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Today is Thursday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2025 with 321 to follow. The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.
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Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Pope Alexander VII in 1599; U.S. first lady Bess Truman in 1885; artist Grant Wood in 1891; Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson in 1892; World Golf Hall of Fame member Patty Berg in 1918; musician "Tennessee" Ernie Ford in 1919; pilot Chuck Yeager in 1923; actor Kim Novak in 1933 (age 92); Cameroonian President Paul Biya in 1933 (age 92); actor George Segal in 1934; musician/actor Peter Tork (Monkees) in 1942; actor Carol Lynley in 1942; TV personality Jerry Springer in 1944 (age 81); actor Stockard Channing in 1944 (age 81); Basketball Hall of Fame member Mike Krzyzewski in 1947 (age 78); musician Peter Gabriel (Genesis) in 1950 (age 75); actor David Naughton in 1951 (age 74); musician Peter Hook (New Order/Joy Division) in 1956 (age 69); fitness professional Denise Austin in 1957 (age 68); Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in 1958 (age 67); musician Henry Rollins (Black Flag) in 1961 (age 64); actor Neal McDonough in 1966 (age 59); musician Freedom Williams (C+C Music Factory) in 1968 (age 57); actor Kelly Hu in 1968 (age 57); musician Todd Harrell (3 Doors Down) in 1972 (age 53); musician Scott Thomas (Parmalee) in 1973 (age 52); musician Robbie Williams (Take That) in 1974 (age 51); musician Feist (Broken Social Scene) in 1976 (age 49); actor Mena Suvari in 1979 (age 46); actor Sophia Lillis in 2002 (age 23).
On this date in history:
In 1668, Portugal was recognized as an independent nation by Spain.
In 1861, the first Medal of Honor was awarded. It went to Col. Bernard Irwin, an assistant surgeon serving in the first major U.S. Army-Apache conflict.
In 1923, the New York Renaissance, the first all-Black professional basketball team, was established. The Rens were a dominant team in the 1920s and 1930s before disbanding in 1949 upon the formation of the racially integrated National Basketball Association.
In 1935, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted of America's most colossal crime, and a jury determined that he would forfeit his life in the electric chair for the murder of baby Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr.
In 1945, thousands of Allied planes started bombing the German city of Dresden in World War II. The attack caused a firestorm that destroyed the city over a three-day period. Reports of the death toll varied widely over the years, with many researchers eventually estimating it was in the 25,000 range.
In 1960, France tested its first atomic weapon, making it the fourth nuclear power.
In 1974, the Soviet Union expelled dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
In 1983, a blaze engulfed a crowded movie theater in Turin, Italy, killing 74 people, many of them teenagers trampled to death in a panic-stricken race to the exits.
In 1984, Konstantin Chernenko succeeded the late Yuri Andropov as Soviet leader.
In 2001, more than 400 people were killed in an earthquake in El Salvador.
In 2006, a U.N. report accused the United States of violating prisoners' rights at its military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In 2017, national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about discussions he had with Russia's ambassador. The retired general held the position for 24 days.
In 2021, a weather event unofficially known as Winter Storm Uri formed off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The storm brought days of snow and frigid temperatures to much of the South, plunging Texas into a two-week power crisis and killing at least 246 people.
In 2023, a mass shooting at Michigan State University left three students dead and injured five others. The gunman, Anthony Dwayne McRae, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a confrontation with police.
A thought for the day: "And revolutions always mean the breakdown of old authority." -- Chinese philosopher Hu Shih
