Today in History

Today is Friday, March 6, the 65th day of 2015. There are 300 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that Scott, a slave, was not an American citizen and could not sue for his freedom in federal court.

On this date:

In 1834, the city of York in Upper Canada was incorporated as Toronto.

In 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell to Mexican forces after a 13-day siege.

In 1853, Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premiered in Venice, Italy.

In 1935, retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., died in Washington two days before his 94th birthday.

In 1944, U.S. heavy bombers staged the first full-scale American raid on Berlin during World War II.

In 1953, Georgy Malenkov was named premier of the Soviet Union a day after the death of Josef Stalin.

In 1965, actress Margaret Dumont, perhaps best remembered for playing the foil in Marx Brothers comedies, died in Hollywood at age 82.

In 1967, the daughter of Josef Stalin, Svetlana Alliluyeva (ah-lee-loo-YAY'-vah), appeared at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and declared her intention to defect to the West.

In 1983, in a case that drew much notoriety, a woman was gang-raped atop a pool table in a tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts, called Big Dan's; four men were later convicted of the attack.

In 1995, "The Jenny Jones Show" taped an episode on same-sex crushes during which Jonathan Schmitz learned his secret admirer was an acquaintance, Scott Amedure; three days later, Schmitz fatally shot Amedure. (Schmitz is serving a 25- to 50-year prison sentence for second-degree murder; the episode was never included in the "Jenny Jones" syndication package, but did air on Court TV.)

Ten years ago: Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena (zhoo-lee-AH'-nah ZGRAY'-nah) said American soldiers gave no warning before they opened fire on the car carrying her to the Baghdad airport, killing the Italian agent who'd just won her freedom after a month in captivity. The White House called the shooting a "horrific accident" and restated its promise to investigate fully. Actress Teresa Wright died in New Haven, Connecticut, at age 86. Hans Bethe, the winner of the 1967 Nobel Prize in physics who'd played a central role in the building of the atomic bomb, died in Ithaca, New York, at age 98.

Five years ago: Voters in Iceland resoundingly rejected a $5.3 billion plan to repay Britain and the Netherlands for debts spawned by the collapse of an Icelandic bank. The Louisville Cardinals gave Freedom Hall a memorable send-off by upsetting No. 1 Syracuse 78-68.

One year ago: Ukraine lurched toward breakup as lawmakers unanimously declared they wanted to join Russia and planned to put the decision to voters; President Barack Obama condemned the move and the West imposed the first real sanctions against Russia. Actress-singer Sheila MacRae, 92, died in Englewood, New Jersey.

Thought for Today: "Le sens commun n'est pas si commun." (Common sense is not so common.) — Voltaire, French author and philosopher (1694-1778).

(Above Advance for Use Friday, March 6)