| On this date in: |
| 1546 |
Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation, died in Eiselben, Germany. |
| 1564 |
The artist Michelangelo died in Rome. |
| 1885 |
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain was published. |
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| AP Photo |
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| 1930 |
Photographic evidence of Pluto was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. |
| 1953 |
“Bwana Devil,” the movie that heralded the 3-D fad of the 1950s, opened in New York City. |
| 1960 |
The eighth Winter Olympic Games opened in Squaw Valley, Calif. |
| 1970 |
Five of the Chicago Seven defendants were found guilty of intent to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic national convention. (The convictions were later overturned.) |
| 1972 |
The California Supreme Court struck down the state’s death penalty. |
| 1988 |
Anthony M. Kennedy was sworn in as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| 2001 |
Auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr., 49, died from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500. |
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| AP Photo |
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| 2001 |
Veteran FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested, accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years. (Hanssen pleaded guilty and is serving life in prison without parole.) |
| 2006 |
American Shani Davis won the men’s 1,000-meter speedskating in Turin, becoming the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history. |
| 2006 |
A Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament was sworn in. |
