Paradise Driver

Today is Thursday, Feb. 26th.

The 57th day of 2004.

There are 309 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On Feb. 26, 1993, a bomb built by a group of Islamic extremists exploded in the parking garage of New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.



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On this date:



In 1766, Empress Catherine II (the Great) grants freedom of worship in Russia.



In 1802, French poet, novelist, and playwright Victor Hugo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) was born in Besançon, France. He died in 1885



In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the Island of Elba to begin his second conquest of France.



In 1829, Levi Strauss, creator of blue jeans was born.



In 1846, American guide, scout, and showman William Frederick (Buffalo Bill) Cody was born in Scott County, Iowa. He died in 1917. The town of Cody, Wyoming, is named after him.



In 1848, the Second French Republic was proclaimed.



In 1848, Karl Marx and Friederich Engels publish the Communist Manifesto in London.



In 1863, U.S. President Lincoln signed the National Currency Act.



In 1907, The U.S. Congress raised their own pay to $7500.



In 1916, Comedian and actor Herbert John ("Jackie") Gleason was born in Brooklyn, New York. He ided in 1987.



In 1919, Congress established Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.



In 1929, President Coolidge signed a measure establishing Grand Teton National Park.



In 1930, New York City installed traffic lights.



In 1932, Country music singer Johnny Cash (known for the sincerity of his singing and for his deep bass voice) was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. He died in 2003.



In 1940, the United States Air Defense Command was created.



In 1945, In the U.S., a nationwide midnight curfew went into effect.



In 1945, During World War II, Syria declared war on Germany and Japan.



In 1946, Captain James Gallagher and 14 crew members take off aboard Lucky Lady II as they begin what will become the first non-stop flight around the globe. The plane will be refueled four times while in the air before landing back in the U.S. on March 2.



In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms of office, was ratified.



In 1952, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed its own atomic bomb.



In 1962, after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn told a joint meeting of Congress, "Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge have always paid dividends in the long run."



In 1979, a total solar eclipse cast a moving shadow 175 miles wide from Oregon to North Dakota before moving into Canada.



In 1985, Tina Turner wins two Grammy Awards for her hit song "What's Love Got to Do With It?"



In 1987, the Tower Commission, which probed the Iran-Contra affair, issued its report, which rebuked President Reagan for failing to control his national security staff.



In 1990, The 100th episode of "MacGyver" aired.



In 1991, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced on Baghdad Radio that Iraqi troops were being withdrawn from Kuwait.



In 1998, A federal jury in Armarillo, Texas, rules in favor of Oprah Winfrey in a lawsuit filed against her by Texas cattlemen. The lawsuit stems from a beef comment the popular talk show host made concerning mad cow disease.



In 1998, In Oregon, a health panel rules that taxpayers must help to pay for doctor-assisted suicides.



In 2000, Pope John Paul II visited Mount Sinai in Egypt, revered as the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.



In 2002, In Rome, Italy, a bomb exploded near the Interior Ministry. No injuries were reported.



In 2002, U.S. officials confirmed that small groups of U.S. diplomats and intelligence analysts had been infiltrating northern Iraq periodically to confer with Kurds and other opponents of Saddam Hussein's government.



Ten years ago (1994):



A jury in San Antonio acquitted 11 followers of David Koresh of murder, rejecting claims they'd ambushed federal agents; five were convicted of manslaughter.



Five years ago (1999):



President Clinton, outlining foreign policy goals for the final two years of his administration, urged continued American engagement in the quest for peace and freedom abroad during a news conference in San Francisco.



One year ago (2003):



President Bush, offering new justification for war in Iraq, told a think tank that "ending this direct and growing threat" from Saddam Hussein would pave the way for peace in the Middle East and encourage democracy throughout the Arab world.



In a victory for abortion foes, the Supreme Court ruled that federal racketeering and extortion laws had been wrongly used to try to stop blockades, harassment and violent protests outside clinics.



A fire at the Greenwood Health Center in Hartford, Conn., killed 16 nursing home patients; a patient charged with setting the blaze was later ruled incompetent to stand trial.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actor Mason Adams is 85.



Actor Tony Randall is 84.



Actress Betty Hutton is 83.



Singer Fats Domino is 76.



Political columnist Robert Novak is 73.



Country-rock musician Paul Cotton (Poco) is 61.



Actor-director Bill Duke is 61.



Singer Mitch Ryder is 59.



Rock musician Jonathan Cain (Journey) is 54.



Singer Michael Bolton is 51.



Actor Greg Germann is 46.



Bandleader John McDaniel is 43.



Actress Jennifer Grant is 38.



Singer Erykah Badu is 33.



Rhythm and blues singer Rico Wade (Society of Soul) is 32.



Country singer Rodney Hayden is 24.



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Thought for Today:

"The wise make proverbs and fools repeat them." -

- Isaac D'Israeli, English author (1766-1848 ).

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