On this day

[Henry M]

Mardi Gras! Laisez les bon temps roulez! (a-and let the cartoons, 
begin!)

In 1573, the English explorer Francis Drake first saw the Pacific 
Ocean.  

In 1847, Thomas Alva Edison, the U.S. inventor who registered 
over 1,000 patents, was born; his patents included those on the 
gramophone and the incandescent light bulb.  

In 1858, Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, originally 
Marie-Bernarde Soubirous, first saw a vision of the Virgin Mary at 
Lourdes, France, leading to the foundation of the shrine of Lourdes.  
(and a great live album by the Who)

In 1873, Spanish King Amadeo abdicated, leading to the proclamation 
of the first Spanish republic.  

In 1889, the Japanese constitution was granted, with a two-chamber 
parliament, but the emperor retained extensive powers.  

In 1919, Friedrich Ebert was elected first president of the German 
republic. He helped bring about the Weimar constitution that tried to 
unite Germany after World War I.  

In 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed establishing an independent 
Vatican State in Rome.  

In 1945, the Yalta Conference between Winston Churchill, Joseph 
Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt ended with agreement on the founding 
of the U.N., as well as plans for the defeat of Germany.  

In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became the first female leader of a 
British political party when she was elected leader of 
the Conservatives.  

In 1990, Nelson Mandela, a black nationalist leader in South Africa, 
was released from prison after serving 27 years.  

In 1994, five astronauts and a cosmonaut returned to Earth aboard 
Discovery after the first joint U.S.-Russian space shuttle mission.
   
A-and nobody died (except a little), but Burt Reynolds is 61 and 
Leslie Nielson is 75.

AsB4
Keep cool, but care. -- TRP
Moderation in moderation. -- Husky Mariner
m1,ru12? - HDM, d1