@rh18bold:Today in History

Today is Thursday, February 12, the 43rd day of 2009. There are 322 days left in the year.

On this date

In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, who'd claimed the throne of England for nine days, and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were beheaded after being condemned for high treason.

In 1809, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in present-day LaRue County, Ky. Naturalist Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England.

In 1818, Chile officially proclaimed its independence, more than seven years after initially renouncing Spanish rule.

In 1979, guerrillas shot down an Air Rhodesia civilian plane, killing 59 people in what is now Zimbabwe.

Thought for Today

"Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and loss of self-control." — Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).