It's Tuesday, Feb. 26, the 57th day of 2013. There are 308 days left in the year.
History
Highlight: In 1993, a truck bomb built by terrorists exploded in the parking garage of New York’s World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.
In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the Island of Elba.
In 1870, an experimental air-driven subway, the Beach Pneumatic Transit, opened in New York City for public demonstrations.
In 1913, “Brillo," described as an “aluminum-cleanser," was registered for trademark by Philip J. Brady of New York (the trademark was issued in Sept. 1913).
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure establishing Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge signed a measure establishing Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
In 1940, the United States Air Defense Command was created.
In 1945, authorities ordered a midnight curfew at night clubs, bars and other places of entertainment across the nation.
In 1952, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed its own atomic bomb.
In 1962, after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, astronaut John Glenn told a joint meeting of Congress, “Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge have always paid dividends in the long run."
In 1970, National Public Radio was incorporated.
In 1987, the Tower Commission, which had probed the Iran-Contra affair, issued its report, which rebuked President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff.
In 1998, a jury in Amarillo, Texas, rejected an $11 million lawsuit brought by Texas cattlemen who blamed Oprah Winfrey’s talk show for a price fall after a segment on food safety that included a discussion about mad-cow disease.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, offering new justification for war in Iraq, told a think tank that “ending this direct and growing threat" from Saddam Hussein would pave the way for peace in the Middle East and encourage democracy throughout the Arab world.
Five years ago: A power failure later blamed primarily on human error resulted in sporadic outages across large parts of Florida.
One year ago: In a case that drew national attention, Trayon Martin, 17, was shot to death in Sanford, Fla., during an altercation with neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who said he’d acted in self-defense.
Birthdays
Singer Fats Domino is 85. Singer Michael Bolton is 60. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is 55. Bandleader John McDaniel is 52. Olympic gold medal swimmer Jenny Thompson is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kyle Norman (Jagged Edge) is 38. Actor Greg Rikaart is 36. Rock musician Chris Culos (O.A.R.) is 34. Country singer Rodney Hayden is 33. Actress Taylor Dooley is 20.
— From wire reports