Today is Sunday, Feb. 12, the 43rd day of 2017. There are 322 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Feb. 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in a log cabin in Hardin (now LaRue) County, Kentucky.
On this date:
In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, who had claimed the throne of England for nine days, and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were beheaded after being condemned for high treason.
In 1818, Chile officially proclaimed its independence, more than seven years after initially renouncing Spanish rule.
In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.
In 1914, groundbreaking took place for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In 1915, the cornerstone was laid for the Lincoln Memorial.
In 1924, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" premiered in New York.
In 1942, painter Grant Wood, creator of "American Gothic," died in Iowa City, Iowa, a day before his 51st birthday.
In 1959, the redesigned Lincoln penny - with an image of the Lincoln Memorial replacing two ears of wheat on the reverse side - went into circulation.
In 1963, a Northwest Orient Airlines Boeing 720 broke up during severe turbulence and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 43 people aboard.
In 1973, Operation Homecoming began as the first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.
In 1988, former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. ended his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, endorsing Kansas Sen. Bob Dole.
In 1999, the Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice.
