On This Day:
Wednesday February 12, 2014 This is the 43rd day of the year, with 322 days remaining in 2014. Fact of the Day: Kilroy was here Kilroy Was Here' graffiti began to spring up during World War II. According to legend, James Kilroy, an American serviceman assigned as a shipyard inspector, was responsible for the craze. His job was to inspect and approve the welds done on the ships. After the inspection, he would chalk 'Kilroy Was Here' on each weld. Most of the chalk inscriptions disappeared, but some remained and began to be noticed in unexpected places. The mystery words began to take on mythical status as the troops began to joke about Kilroy "having been there first," and he became a super GI in their minds because he was everywhere. As the phrase became more popular, servicemen began writing their own 'Kilroy Was Here' graffiti wherever they landed. Whenever the phrase was seen, it caused surprise and amusement and continued the legacy of the ubiquitous Kilroy.
Holidays Feast day of St. Julian the Hospitaller, St. Ethelwald of Lindisfarne, St. Antony Kauleas, St. Marina or Pelagia, St. Meletius, and St. Ludan.
Myanmar: Union Day.
Events 1709 - Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish seaman whose adventures inspired the story of "Robinson Crusoe," was taken off Juan Fernandez Island after four years of being marooned.
1793 - Congress passed the first fugitive slave law, requiring all states, including those that forbad slavery, to forcibly return slaves who had escaped from other states to their original owners.
1818 - Chile gained independence from Spain.
1892 - President Abraham Lincoln's birthday was declared a national holiday.
1909 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded.
1912 - Hsüan-T'ung (Pu Yi), the last emperor of China, was forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution; he was six years old. China became a republic following the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty.
1924 - George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" premiered in New York.
1973 - The first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam War took place.
1999 - The U.S. Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton, after the five-week impeachment trial, on both articles of impeachment, perjury and obstruction of justice.
2004 - Mattel announced the split of Barbie and Ken.
2006 - The second Sydney Body Art Ride breaks a world record for the largest group of painted people, and raised more than $10,000 for Children's Cancer Institute of Australia.
Births 1567 - Thomas Campion, English composer and poet.
1809 - Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America.
1809 - Charles Darwin, British naturalist, theorist of evolution.
1880 - John L. Lewis, U.S. labor leader, United Mine Workers of America.
1904 - Ted Mack (William McGuiness), American TV host.
1923 - Franco Zeffirelli, Italian film director.
1934 - Bill Russell, American basketball Hall of Famer.
1952 - Michael McDonald, American musician, known for his trademark husky baritone voice.
1970 - Jim Creeggan, Canadian bassist.
1974 - Toranosuke Takagi, Japanese race car driver.
Deaths 1789 - Ethan Allen, an early American revolutionary and guerrilla leader during the era of the Vermont Republic and the New Hampshire Grants.
1971 - James C. Penney, American department store founder.
2000 - Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.
2000 - Tom Landry, Hall of Fame football coach who led the Dallas Cowboys to five Super Bowls.
2005 - Sammi Smith (born Jewel Fay Smith), a country music singer and songwriter, born in Orange County, California.
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