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Happy
Valentine's Day!
Today
is St. Valentine's Day, the feast
day of two Christian martyrs named
Valentine: one a priest and
physician, the other the Bishop of
Terni.
Both are purported to have been
beheaded on this day. The custom
of sending handmade 'valentines'
to one's beloved became popular
during the 17th century and was
first commercialized in the
United States
in the 1840s.
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1776
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The
first Spanish arrive at what
eventually becomes Needles,
California
.
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1779
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American
Loyalists are defeated by Patriots
at
Kettle Creek
,
Ga.
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1781
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Patriots,
under Gen. Greene, cross
Dan River
into VA.
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1803
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The
apple parer
is patented by Moses Coats of Downington
Pennsylvania
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1848
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James
Polk becomes the first U.S.
President to be photographed in
office by Matthew Brady.
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1859
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Oregon
is admitted as the thirty-third
state.
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1862
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Galena
, the first
U.S.
ironclad warship for service at
sea, is launched from
Connecticut
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1870
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Esther
Morris becomes the world's first
female justice of the peace.
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1873
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Congress
creates the office of Indian
Inspector. The initial three
inspectors
are appointed by the President for
four year terms. They inspect the
operations of Indian Officers in
the field.
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1873
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Gerrit
Smith speaks out against Cuban
slavery at an anti-slavery meeting
in
New York
.
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1876
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Alexander
Graham Bell & Elisha
Gray apply
separately for telephone patents.
The U.S. Supreme Court eventually
rules
Bell
to be the rightful inventor (Gray
filed 2 hours after
Bell
)
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1883
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In
America
's first state labor union
legislation, NJ legalizes unions
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1888
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Thomas
A. Edison is granted a patent (No.
278,044) for a
"Telephone-Transmitter"
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1889
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The
first trainload of oranges leaves
Los Angeles
for the east
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1896
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Winnipeg
Victorias
beat Montreal Victorias
2-0 for the Stanley Cup
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1903
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The
U.S. Department of Commerce &
Labor is established
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1904
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The
"Missouri Kid" is
captured in
Kansas
.
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1907
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The
first U.S. Fox Hound Association
forms in NYC
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1912
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Arizona
becomes the 48th state in the
Union
.
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1912
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The
first
U.S.
submarines with diesel engines are
commissioned (
Groton
Connecticut
)
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1915
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Kaiser
Wilhelm II invites the U.S.
Ambassador to
Berlin
in order to confer on the war.
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1920
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The
League of Women Voters is formed
in
Chicago
in celebration of the imminent
ratification of the 19th
Amendment, giving women the right
to vote.
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1924
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Thomas
Watson founds International
Business Machines Corp.
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1929
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The
"St. Valentine's Day
Massacre" takes place as
seven gang members are executed in
a
Chicago
garage.
Related
Web Site
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1939
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Germany
launches the battleship Bismark.
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1940
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Britain
announces that all merchant ships
will be armed.
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1942
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Japanese
paratroopers attack
Sumatra
. Aidan MacCarthy's
RAF unit flew to
Palembang
, in eastern
Sumatra
, where 30 Royal Australian Air
Force Lockheed A-28 Hudson bombers
were waiting.
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1945
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800
Allied aircraft firebomb the
German city of
Dresden
. Smaller followup
bombing raids last until April
with a total death toll of between
35,000 to 130,000 civillians.
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1949
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The
United States
charges the
Soviet Union
with interning up to 14 million in
labor camps.
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1954
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Senator
John Kennedy appears on “Meet
the Press”
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1955
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A
Jewish couple loses their fight to
adopt Catholic twins as the U.S.
Supreme Court refuses to rule on
state law.
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1957
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The
Georgia
state senate outlaws interracial
athletics.
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1962
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President
Kennedy authorizes the
U.S.
military advisors in
Vietnam
to return fire if fired upon
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1963
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U.S.
launches the communications
satellite Syncom
1
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1965
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Malcolm
X's home is firebombed. No
injuries are reported.
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1967
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Aretha
Franklin records the hit single
“Respect”
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1969
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The
Confederated Salish
and Kootenai Tribe of the Flathead
Reservation enact a resolution
prohibiting the hunting or killing
of Mountain Sheep.
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1971
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President
Richard Nixon installs a secret
taping system in White House
(which later brings his downfall
in the Watergate scandals)
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1971
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The
motion picture “Ben Hur”
is first shown on television
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1972
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John
Lennon & Yoko Ono co-host the
“Mike Douglas Show” for an
entire week
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1973
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The
United States
and
Hanoi
set up a group to channel
reconstruction aid directly to
Hanoi
.
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1978
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In
girls' high school basketball,
Chicago Latin beats Harvard St
George
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1979
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Armed
guerrillas attack the
U.S.
embassy in
Tehran
.
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1980
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The
U.S.
launches the Solar Maximum Mission
Observatory to study solar flares
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1984
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Six-year
old Stormie
Jones becomes the world's first
heart-liver transplant recipient
in an operation performed at
Children's
Hospital
of
Pittsburgh
(she lives until November 1990)
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1985
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Hostage
CNN reporter Jeremy Levin is
released in
Beirut
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1988
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Bobby
Allison, at 50, becomes the oldest
driver to win Daytona 500
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1990
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U.S.
spaceprobe
Voyager 1 sends to Earth the first
photograph of the entire solar
system
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Born on February 14
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1760
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Richard
Allen, first black ordained by a
Methodist-Episcopal church.
