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Feb. 17 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives chose Thomas Jefferson as the third president of the United States after he and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College. It took 35 House ballots before Jefferson won and Burr became vice president.
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In 1904, Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly premiered in Milan, Italy.
In 1909, Apache leader Geronimo died while under military confinement at Fort Sill, Okla. His grave remains there despite later efforts to move his remains to his native Arizona.
In 1933, Newsweek magazine published its first issue.
In 1968, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, Mass.
In 1993, a ferry capsized during stormy weather off the western coast of Haiti, killing more than 500 people.
In 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush nominated John Negroponte to be the first director of national intelligence. Negroponte assumed office the following month.
In 2006, a landslide that covered a village in Leyte in the central Philippines killed more than 1,100 people, including scores of children in an elementary school that was buried by mud and boulders.
In 2008, the province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Thousands of ethnic Albanians celebrated in the streets but others resorted to violent protest. The United States and several other countries, including Britain, Germany and France, recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state.
In 2009, General Motors and Chrysler asked for an additional $14 billion from the government to keep from going bankrupt. That upped their total requests to $39 billion.
In 2011, the British government advised same-sex couples they could form civil partnerships in church if they wished.
In 2014, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon made its debut on NBC.
In 2021, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, flew to Cancun, Mexico, prompting backlash from his constituents, millions of whom were without power and water during a historic winter storm. He returned the next day, saying he was only accompanying his wife and daughters to the vacation spot and always intended to return immediately.
