlling prostitutes at her home in southwest London, but is still to be prosecuted for keeping a brothel.
• After turning down the Mets’ $800,000 one-year offer and being granted free agency by the team, World Series MVP Ray Knight signs a two-year deal with the Orioles for $600,000. The 34-year-old third baseman, who won the 1986 NL Comeback Player of the Year Award, will play one season in Baltimore before being traded to the Tigers for Mark Thurmond.
It was 35 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1988 …
• Wayne Gretzky gets his NHL-record ninth 100-point season. Gretzky scores a goal and has two assists in the Edmonton Oilers’ 7-2 victory at Vancouver to give him 101 points, He passes Marcel Dionne, who had eight seasons.
It was 34 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1989 …
• Rev. Barbara C. Harris became the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, in a ceremony held in Boston.
• Houston Rockets’ guard Calvin Murphy scored an event-record 26 points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to lead the West over the East 54-53 in the Schick Legends Classic at All-Star Saturday in Houston.
It was 33 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1990 …
• In Tokyo, Japan, Mike Tyson loses for the first time when James “Buster” Douglas knocked him out in the 10th round and captures the heavyweight championship in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Douglas was a 42:1 underdog.
• Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley scored 17 points each to help the East beat the West 130-113 in the 40th NBA All-Star game. Magic Johnson, the game’s high-scorer with 22 points, is voted MVP.
• The TeamUp Youth Celebration started in Miami during NBA All-Star Weekend.
It was 32 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1991 …
• The parliament of Iceland confirmed that the recognition of Lithuania from 1922 was fully valid and that diplomatic relations would be established as soon as possible. Lithuania received de jure recognition from Iceland.
• The Perry Mason TV movie “The Case of the Maligned Mobster” aired.
It was 31 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1992 …
• Anfissa Reztsova wins the women’s 7.5-kilometer biathlon event to become the first woman to get gold medals in two different Winter Olympic sports. She skied the final 5-kilometer leg on the Soviet Union’s winning 20K cross-country relay team in the 1988 Olympics.
It was 30 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1993 …
• British Prime Minister John Major said Queen Elizabeth II would pay income tax on her personal income as well as being subject to capital and inheritance levies.
• Two free agents are signed: Pitcher Scott Sanderson by the California Angels and catcher Mike Scioscia by the San Diego Padres.
It was 29 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1994 …
• Long-time Milwaukee Brewers star Robin Yount announces his retirement. The 38-year-old Yount leaves the game with 3,142 hits, 251 home runs and two American League MVP Awards in 21 seasons. Yount will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1999, his first year of eligibility.
• MLB owners greatly reduced the commissioner’s power to act “in the best interests of baseball.”
It was 28 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1995 …
• The East team defeats the West 129-118 in the 46th annual NBA All-Star Game played before 36,037 fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Shaquille O’Neal scores a game-high 25 points and grabs 10 rebounds and Michael Jordan, the All-Star MVP, has 20 points in only 22 minutes to lead the East.
• For the first time, an NBA team to has two of its players sweep the All-Star Saturday competition. Harold Miner wins the Slam Dunk and Glen Rice captures the Long Distance Shootout for the Miami Heat.
It was 27 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1996 …
• A day after losing to an IBM computer dubbed “Deep Blue," world chess champion Garry Kasparov rebounded to defeat the machine and even their six-game series in Philadelphia at one victory apiece.
• Tamil politicians in Sri Lanka charged that government troops killed 24 civilians in the eastern district of Trincomalee.
It was 26 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1997 …
• In a display of bipartisan unity, U.S. President Bill Clinton and congressional leaders agreed to focus the new Congress on balancing the budget and other issues ranging from cutting taxes to solving the capital city’s myriad problems.
• Space shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
• Bosnian Croats evicted 26 Muslim families from the Croat half of the city of Mostar.
