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On this date: 

In 1516, Mary Tudor, the Queen of England popularly known as “Bloody Mary,” was born in Greenwich Palace. 

In 1546, Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, died. 

In 1564, artist Michelangelo died in Rome. 

In 1885, Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published in the United States for the first time. 

In 1930, the ninth planet of our solar system, Pluto, was discovered. 

In 1960, the Eighth Winter Olympic Games were formally opened in Squaw Valley, Calif., by Vice President Nixon. 

In 1970, the “Chicago Seven” defendants were found innocent of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic national convention. 

In 1972, the California Supreme Court struck down the state’s death penalty. 

In 1977, the space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its maiden “flight” above the Mojave Desert. 

In 1988, Anthony M. Kennedy was sworn in as the 104th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Ten years ago: In the New Hampshire primary, President George H.W. Bush won the Republican contest while challenger Patrick Buchanan placed a strong second; among Democrats, Paul Tsongas came in first. 

Five years ago: Astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery completed their tuneup of the Hubble Space Telescope after 33 hours of spacewalking; the Hubble was then released using the shuttle’s crane. Bill Richardson began work as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. 

One year ago: Auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr. died from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500; he was 49. Death also claimed baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews at age 69, broadcaster Roger Caras at age 72, “Cheaper by the Dozen” co-author Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. at age 89 and painter Balthus at age 92. Veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested, accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years. 

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Jack Palance is 81. Former Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown is 80. Actor George Kennedy is 77. Author Toni Morrison is 71. Singer Yoko Ono is 69. Singer Irma Thomas is 61. Actress Sinead Cusack is 54. Producer-director-writer John Hughes is 52. Actress Cybill Shepherd is 52. Singer Juice Newton is 50. Rock musician Robbie Bachman is 49. Actor John Travolta is 48. Game show host Vanna White is 45. Actress Greta Scacchi is 42. Actor Matt Dillon is 38. Rapper Dr. Dre is 37.