Today is Sunday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2021. There are 327 days left in the year.
Today in history
On Feb. 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.
Also on this date:
In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.
In 1931, aviator Amelia Earhart married publisher George P. Putnam in Noank, Conn.
In 1943, the government abruptly announced that wartime rationing of shoes made of leather would go into effect in two days, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person per year. (Rationing was lifted in October 1945.)
In 1948, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as U.S. Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
In 1964, the Beatles arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to begin their first American tour.
In 1984, space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered spacewalk, which lasted nearly six hours.
In 1985, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, Mexico, by drug traffickers who tortured and murdered him.
In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of Haiti (he was overthrown by the military the following September).
In 1998, the Winter Olympic Games were opened in Nagano, Japan, by Emperor Akihito.
Fun fact
“Semantic satiation” is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds.
Just for laughs
Why do bees stay in their beehives all through the winter?
Swarm.
Trending words
“Absolve:” verb; (ub-ZAHLV). Definition: To set (someone) free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt; to pardon or forgive a sin usually as a sacrament.
— Merriam-Webster
Today’s birthdays
Author Gay Talese is 89. Former Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., is 86. Reggae musician Brian Travers (UB40) is 62. Comedy writer Robert Smigel is 61. Actor James Spader is 61. Country singer Garth Brooks is 59. Rock musician David Bryan (Bon Jovi) is 59. Actor-comedian Eddie Izzard is 59. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 56. Actor Jason Gedrick is 54. Actor Essence Atkins is 49. Rock singer-musician Wes Borland is 46. Rock musician Tom Blankenship (My Morning Jacket) is 43. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 43. Actor Tina Majorino is 36. Actor Deborah Ann Woll is 36. NBA player Isaiah Thomas is 32. NHL center Steven Stamkos is 31.
The Edge is compiled by Dallas Marshall. She can be contacted at dmarshall@lmtribune.com.