• General Mills, the makers of Wheaties breakfast cereals, unveil three new Jackie Robinson boxes to be sold in stores nationwide. Robinson will be the first athlete to be honored on all three varieties of Wheaties: Original Wheaties, Honey Frosted Wheaties and Crispy Wheaties ’n’ Raisins.
It was 25 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1998 …
• Attorney General Janet Reno asked for an independent prosecutor to investigate whether Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt had misled Congress in connection with an Indian casino controversy. The counsel, Carol Elder Bruce, found no wrongdoing on Babbitt’s part.
• KVBC-FM (Las Vegas) offered Monica Lewinsky $5 million for an interview.
• Skier Jonny Moseley won the first U.S. gold medal at Nagano, in men’s moguls freestyle. Picabo Street won the women’s super-G. Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for marijuana. His medal was later reinstated.
• Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, was named as director of the Greenpeace environmental group. Greenpeace had an annual worldwide income of about $160 million.
• In Hungary, Janos Fenyo (43) was gunned down while sitting in his car at a Budapest traffic light. In 2019 a murder indictment was filed against Tamas Gyarfas, the former head of Hungary’s swimming federation, for allegedly ordering the killing of Fenyo, a rival media mogul.
It was 24 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 1999 …
• U.S. jets struck seven Iraqi air defense sites. A federal jury in New York found several gun makers responsible in three area shootings for letting guns fall into the hands of criminals. Other manufacturers were cleared.
• Several gun manufacturers were found negligent for marketing and distribution practices but awarded limited damages. The plaintiffs suffered a setback in 2001 when the New York Court of Appeals invalidated such claims.
• On the Oregon coast, the New Carissa cargo ship was set on fire with explosives to burn off some 400,000 gallons of fuel oil to prevent its spillage.
• Pluto crossed Neptune’s orbit, ending a nearly 20-year period (since 1979) when it was closer to the Sun than the gas giant. Pluto is not expected to interact with Neptune’s orbit for another 228 years (in 2227).
It was 23 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2000 …
• In Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura cut his ties to the Reform Party. In Nashville, the national chairman, Jack Gargan, was ousted by forces loyal to Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan.
• The space shuttle Endeavor took off. The mission was to gather information for the most detailed map of the earth ever made.
• Great Britain suspended self-rule in Northern Ireland after the Irish Republican Army (IRA) failed to begin decommissioning (disarming) by a February deadline.
• Boston’s Ray Bourque becomes the second defenseman, and ninth player, in NHL history to reach 1,500 points. Bourque he scores a goal for the Bruins in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers.
• In the first period of a 2-2 tie between Pittsburgh and Edmonton, Martin Straka of the Penguins scores twice in seven seconds. The NHL record for quickest goals is five seconds.
It was 22 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2001 …
• Two space commanders opened the door to Destiny, the American-made science laboratory attached the day before to the international space station.
• As thousands cheered, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh’s 30-year-old sports venue, is imploded when electricity surges through a detonating cord connected to more than 4,800 pounds of dynamite in 2,500 spots in the former home of the Pirates and NFL’s Steelers. Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit, as well as Mike Schmidt’s 500th career home run, are part of the historic park’s legacy.
• Allen Iverson of the East All-Stars scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team all the way back from a 19-point deficit after three quarters and score a dramatic 111-110 come-from-behind victory over the West in the 50th NBA All-Star Game at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. Stephon Marbury of the New Jersey Nets hit a three-pointer with 28 seconds remaining to give the East the victory. Iverson was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
It was 21 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2002 …
• Israel attacked Palestinian security headquarters in Gaza City in response to unprecedented Palestinian rocket fire and a shooting attack on Israeli civilians.
• Argentina fully uncoupled the peso from the U.S. dollar for the first time in more than a decade.
• U.S. First Lady Laura Bush appeared on the “Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno.
• The six stars on NBC’s “Friends” signed a deal for $24 million each for the ninth and final season of the series.
