Today in History for Feb. 5, 2013

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2013. There are 329 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight:

On Feb. 5, 1973, services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for U.S. Army Col. William B. Nolde, the last official American combat casualty before the Vietnam cease-fire took effect.

On this date:

In 1783, Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.

In 1811, George, the Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent due to the mental illness of his father, Britain’s King George III.

In 1887, Verdi’s opera “Otello” premiered at La Scala.

In 1917, Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto, an immigration act severely curtailing the influx of Asians. Mexico’s constitution was adopted.

In 1922, the first edition of Reader’s Digest was published.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, had critics accusing Roosevelt of attempting to “pack” the nation’s highest court.

In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded “Tuxedo Junction” for RCA Victor’s Bluebird label.

In 1953, Walt Disney’s animated feature “Peter Pan” was first released.

In 1967, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions.

In 1983, former Nazi Gestapo official Klaus Barbie, expelled from Bolivia, was brought to Lyon, France, to stand trial. (He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life in prison; he died in 1991.)

In 1988, the Arizona House impeached Gov. Evan Mecham, setting the stage for his trial in the state Senate, where he was convicted of obstructing justice and misusing funds.

Ten years ago: Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the U.N. Security Council to move against Saddam Hussein, saying Iraq had failed to disarm, was harboring terrorists and was hiding behind a “web of lies.” Longtime CBS News radio reporter Larry LeSueur died in Washington at age 93.

Five years ago: John McCain seized command of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, winning delegate-rich primaries from the East Coast to California on Super Tuesday; Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama traded victories. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop.

One year ago: Josh Powell, long identified as a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife, Susan, set fire to his home in Graham, Wash., killing himself and his two sons, 7-year-old Charles and 5-year-old Braden, who had shown up for a supervised visit. Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 for New York’s fourth NFL title in Super Bowl XLVI (46).

Today’s birthdays: Country singer Claude King is 90. The Rev. Andrew M. Greeley is 85. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron is 79. Actor Stuart Damon is 76. Tony-winning playwright John Guare is 75. Financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn is 74. Actor David Selby is 72. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong is 72. Football Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach is 71. Singer Cory Wells (Three Dog Night) is 71. Movie director Michael Mann is 70. Rock singer Al Kooper is 69. Actress Charlotte Rampling is 67. Racing Hall-of-Famer Darrell Waltrip is 66. Actress Barbara Hershey is 65. Actor Christopher Guest is 65. Actor Tom Wilkinson is 65. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows is 52. Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh is 51. Actress Laura Linney is 49. Rock musician Duff McKagan (Velvet Revolver) is 49. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Jose Maria Olazabal is 47. Actor-comedian Chris Parnell is 46. Rock singer Chris Barron (Spin Doctors) is 45. Singer Bobby Brown is 44. Actor Michael Sheen is 44. Country singer Sara Evans is 42. Actor-singer Darren Criss (“Glee”) is 26. Actor Jeremy Sumpter is 24.

Thought for today: “Men do not desire to be rich, but to be richer than other men.” — John Stuart Mill, English philosopher and economist (1806-1873).