Today is Sunday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2013. There are 317 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Feb. 17, 1913, the Armory Show, a landmark exhibit of European modern art, opened in New York City. (One work in the exhibit that stirred much controversy was “Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2),” an abstract painting by French artist Marcel Duchamp.)
On this date:
In 1863, the International Red Cross was founded in Geneva.
In 1865, Columbia, S.C., burned as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in. (It’s not clear which side set the blaze.)
In 1897, the forerunner of the National PTA, the National Congress of Mothers, convened its first meeting in Washington.
In 1904, the original two-act version of Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Madama Butterfly” was poorly received at its premiere at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
In 1933, Newsweek was first published by Thomas J.C. Martyn under the title “News-Week.” (The magazine abandoned its print format at the end of last year in favor of an exclusively online edition.)
In 1959, the United States launched Vanguard 2, a satellite which carried meteorological equipment.
In 1964, the Supreme Court, in Wesberry v. Sanders, ruled that congressional districts within each state had to be roughly equal in population.
Today’s Birthdays
Actor Hal Holbrook is 88. Mystery writer Ruth Rendell is 83. Singer Bobby Lewis is 80. Actor-comedian Barry Humphries (aka “Dame Edna”) is 79. Country singer-songwriter Johnny Bush is 78. Actress Christina Pickles is 78. Football Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown is 77. Actress Mary Ann Mobley is 74. Actress Brenda Fricker is 68. Actress Rene Russo is 59. Actor Richard Karn is 57. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 51. Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is 50. Actor-comedian Larry, the Cable Guy is 50. TV personality Rene Syler is 50. Movie director Michael Bay is 49. Singer Chante Moore is 46. Rock musician Timothy J. Mahoney (311) is 43. Actor Dominic Purcell is 43. Olympic gold and silver medal skier Tommy Moe is 43. Actress Denise Richards is 42. Rock singer-musician Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) is 41. Actor Jerry O’Connell is 39. Country singer Bryan White is 39. Actress Kelly Carlson is 37. Actor Ashton Holmes is 35. Actor Jason Ritter is 33. TV personality Paris Hilton is 32. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 32. Actor Chord Overstreet (TV: “Glee”) is 24. Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is 22. Actress Meaghan Martin is 21.
Thought for Today
“It is not hard to understand modern art. If it hangs on a wall it’s a painting, and if you can walk around it it’s a sculpture.” — Tom Stoppard, Czech-born British playwright (1937- ).
Associated Press
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