• Americans Ross Powers, Danny Kass and J.J. Thomas took gold, silver and bronze in the men’s halfpipe at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Controversy erupted at the games as Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze were crowned the champions of pairs figure skating, although many observers felt the best duo was Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada.
• Major League Baseball owners approved the sales of the Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos. Florida owner John Henry is selling the Marlins to Jeffrey Loria for $158.5 million, while Loria is selling the Expos to Baseball Expos LP, a limited partnership owned by the other 29 teams, for $120 million. The sales won’t officially close until later this week.
It was 20 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2003 …
• Addressing a historic rift within NATO, Secretary of State Colin Powell told a congressional hearing the future of the military alliance was at risk if it failed to confront the crisis with Iraq.
• The al-Jazeera Arab satellite station broadcast what was believed to be a new audio statement from Osama bin Laden urging Iraqis to carry out suicide attacks on Americans.
• Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars became only the second American-born NHL player to play in 1,000 games with the same team. All of Modano’s games had come with the Minnesota North Stars and Dallas Stars. Brian Leetch (New York Rangers) was the first American-born player to play in 1,000 NHL games.
• Lisa Marie Presley appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”
It was 19 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2004 …
• Former Gen. Wesley Clark dropped out of the Democratic race for the White House.
• A car bomb at an army recruiting center in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 47 people.
• Cable TV giant Comcast Corp. launched a hostile bid to buy The Walt Disney Co. for more than $54 billion. Comcast later dropped its bid.
It was 18 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2005 …
• Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made an unannounced visit to Iraq, where he observed Iraqi security forces and declared “there’s no question progress has been made” in preparing the nation for building a new government.
• CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan quit amid a furor over remarks he made about journalists being targeted by the U.S. military in Iraq.
• Jose Canseco’s controversial book, Juiced, is made available in certain markets in anticipation to his appearance on the television news show 60 Minutes. The self-proclaimed godfather of steroids alleges former teammates Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez, among others, all used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
• The New York Mets announced their former All-Star and Rookie of the Year Darryl Strawberry will rejoin the team as a special outfield instructor during spring training. Strawberry will also join former 1986 World Champion teammates Gary Carter, Lenny Dykstra, Howard Johnson and Tim Teufel at Shea Stadium on Feb. 27 when single-game tickets go on sale.
It was 17 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2006 …
• U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett broke the solo flight record when he landed near Bournemouth, England, covering 24,997 miles after taking off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida four days earlier.
• American Chad Hedrick won the 5,000 meters in speedskating at the Olympics in Turin, Italy.
• Avoiding an arbitration hearing, starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.26) and the Chicago Cubs agree to a one-year deal worth $6.5 million. After earning $3.76 million last season, the emotional right-hander had asked for $7.2 million, with Chicago offering $6 million.
• All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano loses his arbitration case to the Washington Nationals but will make a record $10 million this season. The figure is the highest salary awarded in a baseball arbitration case.
• Pitcher Shawn Chacon and the New York Yankees agreed to a $3.6 million, one-year contract and avoid a salary arbitration hearing.
• Rickey Henderson is back in the major leagues, this time as an instructor for the New York Mets.
It was 16 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2007 …
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, marking the 28th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, vowed his country would not give up uranium enrichment.
• The Chicks won five Grammys, including Album of the Year for “Taking the Long Way” and Record and Song of the Year for “Not Ready to Make Nice,” in a defiant comeback after being shunned over their anti-President George W. Bush comments about the Iraq war.
• Harvard University named historian Drew Gilpin Faust its first female president.
• The Boston Celtics lose their franchise-record 18th straight game. Ricky Davis’ jumper from the corner with 0.2 seconds remaining lifts the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 109-107 victory.
• Anja Paerson captures the downhill, becoming the first skier to win gold medals in all five disciplines at the world championships. Paerson, who also won the super-G and combined titles earlier in the week, won gold medals in the giant slalom at the last two worlds and one in the slalom in 2001.
