TODAY IN HISTORY

Friday, February  03, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On Feb. 3, 2009, Eric Holder was sworn in as attorney general, becoming the first African-American to hold the post.   AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
On this date in: 1809 The territory of Illinois was created. 1913 The 16th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified. 1917 The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. 1924 Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, died in Washington, D.C., at age 67. 1959 Rock 'n' roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. AP Photo 1971 Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Edgar D. Mitchell landed on the lunar sufrace during the third successful manned mission to the moon. 1988 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected President Ronald Reagan's request for more than $36 million in aid to the Nicaraguan Contras. 1994 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, in the pilot's seat for the first time. 1998 Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker for the pickax killings of two people in 1983. Karla Faye Tucker 2006 An Egyptian passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea during bad weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers. 2011 Tens of thousands of protesters staged unprecedented demonstrations against Yemen's autocratic president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key U.S. ally in battling Islamic militants.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Blythe Danner turns 69 years old today. AP Photo/Danny Moloshok Name Profession Age Fran Tarkenton Football Hall of Famer 72 Bob Griese Football Hall of Famer 67 Dave Davies Rock musician (The Kinks) 65 Melanie Folk singer 65 Morgan Fairchild Actress 62 Nathan Lane Actor 56 Michele Greene Actress ("L.A. Law") 50 Maura Tierney Actress ("ER," "Newsradio") 47 Daddy Yankee Reggaeton singer 36 Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley turns 69 years old today. AP Photo/Phil Rawls