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1817
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Frederick
Douglass, slave, and later,
activist and author.
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1819
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Christopher
Latham Sholes,
inventor of the first practical
typewriter.
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1859
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George
Washington Gale Ferris, inventor
of the Ferris Wheel.
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1894
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Jack
Benny, comedian, radio and
television performer...and
violinist.
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1894
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Mary
Lucinda Cardwell Dawson,
founded the National Negro Opera
Company (NNOC) and was appointed
to President John F. Kennedy's
National Committee on Music.
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1905
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Thelma
Ritter,
Brooklyn
NY
, actress (Miracle on
34th Street
) (98
years ago)
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1913
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Jimmy
Hoffa, Teamsters leader who
disappeared in 1975 (90
years ago)
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1913
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Mel
Allen,
Birmingham
Alabama
, sportscaster (voice of NY
Yankees) (90
years ago)
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1921
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Hugh
Downs, Akron Oh, TV journalist
(20/20, Concentration) (82
years ago)
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1928
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Ben
Garrido
Blaz,
(Rep-R-Guam, 1985- ) (75
years ago)
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1929
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Matthew
G Martinez, (Rep-D-CA, 1982- ) (74
years ago)
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1931
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Bernie
(“Boom Boom”)
Geoffrion,
hockey star/beer spokesman (72
years ago)
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1934
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Florence
Henderson, Dale Indiana,
actress/singer (Carol-Brady Bunch)
(69
years ago)
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1935
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Mickey
Wright,
San Diego
CA
, golfer (4-time female U.S. Open
LPGA champ) (68
years ago)
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1940
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Porpoise,
1st born in captivity in
U.S.
(
Marineland
,
Fla
) (63
years ago)
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1941
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Lee
Chamberlain, NYC, actress
(Lucy-All's Fair, Barbara-Paris) (62
years ago)
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1941
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Paul
Tsongas, (Sen-D-Mass)
(62
years ago)
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1944
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Carl
Bernstein, Washington Post
investigative reporter (Watergate)
(59
years ago)
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1945
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Gregory
Hines, NYC, actor/dancer (White
Nights, Taps) (58
years ago)
|
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1945
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William
Hill Boner, (Rep-D-TN, 1979- ) (58
years ago)
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1947
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Judd
Gregg, (Rep-R-NH, 1981- ) (56
years ago)
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1948
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Pat
O'Brien, reporter (Entertainment
Tonight) (55
years ago)
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1949
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Richard
E Neal, (Rep-D-Massachusetts) (54
years ago)
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1956
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Dave
Dravecky
pitcher (San Francisco Giants),
had arm amputated
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1960
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Jim
Kelly, NFL quarterback (Buffalo
Bills) (43
years ago)
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1963
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Jeff
Dellenbach
NFL center (New England Patriots,
Green Bay Packers-Superbowl
31)
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1964
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Darrick
Brilz
NFL center (Cincinnati Bengals)
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1966
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Clark
Sherwood Dennis Houston TX, PGA
golfer (1990 Hawaiian Open-3rd)
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1967
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Laura
Martin LaJolla
CA, WPVA volleyballer
(Nationals-13th-1994)
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1969
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Jeff
Graham NFL wide receiver (Chicago
Bears, New York Jets)
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1969
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Roy
Barker NFL defensive end
(Minnesota Vikings,
San Francisco
49ers)
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1969
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Harry
Colon NFL safety (Jacksonville
Jaguars, Detroit Lions)
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1969
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Chad
Magee Tyler TX, Nike golfer (1993
NIKE Shreveport Open-36th)
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1970
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Elaine
Youngs
Orange CA, volleyball outside
hitter (Olympics-96)
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1970
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Sean
Hill Duluth, NHL defenseman
(Ottawa Senators)
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1970
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Kelly
Stinnett
US
baseball catcher (New York Mets)
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1971
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Gheorghe
Muresan
NBA center (Washington
Bullets/Wizards)
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1971
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Lonnie
Johnson NFL tight end (Buffalo
Bills)
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1971
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Kenny
Shedd
WLAF receiver (Barcelona Dragons,
Oakland Raiders)
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1971
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Derrick
Witherspoon NFL running back
(Philadelphia Eagles)
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1973
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Tyus
Edney
NBA guard (Boston Celtics,
Sacramento Kings)
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1973
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Steve
McNair NFL quarterback (Houston Oilers)
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1973
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George
Hegamin
NFL/WLAF tail back (Dallas
Cowboys, Frankfurt Galaxy)
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1974
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Michael
Lowery NFL linebacker (Chicago
Bears)
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1975
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Jennifer
Michelle Roberts
Greensboro
NC
, Miss North Carolina-America
(1996)
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1977
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Nathan
Osmond,
Utah
, vocalist (Osmond Boys) (26
years ago)
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1998
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Arpad
Flynn Busson
New York NY, son of model Elle MacPherson
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Died on February 14
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1891
|
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William
Tecumseh Sherman Union Civil War
General (captured
Atlanta
), dies at 71
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1992
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Roepie
Kruize
hockey player
(Olympics-bronze-48/silver-52),
dies at 67
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1994
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Gary
"BB" Coleman blues
vocal/guitarist/producer, dies at
47
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1996
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Bob
Paisley football manager, dies at
77
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1996
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Eva
Hart Titanic survivor, dies at 90
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