• Avoiding salary arbitration, the American League’s reigning batting champion Joe Mauer (.347, 13, 84) and the Minnesota Twins come to terms on a $33 million, four-year contract. The hometown 23-year-old All-Star backstop is the first catcher to lead the majors in batting average and the first to win the batting title in the American League.
It was 15 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2008 …
• The Pentagon charged Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five other detainees at Guantanamo Bay with murder and war crimes in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. Charges against one were later dropped. Proceedings against the other five stalled in part over allegations they were tortured.
• Rebel East Timorese soldiers seriously wound President José Ramos-Horta. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed in the attack.
• Yahoo Inc. rejected Microsoft Corp.’s unsolicited takeover bid.
• Craig Biggio, following in the footsteps of fan favorites Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and Jeff Bagwell, agrees to a three-year personal services contract with the Houston Astros. The 42-year-old retired ballplayer spent his entire 20-year career with Houston, leading the franchise in games, at-bats, hits, doubles and total bases.
It was 14 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2009 …
• The nation’s top bankers went before the House Financial Services Committee, pledging to build public trust with greater lending and fewer perks.
• Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., who first went to Congress in 1955, became the longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
• President Robert Mugabe swore in longtime rival Morgan Tsvangirai as Zimbabwe’s prime minister.
• Miguel Tejada is the first star player convicted of a crime related to steroids. The 2002 American League MVP pleads guilty to lying to Congress when he said in 2005 that he did not know about any players being involved with steroids. Adam Piatt had later admitted Tejada had discussed steroids with him.
• The Washington Nationals signed slugger Adam Dunn to a two-year, $20 million deal. The 29-year-old left-handed free-agent, who played for Arizona last season, will bat cleanup for Washington, replacing Nick Johnson at first base.
It was 13 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2010 …
• Former U.S. President Bill Clinton had two stents inserted in one of his heart arteries after being hospitalized in New York with chest pains.
• Iranian security forces unleashed a crushing sweep against opposition protesters as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution to defy the West.
• Two long-time baseball icons officially hung their spikes today, although neither played in 2009. Pitcher Tom Glavine, after 305 wins and two Cy Young Awards, accepts a position in the Atlanta Braves’ front office as a special assistant to team President John Schuerholz, putting an end to any desire for a comeback attempt, which would have required undergoing another arm surgery. For his part, first baseman/designated Frank Thomas, nicknamed “The Big Hurt,” veteran of 19 seasons during which he hit .301 with 521 homers and 1704 RBI, announces he will not attempt a comeback either. He last played for the Oakland Athletics in 2008 but could find no takers for his services last season.
• The New York Mets rounded out their squad as spring training is about to get under way, signing veteran Japanese left-hander Hisanori Takahashi, first baseman Mike Jacobs and catcher Shawn Riggans to minor league contracts. Takahashi, unrelated to Ken Takahashi who pitched for New York last year, was 10-6 with a 2.94 ERA with the Yomiuri Giants in 2009. He joined Ryota Igarashi, who was signed earlier this off-season, on the Mets’ pitching staff.
• Ernie Harwell, the long-time voice of the Detroit Tigers, will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting during WFUV Radio’s Spring Gala at Fordham University. The 92-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster is the third recipient of the VSLA, named for the former alum and Dodger broadcast icon, joining inaugural honoree Vin Scully (2008) and Dick Enberg (2009).
It was 12 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2011 …
• Hosni Mubarak stepped down after nearly 30 years as president of Egypt, bowing to intense public pressure to resign after 18 days of massive, often violent protests that spawned a reported death toll of more than 800 people. Mubarak, 82, ceded power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers stopped their NBA-record losing streak at 26 games with a 126-119 win in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers. Antawn Jamison scores 35 points and makes the game’s biggest basket, a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in OT for the Cavs.
• After 30 years with the Utah Jazz, 23 years as the team’s head coach, Jerry Sloan retires midseason with 1,127 career wins with the team. Sloan reasons he “ran out of gas” but disputes with ownership over the course of the franchise presumably played a role in Sloan’s sudden departure. Sloan, who played in the NBA for 11 years before he became a coach. died on May 22, 2020, at the age of 78.
