Paradise Driver

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 24th.

The 55th day of 2004.

There are 311 days left in the year.



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Today's Highlight in History:



On Feb. 24, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.



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On this date:



In 1209, Saint Francis of Assisi's vocation, to live in complete poverty and to preach, is revealed to him.



In 1786, Wilhelm Grimm (The Brothers Grimm, Grimm's Fairy Tales) was born. He died December 16, 1859.



In 1803, Marbury v. Madison establishes the authority of the Supreme Court of the United States to decide whether acts of Congress are legitimate under the U.S. Constitution and ruled itself the final interpreter of constitutional issues.



In 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain.



In 1863, Arizona was organized as a territory.



In 1868, The first parade to use floats took place in New Orleans at Mardi Gras.



In 1885, Admiral Chester William Nimitz was born. He died in 1966.



In 1900, New York City Mayor Van Wyck signed the contract to begin work on New York's first rapid transit tunnel. The tunnel would link Manhattan and Brooklyn. The ground-breaking ceremony was on March 24, 1900.



In 1903, the United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.



In 1920, a fledgling German political party held its first meeting of importance in Munich; it became known as the Nazi Party, and its chief spokesman was Adolf Hitler.



In 1924, Johnny ‘Tarzan’ Weissmuller broke the world’s record in the 100-meter swimming event. He did it in 57 2/5 seconds.



In 1942, the Voice of America (VOA) went on the air for the first time.



In 1942, In order to make more weapons ready for war production, deliveries of all 12-gauge shotguns for sporting use are shut down by the U.S. government.



In 1945, American soldiers liberated the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese control during World War II.



In 1945, During World War II, Egyptian Premier Ahmed Maher Pasha was killed after reading a decree that declared war on the Axis powers.



In 1946, Juan Peron was elected president of Argentina.



In 1949, Egypt announced that their agreement to a cease fire was not an accectance of the state of Israel.



In 1955 Turkey and Iraq signed the military alliance known as the Baghdad Pact.



In 1980, the U.S. hockey team defeated Finland, 4-2, to clinch the gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.



In 1981, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.



In 1983, a congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a "grave injustice."



In 1987, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits his first three-point shot. Up to this date, he has scored 36,000 points, but only scoring two points at a time.



In 1989, A United Airlines 747 jet rips open in flight killing 9 people. The flight was from Honolulu to New Zealand.



In 1989, Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sentenced Salman Rushdie to death for his novel "The Satanic Verses". A bounty of one to three-million-dollars was also put on Rushidie's head.



In 1989, a state funeral was held in Japan for Emperor Hirohito, who had died the month before at age 87.



In 1991, The United States begins their ground invasion of Kuwait and Iraq.



In 1997, The Food and Drug Administration named six brands of birth control as safe and effective "morning-after" pills for preventing pregnancy.



Ten years ago (1994):



Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders labeled smoking an "adolescent addiction," and accused the tobacco industry of trying to convince teenagers that cigarettes will make them sexy and successful.



Entertainer Dinah Shore died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 76.



Five years ago (1999):



The Senate voted overwhelmingly to give the nation's military the biggest benefits increase since the early 1980s.



Lauryn Hill won a record five Grammys, including album of the year and best new artist, on the strength of her solo debut album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."



One year ago (2003):



Seeking U.N. approval for war against Iraq, the United States, Britain and Spain submitted a resolution to the Security Council declaring that Saddam Hussein had missed "the final opportunity" to disarm peacefully and indicating that he had to face the consequences.



A powerful earthquake in China's western region of Xinjiang killed at least 268 people and injured more than 1,000.



CMT featured an entire day of Shania Twain programming.



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Today's Birthdays:



Actor Abe Vigoda is 83.



Actor Steven Hill is 82.



Actor-singer Dominic Chianese ("The Sopranos") is 73.



Movie composer Michel Legrand is 72.



Actor John Vernon is 72.



Opera singer Renata Scotto is 69.



Actor James Farentino is 66.



Actor Barry Bostwick is 59.



Actor Edward James Olmos is 57.



Singer-writer-producer Rupert Holmes is 57.



Actress Debra Jo Rupp is 53.



Actress Helen Shaver is 53.



Apple co-founder Steven Jobs is 49.



News anchor Paula Zahn is 48.



Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 46.



Singer Michelle Shocked is 42.



Movie director Todd Field is 40.



Actor Billy Zane is 38.



Rhythm and blues singer Brandon Brown (Mista) is 21.



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Thought for Today:

"Nothing is more difficult for Americans to understand than the possibility of tragedy." -

- Henry A. Kissinger, former U-S Secretary of State (1923- ).