by Associated Press Monday, February 23 by The Associated Press, Associated Press - 15 February 2015 20:01-05:00 This is Monday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2015. There are 311 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date: 1573 - Irish rebellion is crushed with surrender of James Fitzmaurice; pacification of Perth ends fighting in Scotland between Regent and supporters of Mary Queen of Scots. 1574 - Fifth War of Religion breaks out in France. 1660 - Sweden's King Charles IX executes leaders of pro-Polish party for treason. 1820 - Cato Street conspiracy to murder British cabinet minister is discovered. 1836 - Siege of the Alamo begins in future U.S. state of Texas against Mexicans. 1854 - Britain agrees to leave territory north of Orange River in South Africa, allowing for establishment of constitution for Orange Free State. 1861 - U.S. President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington to take office after an assassination plot is foiled in Baltimore. 1901 - Britain and Germany agree on boundary between German East Africa and Nyasaland. 1927 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill creating the Federal Radio Commission, forerunner of the Federal Communications Commission. 1933 - Japan begins occupation of China north of the Great Wall. 1934 - Nicaraguan rebel leader Cesar Augusto Sandino, invited to meet with army leader and later dictator Anastasio Somoza, is abducted and murdered. 1938 - First oil discovery in Kuwait. 1942 - Japanese submarine shells oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California. 1945 - U.S. Marines plant flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, but it will be another three weeks until all Japanese defenders on the island are defeated. 1954 - The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1964 - Britain recognizes President Abdul Amari Karume's regime in Zanzibar, renamed Tanzania. 1970 - Republic of Guyana, formerly British Guinea, ends association with Britain but remains within Commonwealth. 1975 - U.S. decision to end arms embargo against Pakistan draws wrath of India, which cancels planned March meeting in Washington. 1990 - Prince Sihanouk returns to Cambodia after 11 years in exile. 1991 - Military junta seizes power in Thailand after a bloodless coup. 1994 - Bosnia's Muslim-led government and Croat forces sign a truce. 1996 - Two sons-in-law of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein are killed by clan members after returning to the country after defecting. 1997 - Ali Abu Kamal, a Palestinian, fires a gun into a crowd on the observation deck of New York City's Empire State Building, killing one person and injuring six, then shoots himself to death. 1998 - Leftist guerrillas set off a mine in India, killing five soldiers sent to guard polling stations and raising the death toll related to parliamentary elections to 29. 1999 - The first peace talks between Kosovo Albanians and Yugoslavia end in Rambouillet, France, without much progress toward a settlement. NATO suspends its threat of bombing till the talks resume March 15. 2001 - Thousands of people flee brutal ethnic clashes on the Indonesian part of Borneo island as fighting between native Dayak people and immigrants from Madura island escalates, claiming at least 165 lives. 2002 - Colombia's President Andres Pastrana returns to the very spot in former rebel territory where he began a tortuous peace process three years ago and blames the guerrillas for sabotaging the talks to end Colombi's 38-year war. 2004 - At least 66 people die in weekend clashes among Colombian troops, leftist rebels of the United Self-Defense Forces or AUC, and right-wing paramilitary forces. The two-day toll is extremely high even by standards in Colombia, which has been engulfed in a 40-year insurgency. 2007 - Forty-six countries sign a declaration in Oslo pushing for a global ban on cluster bombs, a move activists hailed as a major step forward despite opposition from major powers the U.S., Russia, Israel and China. 2009 - The first Guantanamo detainee released since President Barrack Obama took office returns to Britain, saying his seven years in captivity were a nightmare. 2010 - Darfur's most powerful rebel group and the Sudanese government sign a truce after a year of internationally sponsored negotiations, raising hopes the bloody seven-year conflict could draw to a close. 2011 - The scope of Moammar Gadhafi's control whittles away as major Libyan cities and towns closer to the capital fall to the rebellion against his rule. 2012 - U.N.-appointed investigators in Geneva say a list for possible crimes against humanity prosecution reaches as high as Syrian President Bashar Assad. 2013 - Tens of thousands of people march to protest austerity measures introduced by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in a bid to reduce the deficit, ease market pressures on government borrowing and try to avoid a full financial bailout. 2014 — Afghanistan's Taliban says they have suspended "mediation" with the United States to exchange captive Sgt. Bowe Berghdal for five senior Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. Today's Birthdays: George Frederick Handel, German composer (1685-1759); Sir George Frederick Watts, English artist (1817-1904); Constantine Caramanlis, Greek president (1907-1998); Peter Fonda, U.S. actor/director (1940--); Brad Whitford, guitarist for Aerosmith (1952--); Howard Jones, British singer (1955--); Kristin Davis, U.S. actress (1965--). Thought For Today: Love is the chain whereby to bind a child to his parents — Abraham Lincoln (1809-65). News Topics: General news, Rebellions and uprisings, War and unrest, Armed forces, Government and politics, Peace process, Military and defense, Diplomacy, International relations People, Places and Companies: Saddam Hussein, Andres Pastrana Arango, Muammar Gaddafi, Bashar Assad, Mariano Rajoy, Peter Fonda, Brad Whitford, Kristin Davis, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Tanzania, Colombia, Middle East, Western Europe, Europe, North America, East Africa, Africa, South America, Latin America and Caribbean Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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