• The Perth Heat win the 2010-2011 Australian Baseball League title, sweeping the Adelaide Bite in three games. In the finale, Ben Moore tosses a 10-strikeout, four-hit gem for Perth, allowing only one ninth-inning run. Paul Mildren matches him for four innings before folding and Perth goes on to win 7-1. Mitch Graham drives in two, Robbie Widlansky hits a two-run homer and Tim Kennelly gets three hits for the victors.
It was 11 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2012 …
• A helicopter operated by U.S. military contractors crashed in the mountains of Zabul province, killing all four Tajik crew members.
• Bernard Lagat regains his American record in the indoor 5,000 meters, finding a new way to make history at the Millrose Games at New York. Lagat had won a record eight titles in the meet’s signature event, the Wanamaker Mile. This time, he races the 5,000 to try to break the mark Galen Rupp set last year. Lagat does so convincingly, winning in 13:07.15 to lower the standard by more than 4 seconds. He and Rupp trade American indoor records, in fact, with Rupp breaking Lagat’s 2-mile mark, running 8:09.72 at the USATF Classic in Fayetteville, Ark.
It was 10 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2013 …
• With a few words in Latin, Pope Benedict XVI did what no pope had done in more than half a millennium: He announced his resignation. The bombshell came during a routine morning meeting of Vatican cardinals. The 85-year-old pontiff was succeeded by Pope Francis. Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95 on Dec. 31, 2022.
• Outfielder Michael Bourn, one the last remaining unsigned big name free agents this off-season, reaches a four-year deal with the Cleveland Indians, worth $48 million.
It was 8 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2014 …
• An Algerian Hercules C-130 military plane crashed into a mountain in eastern Algeria, killing 77 people, including civilians. There was one survivor, a soldier.
• At the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia, Carina Vogt of Germany won women’s ski jumping’s first-ever Olympic gold medal.
It was 8 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2015 …
• A university student was murdered as she resisted an attempted rape in Turkey, sparking nationwide protests and public outcry against harassment and violence against women.
• Little League International decides to strip the Jackie Robinson West team of Chicago of its United States Championship won at the 2014 Little League World Series because it used players from outside its territory and manipulated district boundaries in order to field a stronger team. Various officials from the district are also suspended for their actions. Mountain Ridge Little League was awarded the title.
It was 7 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2016 …
• Surrounded by FBI agents in armored vehicles, the last four occupiers of a national nature preserve in Oregon surrendered, ending a 41-day standoff that left one man dead.
• The 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers start with the first pool in Sydney, Australia. South Africa tops the New Zealand national team 7-1 as Dylan Unsworth allows two hits in eight shutout innings and Brett Willemburg produces three runs. The host Australian national team has a 11-1 mercy rule rout of Philippines, as Steven Kent gets the win and James Beresford goes 4 for 5 with a run and three RBI.
It was 6 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2017 …
• At the NAACP Image Awards, “Hidden Figures,” the fact-based movie about the contributions of black female mathematicians to the U.S. space program, won the award for best movie.
• North Korea test fired a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan.
• Ajee’ Wilson breaks the American record in the women’s indoor 800 meters to win the event for the fourth straight year in the NYRR Millrose Games. Wilson finishes in 1:58.27 at The Armory to break the mark of 1:58.71 set by Nicole Teter in 2002.
• Henrik Lundqvist makes 32 saves for his 400th career win and the New York Rangers earned their fifth consecutive victory, beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2.
• The Brisbane Bandits repeat as Australian Baseball League champions, defeating the Melbourne Aces 2 games to 0 in the finals. Logan Wade is named finals MVP, having gone 4 for 8 with a homer. In game 2 today, Kramer Champlin allows one hit in seven and Ryan Searle closed out the 3-1 win. Thomas Milone scored twice.
