On This Day:
Monday February 24, 2014 This is the 55th day of the year, with 310 days remaining in 2014. Fact of the Day: Spam SPAM, the treat made from pork shoulder and ham with secret spices, was invented in Austin, Minnesota, in 1937 by Jay C. Hormel; his father, George A. Hormel, was founder of the company that produced the food. Since its introduction, more than six billion 12-ounce cans of SPAM have been produced. J.C. Hormel wanted a unique name for the product, which was originally called Hormel Spiced Ham, and held a naming contest. Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and the brother of a Hormel vice president, won the $100 prize for the name SPAM, which he made by combining the words spice and ham. The number one SPAM-consuming state in the U.S. is Hawaii, whose residents eat more than four cans per person annually. Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the former Soviet Union, credited SPAM for saving his army during WWII. SPAM is the butt of many jokes, but is taken seriously enough by some to have inspired a 16,500-foot SPAM museum in Austin, Minnesota (opened in 2001) and an official SPAM Fan Club.
Holidays Feast day of St. Praetextatus and Saints Montanus, Lucius, and their Companions.
Estonia: Independence Day.
Mexico: Flag Day.
Events 1582 - The Gregorian Calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII; it replaced the Julian Calendar.
1803 - The Supreme Court ruled itself the final interpreter of constitutional issues.
1803 - The U.S. Supreme Court voided an Act of Congress in the case of Marbury v. Madison. It was the first time a law passed by Congress was deemed unconstitutional. This established the Supreme Court's power to rule on constitutionality questions.
1821 - Mexico declared its independence from Spain.
1863 - Arizona, formerly part of the Territory of New Mexico, was organized as a separate territory.
1868 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted 11 articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson. The House vote made President Johnson the first to be impeached in U.S. history.
1903 - The United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
1912 - Hadassah was founded to foster Jewish education in America.
1938 - Nylon toothbrush bristles were first produced in the U.S., the first commercial use of nylon.
1942 - The Voice of America hit the airwaves.
1945 - American soldiers liberated the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese control during World War II.
1946 - Juan Domingo Perón, the controversial former vice president of Argentina, was elected president.
1968 - The Tet Offensive ended as U.S. and South Vietnamese troops recaptured the ancient capital of Hué from communist forces.
1981 - Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
1981 - A jury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of "Scarsdale Diet" author Dr. Herman Tarnower.
1987 - The first supernova (explosion of a star) was discovered; it was the first to be observed since 1604.
1991 - After six weeks of intensive bombing against Iraq and its armed forces, US-led coalition forces launched a ground invasion of Kuwait and Iraq in the Gulf War.
2002 - The XIX Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah end.
2006 - South Dakota lawmakers approve a ban on most abortions.
Births 1786 - Wilhelm Grimm, German author of fairy tales, with brother Jacob Grimm.
1836 - Winslow Homer, American artist.
1885 - Chester W. Nimitz, American naval commander.
1947 - Rupert Holmes, American and British songwriter.
1955 - Steven Paul Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer.
Deaths 1990 - Malcolm Forbes, American publisher.
1994 - Dinah Shore (Frances Rose Shore), US pop singer, actress, and television hostess.
1998 - Henny Youngman (born Henry Youngman), British-born, Jewish-American comedian.
2006 - Dennis Weaver, American television actor.
2006 - Don Knotts, Emmy Award-winning American comedic actor, probably best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
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