On This Day, Feb. 5: White supremacist convicted of killing Medgar Evers

Feb. 05 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1631, British clergyman Roger Williams, who founded the colony of Rhode Island, arrived in Salem, Mass., seeking religious freedom.

In 1918, a German U-boat torpedoed the SS Tuscania, sinking the liner as it transported thousands of U.S. troops to Europe. More than 200 died, the rest were rescued by other ships in the convoy.

In 1919, screen legends Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed expanding the Supreme Court to up to 15 justices, prompting accusations he was trying to "pack" the court. He dropped the plan later that year.

In 1945, U.S. troops led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to Manila, liberating the Philippine capital from Japanese authority.

File Photo by US Army/UPI

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell were on the moon for 4 hours. They were the fifth and sixth astronauts to walk on the moon since Apollo 11 in 1969.

In 1989, the last Soviet troops left Kabul, ending a nearly decadelong involvement in a war between Afghanistan's communist government and Muslim rebels. All troops left the country by within weeks of the vacating the capital.

In 1994, white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of the 1963 killing of Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

In 2003, making a case for U.N.-endorsed military action in Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accused the Saddam Hussein regime of deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors and having ties with the al-Qaida terrorist network.

File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI

In 2007, U.S. astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak, a naval officer, was arrested on several charges, including attempted kidnapping, after she drove from Houston to Orlando, Fla., to confront another officer she viewed as a romantic rival for a fellow astronaut. Nowak eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges, avoided prison and was forced to leave the Navy.

In 2022, American snowboarding star and three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White confirmed his plans to retire after the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.