It was 5 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2018 …
• A Russian passenger plane crashed into a snowy field six minutes after taking off from Moscow, killing all 65 passengers and six crew members. Investigators would blame human error, saying the pilots had received flawed air speed readings after failing to turn on a heating unit for the measurement equipment.
• In Pyeongchang, South Korea, Amid swirling winds, 17-year-old snowboarder Red Gerard won the United States’ first gold medal of the 2018 Winter Olympics, capturing the men’s slopestyle event. David Gleirscher is a surprise winner giving Austria its first gold in men’s luge in 50 years. Chris Mazdzer, whose season hit rock-bottom less than a month ago, makes history for the U.S., giving the Americans their first men’s singles medal by finishing second in 3:10.728.
• The Brisbane Bandits win their third straight Australian Baseball League title. In the 2017-2018 finals, they face the Canberra Cavalry in a winner-take-all Game 3. Travis Blackley allows one hit in six shutout innings for the win while No. 9 hitter Adam Weisenburger hits a three-run homer and Mitch Nilsson adds a solo shot in the 4-2 victory.
It was 4 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2019 …
• Denver schoolteachers went on strike for the first time in 25 years after failed negotiations with the school district over base pay, Schools remained open with administrators and substitute teachers in classrooms.
• Russell Westbrook sets an NBA record with his 10th straight triple-double, Paul George scored 47 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-111. Westbrook breaks a tie with Wilt Chamberlain, who had nine straight triple-doubles in 1968, by finishing with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
• Kyler Murray, the 9th overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft by the Oakland A’s, announces that he is giving up baseball to concentrate on becoming an NFL quarterback. Murray, an outfielder, was originally committed to give professional baseball a try and accepted a $4.66 signing bonus from the A’s, but his plans changed after a tremendous season as a junior at the University of Oklahoma that saw him win the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the nation. He declared for the NFL draft and was the No. 1 pick of the Arizona Cardinals.
It was 3 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2020 …
• The World Health Organization gave the official name of COVID-19 to the disease caused by the coronavirus that had emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
• A group of 195 evacuees was cleared to end a two-week quarantine at a Southern California military base, where they had been staying since flying out of China amid the coronavirus outbreak.
• Actor Jussie Smollett was indicted for a second time on charges of lying to police about a racist and anti-gay attack he allegedly staged on himself in downtown Chicago.
• A standard poodle named Siba won top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York.
• With spring training just around the corner, the Boston Red Sox appointed bench coach Ron Roenicke as interim manager in place of the disgraced Alex Cora, who was let go due to his role in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
It was 2 years ago today — On Feb. 11, 2021 …
• California surpassed New York as the state with the most coronavirus deaths.
• An Alabama inmate won a reprieve from a lethal injection after the Supreme Court said the state could not proceed without his pastor in the death chamber. Willie B. Smith III was executed in October 2021.
• Sister André, a French nun who was believed to be the world’s second-oldest person, celebrated her 117th birthday at a care home in France after surviving COVID-19.
• A British judge ruled that a newspaper invaded the privacy of the duch*ess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle, by publishing a personal letter to her estranged father.
• The Melbourne Aces win the 2020-2021 Australian Baseball League title, as finals MVP Tyler Beardsley shuts down the Perth Heat on one run in six. Colin Willis has three hits and homers while Jarryd Dale has three hits, a triple, two runs and two RBI for the Aces.
It was 1 year ago today — On Feb. 11, 2022 …
• A tense standoff at a key U.S.-Canadian border bridge eased as protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions withdrew their vehicles.
Notable deaths, Feb. 11 …
• 1950, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Hazen (Kiki) Cuyler died in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the age of 50. Considered an outstanding defensive player and baserunner, Cuyler was a .321 hitter with 2,299 hits and 328 stolen bases during an 18-year career. At the time of his death, Cuyler was serving as a coach for the Boston Red Sox.
