Today in History for March 1, 2013

Today is Friday, March 1, the 60th day of 2013. There are 305 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight:

On March 1, 1790, President George Washington signed a measure authorizing the first U.S. Census.

On this date:

In 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese knight Estacio de Sa.

In 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed an act creating Yellowstone National Park.

In 1890, J.P. Lippincott published the first U.S. edition of the Sherlock Holmes mystery “A Study in Scarlet” by Arthur Conan Doyle.

In 1913, American author Ralph Ellison (“Invisible Man”) was born in Oklahoma City. (Some sources list 1914.)

In 1932, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, N.J. (Remains identified as those of the child were found the following May.)

In 1940, “Native Son” by Richard Wright was first published by Harper & Brothers.

In 1943, wartime rationing of processed foods under a point system began in the U.S.

In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five congressmen.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

In 1971, a bomb went off inside a men’s room at the U.S. Capitol; the radical group Weather Underground claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn blast.

In 1981, Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands began a hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he died 65 days later.

Ten years ago: Suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured by CIA and Pakistani agents. Iraq began complying with orders from U.N. weapons inspectors to destroy its Al Samoud II missiles. The United Arab Emirates called for Saddam Hussein to step down, the first Arab country to do so publicly. Turkey’s parliament dealt a stunning blow to U.S. war planning by failing to approve a bill allowing in American combat troops to open a northern front against Iraq.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush, speaking at his Texas ranch, declined to promise more U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq before leaving, underscoring the need for a strong military presence during Iraqi provincial elections. The USS New York, an amphibious assault ship built with scrap steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center, was christened at Avondale, La. Raul Reyes, the No. 2 commander of the Colombian rebel group FARC, was slain during a cross-border raid into Ecuador by Colombian security forces. New York’s famed Plaza Hotel reopened after a three-year, $400 million renovation.

One year ago: Senate Democrats narrowly blocked, 51-48, an effort by Republicans to overturn President Barack Obama’s order that most employers or their insurers cover the cost of contraceptives. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley signed a measure legalizing same-sex marriage, effective Jan. 2013. Online publisher and conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart died in Los Angeles at age 43.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Robert Clary is 87. Singer Harry Belafonte is 86. Actor Robert Conrad is 78. Rock singer Mike D’Abo (Manfred Mann) is 69. Former Sen. John Breaux, D-La., is 69. Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 69. Actor Dirk Benedict is 68. Actor Alan Thicke is 66. Actor-director Ron Howard is 59. Actress Catherine Bach is 59. Country singer Janis Gill (aka Janis Oliver Cummins) (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 59. Actor Tim Daly is 57. Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 56. Rock musician Bill Leen is 51. Actor Maurice Bernard is 50. Actor Russell Wong is 50. Actor John David Cullum is 47. Actor George Eads is 46. Actor Javier Bardem is 44. Actor Jack Davenport is 40. Rock musician Ryan Peake (Nickelback) is 40. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 39. Actor Jensen Ackles is 35. TV host Donovan Patton is 35. Rock musician Sean Woolstenhulme is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sammie is 26. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 19.

Thought for today: “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” — Rudyard Kipling, English author (1865-1936).