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UPI Almanac for Monday, March 2, 2015

Wilt scores 100, '12 Years a Slave' named Best Picture ... on this date in history.

By United Press International
Wilt Chamberlain, shown in Washington Feb. 26, 1991, scored a record 100 points in an NBA game March 2, 1962. File Photo/UPI
1 of 10 | Wilt Chamberlain, shown in Washington Feb. 26, 1991, scored a record 100 points in an NBA game March 2, 1962. File Photo/UPI | License Photo

Today is Monday, March 2, the 61st day of 2015 with 304 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mercury, Neptune and Saturn. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Venus.

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include statesman DeWitt Clinton, chief sponsor of the Erie Canal project, in 1769; Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas, in 1793; Pope Leo XIII in 1810; journalist, politician and reformer Carl Schurz in 1829; Pope Pius XII in 1876; publisher Max Schuster in 1897; German composer Kurt Weill in 1900; baseball player and World War II-era spy Moe Berg in 1902; children's author "Dr. Seuss," Theodor Geisel, in 1904; baseball Hall of Fame member Mel Ott in 1909; entertainer Desi Arnaz in 1917; actor Jennifer Jones in 1919; actor John Cullum in 1930 (age 85); former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1931 (age 84); writer Tom Wolfe in 1931 (age 84); basketball Hall of Fame member Denny Crum in 1937 (age 78); author John Irving in 1942 (age 73) ; musician Lou Reed in 1942; musician Rory Gallagher in 1948; singer Karen Carpenter in 1950; comedian Laraine Newman in 1952 (age 63), rock singer Jon Bon Jovi in 1962 (age 53); actor Daniel Craig in 1968 (age 47), musician Chris Martin in 1977 (age 38); NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 1982 (age 33).

On this date in history:

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In 1836, Texas proclaimed independence from Mexico.

In 1925, the first system of interstate highway numbering was introduced in the United States.

In 1933, the movie "King Kong" premiered in New York.

In 1945, units of the U.S. 9th Army reached the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, Germany.

In 1949, a U.S. Air Force plane piloted by Capt. James Gallagher completed the first non-stop around-the-world flight in just over 94 hours.

In 1962, Philadelphia's Wilt Chamberlain set the single-game NBA scoring record with 100 points against the New York Knicks.

In 1974, the cost of a U.S. first class postage stamp was increased to 10 cents, up from 8 cents.

In 2004, at least 125 people died in explosions at two Shiite shrines in Iraq.

In 2007, U.S. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey announced his resignation amid charges of poor conditions for patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

In 2008, outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin's choice as his successor, Dmitri Medvedev, was elected president in a landslide. Putin remained in power as prime minister.

In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that an anti-gay Kansas church had a constitutional right to stage a peaceful protest at the funeral of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq.

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In 2013, U.S. Marines Gen. Joseph Dunford, head of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, apologized for the killing of two young children mistaken for insurgents during an airstrike. "I am committed to ensuring we do the right thing for the families of those we harmed, as well as for the community in which they lived," Dunford said. "We take full responsibility for this tragedy."

In 2014, "12 Years a Slave" won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards. Other honors included: Best Actress -- Cate Blanchett; Best Actor -- Matthew McConaughey; Best Supporting Actress -- Lupita Nyong'o; Best Supporting Actor -- Jared Leto.


A thought for the day: "Americans have a severe disease -- worse than AIDS. It's called the winner's complex." -- Mikhail Gorbachev

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