• 1963, American author and poet Sylvia Plath was found dead in her London flat, a suicide. Plath was 30. At approximately 4:30a.m., Plath placed her head in the oven with the gas turned on. She had sealed all the rooms so the carbon monoxide stayed in the kitchen. Friends and experts said Plath battled clinical depression her entire life. It also didn’t help Plath’s state of mind when her English poet husband Ted Hughes left her for another woman (who committed suicide in 1968). Plath’s autobiographical novel “The Bell Jar” and her book of poems “Ariel” were published after her death. “The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath” were edited by Karen V. Kukil in 2000. Hughes (who died in 1998), published a 198-page book of verse “Birthday Letters” based on their relationship.
• 1971, Whitney Young Jr. (born in 1921), National Urban League director, drowned in Nigeria.
• 1976, Actor Lee J. Cobb (12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront, Death of a Salesman), died at the age of 65.
• 1982, Actor/dancer Eleanor Powell, 69, died in Beverly Hills, Calif.
• 1986, Frank Patrick Herbert (born 1920), sci-fi author (Dune, 1965), died of cancer in Wisconsin.
• 1991, Oscar Nitzchke (90), German architect, died in Paris. His buildings included the U.N. headquarters in New York and the Los Angeles Opera House.
• 1994, Actor William Conrad, who voiced Marshall Matt Dillon when “Gunsmoke” started on the radio in the 1940s and later played private investigator Frank Cannon on “Cannon,” died in Los Angeles at age 73.
• 1999, In France, Roger Vadim, film director, died at age 72. His six wives included Brigitte Bardot, Annette Stroyberg, Catherine Deneuve, Jane Fonda, Catherine Schneider and Marie-Christine Barrault.
• 2005, Samuel W. Alderson, inventor of crash test dummies, died in Marina Del Rey, Calif., at age 90.
• 2006, “Jaws” author Peter Benchley died in Princeton, N.J., at age 65.
• 2008, Tom Lantos, a 14-term California congressman who was a Holocaust survivor and a forceful voice for human rights, died in Bethesda, Md., at age 80.
• 2010, British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, 40, was found dead in his London home.
• 2015, Longtime CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, 73, was killed in a car crash in New York.
• 2015, Hall of Fame basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, 84, died in Las Vegas.
Notable birthdays, Feb. 11 (passed away) …
• Pope Gregory XIV in 1535 (died 1591)
• Englishman Henry Fox Talbot (developer of photography) in 1800 (died 1877)
• Abolitionist/writer Lydia Maria Child in 1802 (died 1880)
• Author/playwright/critic Otto Ludwig in 1813 (died 1865)
• Inventor Thomas Alva Edison in 1847 (died 1931)
• Boston mayor John F. Fitzgerald (father of Rose Kennedy, grandfather of John, Robert and Edward Kennedy) in 1863 (died 1950)
• Boxer Max Baer Sr. (father of actor/director Max Baer Jr.) in 1909 (died 1959)
• Film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1909 (died 1993)
• Actor Eva Gabor (Green Acres) in 1919 (died 1995)
• King Farouk, Egypt’s last monarch, in 1920 (died 1965)
• Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas (vice presidential candidate, Sec. of Treasury) in 1921 (died 2006)
• Tennis player Budge Patty in 1924 (died 2021)
• Actor Kim Stanley in 1925 (died 2001)
• Actor Leslie Nielsen in 1926 (died 2010)
• Actor/jazz musician Conrad Janis (Mork and Mindy, The Buddy Holly Story) in 1928 (died 2022)
• MLB pitcher Ralph Beard in 1929 (died 2003)
• Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan in 1934 (died in plane crash in 2000)
• Actor Burt Reynolds in 1936 (died 2018)
• Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in 1938 (died 2017)
• MLB pitcher/pitching coach Sammy Ellis in 1941 (died 2016)
• MLB player Ollie Brown in 1944 (died 2015)
• MLB player Tom Veryzer in 1953 (died 2014)
• Basketball player Hank Gathers (Loyola-Marymount) in 1967 (died on the court in 1990)
Today’s birthdays — Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023 …
Gospel singer Jimmy Carter is 91.
