1930: Pluto discovered

Clyde Tombaugh, 24, discovered a new planet today, eventually named Pluto after the Greek god of the underworld. Tombaugh located the planet while in the dome of the observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he worked as a ‘sky watcher’ and made photographic plates. He discovered Pluto by looking at the plates through the Blink microscope comparator, which was used to compare the plates in search of moving objects. Tombaugh, who, at the time had not yet graduated from college, was the first (and only) United States citizen to discover a planet.

“He accomplished what other astronomers had been trying for since 1905, when the late Percival Lowell proposed that irregularities in the orbit of Uranus indicated the presence of another planet in the sky,” reported the Northwest Arkansas Times on September 23, 1964.

NOTE: Pluto remained a designated planet for 76 years until August of 2006 when the International Astronomical Union defined the word ‘planet’ for the first time. This definition excluded Pluto and reclassified it as a dwarf planet.

Links to the Past
New Planet Is Discovered Beyond Neptune's Orbit
The Daily Courier, March 13, 1930

Pluto: Small And Far In Space
The Daily Times-News, May 5, 1966

Discoverer of Planet Pluto Still Active in Astronomy
Northwest Arkansas Times, September 23, 1964

Clyde Tombaugh, Pluto discoverer, dies at 90
Syracuse Herald Journal, January 20, 1997

The Wheat Farmer Who Found Pluto
The Gettysburg Times, January 23, 1980

Spacecraft departs on 9-year trip to Pluto
The Post-Standard, January 20, 2006

Week in Perspective

Capturing stories missed throughout the week, here is the Week in Perspective.

In U.S. News:

• Former sociology graduate student Stephen Kazmierczak entered a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, and opened fire on Thursday afternoon. He shot 21 people, killing five of them before shooting himself.
• The Pentagon has revealed its plans to shoot down a failing U.S. spy satellite with a specially-designed missile before the spacecraft can fall to Earth in March.
• Roger Clemens testified to congress on Wednesday that he did not take performance-enhancing illegal drugs, while former trainer Brian McNamee claimed to have physical evidence of injecting Clemens. The testimony went on for five hours but did little to clear Clemens’ name.
• Detroit was named the city with the worst foreclosure rate in the U.S.
• President Bush is preparing for a trip to Africa, part of a campaign to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic and highlight America’s African humanitarian policy in general.

In Politics:

• Democratic party candidate Barack Obama won the “Potomac primaries,” consisting of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, by a clear margin and now has the slight lead in overall delegates compared to opponent Hillary Clinton. Republican front-runner John McCain also won all three states, though by narrower margins than Obama. Ohio and Texas are next!

In International News:

• Three men were arrested on Tuesday for plotting to assassinate Kurt Westergaard, the Danish cartoonist who drew the Bomb in the Turban cartoon which sparked outrage when first published in 2005. Following the arrest, the newspaper that first printed the story—along with several other Danish papers—reprinted the cartoon. Muslims in the Gaza Strip, Pakistan and Denmark protested the reprinting, which depicts the prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. The case is a striking example of religious respect versus free speech.
• Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf warned the people of Pakistan that he will not tolerate protests following next week’s elections. The announcement comes after several political groups promised demonstrations if they believe the elections are rigged.
• A canine named Uno won the Westminster Dog Show, the first time in history that the grand prize has gone to a Beagle.
• Kenyan political parties agreed to review the disputed December elections which led to widespread violence in the African nation.

Stephen Carr
NewspaperARCHIVE.com

Links to the Past
Prayers for healing
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, April 18, 2007

Clemens linked to performance-enhancing drugs by ex-teammate
The Post-Standard, October 1, 2006

GOP faithful, religious right carry Bush to Virginia win
Pacific Stars and Stripes, March 2, 2000

Drawing Fire
Marin Independent Journal, February 12, 2006

The ‘magnificent obsession’
The Facts, February 9, 1997

2001: Earnhardt dies in Daytona 500

Racing legend Dale Earnhardt died today in a crash during the Daytona 500. “The accident happened a half-mile from the finish of the NASCAR season-opener as Earnhardt’s newest driver, [Michael] Waltrip, and [Earnhardt’s] son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were in front racing toward what should have been the most triumphant moment in the brief history of Dale Earnhardt Inc.,” reported The Frederick Post on February 19, 2001. Earnhardt was trying to place third when driver Sterling Martin bumped the back of his stock car. Earnhardt’s vehicle then fishtailed, cut across the track and hit Ken Schrader’s car. Both smashed into the concrete wall head-on at roughly 180 miles-per-hour before sliding back into the infield of the track. Earnhardt was cut out of his car and taken to Halifax Medical Center where he was pronounced dead due to head injuries.

Links to the Past
Last-lap tragedy
Syracuse Herald Journal, February 19, 2001

Earnhardt killed in Daytona 500 Crash
The Frederick Post, February 19, 2001

Dale Earnhardt tribute
The Post Standard, February 23, 2001

1972: California eliminates death penalty

The California Supreme Court eliminated the death penalty today with a 6-1 vote, calling it unconstitutional. 107 men and women were affected by this decision as their death sentences were changed to life in prison. “The court said execution is not only cruel, but lengthy imprisonment before execution constitutes psychological torture with a dehumanizing effect,” reported The Modesto Bee and News on February 18, 1972. NOTE: Later in 1972, the state passed a constitutional amendment overturning the ruling and reinstating the death penalty.

Links to the Past
State Tribunal Voids Death Penalty
The Modesto Bee and News-Herald, February 18, 1972

Legislators' reactions mixed on death ban
The Argus, February 19, 1972

Death Penalty Ruled Invalid By California Supreme Court
San Mateo Times, February 18, 1972

Law Chief Views Death Penalty As Hijack Curb
The Fresno Bee, July 19, 1972

1970: Chicago Seven found not guilty

The seven defendants charged with conspiracy for inciting a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention were found not guilty today. “The ‘terrible compromise’ Kunstler [the defense attorney] referred to was this: All seven of the defendants found innocent of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, but five of them found guilty individually of crossing state lines to incite riots, and committing various substantive acts in doing so,” reported the Raleigh Register on February 19, 1970.

Links to the Past
Chicago Verdict Labeled A ‘Terrible Compromise’
Raleigh Register, February 19, 1970

‘Terrible compromise’ rapped by ‘Chicago Seven’ defenders
Daily Review, February 19, 1970

Lawyers To Contest Chicago Verdict
Cumberland Evening Times, February 19, 1970

1969: Flight 708 disappears between Nevada and California

Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 disappeared today carrying 32 passengers and three crew members. The plane, which had taken the passengers to Nevada from Long Beach, California, for a seven-hour gambling trip on February 17, had received a blizzard-like weather report but still took off around 4 a.m. The flight hit a cliff face at about 11,770 feet up Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the Continental United States, killing all 35 aboard. The plane was not found until August due to weather and terrain conditions.

Links to the Past
Where are they?
Independent Press-Telegram, May 25, 1969

Missing Gamblers' Plane Wreck Believed Found
Independent, July 16, 1969