Today in history: Feb. 17
During World War II, U.S. forces invaded Eniwetok Atoll, encountering little initial resistance from Imperial Japanese troops, and more events that happened on this day in history.
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1801: Thomas Jefferson
In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president.
1863: International Red Cross
In 1863, the International Red Cross was founded in Geneva.
1944: Eniwetok Atoll
In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces invaded Eniwetok (ehn-eh-WEE’-tahk) Atoll, encountering little initial resistance from Imperial Japanese troops. (The Americans secured the atoll less than a week later.)
1972: Richard Nixon
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon departed the White House with his wife, Pat, on a historic trip to China.
1996: Garry Kasparov
In 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM supercomputer “Deep Blue,” winning a six-game match in Philadelphia (however, Kasparov lost to Deep Blue in a rematch in 1997).
2006: Tanja Frieden
In 2006, Tanja Frieden of Switzerland won the Olympic women’s snowboardcross, speeding past American Lindsey Jacobellis, who’d fallen on her next-to-last jump before the finish line.
2011: Cassy Herkelman
Ten years ago: Iowa high school wrestler Joel Northrup defaulted on his first-round state tournament match rather than face Cassy Herkelman, one of the first girls ever to qualify for the event, saying that wrestling a girl would conflict with his religious beliefs.
2011: Wisconsin
Ten years ago: A group of Democratic Wisconsin lawmakers blocked passage of a sweeping anti-union bill, refusing to show up for a vote and then abruptly leaving the state in an effort to force Republicans to the negotiating table.
2015: Joe Biden
In 2015, Vice President Joe Biden opened a White House summit on countering extremism and radicalization, saying the United States needed to ensure that immigrants were fully included in the fabric of American society to prevent violent ideologies from taking root at home.
2016: Ted Cruz
Five years ago: A three-way feud among the GOP’s leading White House contenders escalated, with Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him for defamation and dismissing Marco Rubio’s charges of dishonesty during a CNN forum just days before South Carolina’s high-stakes primary.
2018: H.R. McMaster
In 2018, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, told a conference in Germany that there was now “incontrovertible” evidence of a Russian plot to disrupt the 2016 U.S. election; the statement stood in stark contrast to Trump’s claim that Russian interference in his election victory was a hoax.
2020: Jeff Bezos
One year ago: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he planned to spend $10 billion of his own fortune to help fight climate change.
2020: Mickey Wright
One year ago: Hall of Fame golfer Mickey Wright, winner of 82 LPGA tournaments including 13 majors, died in Florida; she was 85.
2020: The Daytona 500
One year ago: Denny Hamlin won the rain-delayed Daytona 500 for a third time, beating Ryan Blaney in the second-closest finish in race history; Ryan Newman suffered a head injury in a spectacular crash on the final lap.
Your Wednesday morning headlines: Biden doubles down on goals to reopen schools in his first 100 days; Trump vs. McConnell; plus, the latest on the winter storm.