Actor Tina Louise (the lone surviving cast member of Gilligan’s Island, also appeared on Dallas) is 89. Fashion designer Mary Quant is 89. Bandleader Sergio Mendes is 82.
Actor Philip Anglim is 71. Former MLB player John Paciorek is 78. Former All-Star player Ben Oglivie is 74. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (son of President George H. Bush and brother of President George W. Bush) is 70.
Actor Catherine Hickland is 67. Rock musician David Uosikkinen (The Hooters) is 67. Actor Carey Lowell is 62. Former MLB player Steve Springer is 62. Singer Sheryl Crow is 61. Former MLB player Todd Benzinger is 60.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is 59. Former MLB player John Patterson is 56. Former MLB player Scott Pose is 56. Former MLB pitcher Dave Swartzbaugh is 55. Actor Jennifer Aniston is 54. Former MLB pitcher Brian Eversgard is 54. Former MLB pitcher Kevin King is 54. Actor Damian Lewis is 52. Actor Marisa Petroro is 51. Surfer Kelly Slater is 51. Former MLB player Brian Daubach is 51.
Singer D’Angelo is 49. Actor Isaiah Mustafa is 49. Former MLB player Trey Beamon is 49. Actor Brice Beckham is 47. Rock vocalist Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) is 46. Former MLB player Brent Butler is 45. Singer-actor Brandy is 44. Former MLB pitcher Eric Cyr is 44. Country musician Jon Jones (The Eli Young Band) is 43. Actor Matthew Lawrence is 43. Former MLB pitcher Matt Lindstrom is 43. R&B singer Kelly Rowland is 42. Actor Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, The Tudors) is 41.
Singer Aubrey O’Day is 39. Former MLB player J.R. Towles is 39. MLB pitcher Brian Matusz is 36. MLB player Shane Peterson is 35. MLB pitcher Cesar Cabral is 34. Actor Q’orianka Kilcher (Pocohantas in the film The New World, Kaʻiulani in Princess Ka’iulani, Howard Zinn’s The People Speak, Shouting Secrets, Sons of Anarchy, Neverland, Running Deer) is 33. MLB pitcher Luis Santos is 32. Actor Taylor Lautner (Twilight films, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Scream Queens) is 31. Team USA women’s baseball pitcher Clarissa Navarro is 31. Team Canada women’s baseball pitcher Heidi Northcott is 31.
MLB player Dansby Swanson (signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent, member of the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves) is 29. MLB All-Star pitcher Gregory Soto is 28. Singer Roseanne “Rosé” Park is 26. Singer Khalid (born Kahlid Donnel Robinson) is 25.
Thoughts for Today — Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023 …
“There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it’s now OK to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing things publicly until it’s simply the way things are.” — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (born on this day Feb. 11, 1962).
“It’s impossible to satisfy everyone, and I suggest we all stop trying.” — American actor Jennifer Aniston (born on this date Feb. 11, 1969).
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” — South African President/anti-Apartheid activist Nelson Mandela (born on July 18, 1918, died on Dec. 5, 2013, released after 27 years in prison on this date Feb. 11, 1990).
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Nelson Mandela. From Chuck Hurt at Forallthings and StarNetSports.
“We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last to be able to do anything about it.” — President Barack Obama (born Aug. 4, 1961). From Chuck Hurt at Forallthings and StarNetSports.
“We had better live as we think, otherwise we shall end up by thinking as we have lived.” — Paul Bourget, French author (1852-1935).
“Life does not count by years. Some suffer a lifetime in a day, and so grow old between the rising and the setting of the sun.” — Augusta Jane Evans, American novelist (1835-1909).
“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” — American inventor Thomas Edison (born on this day Feb. 11, 1847, died on Oct. 18, 1931).
