Today is, indeed, my birthday, as noted by the fine folks over at This Day in Jewish History.

It's also a regular workday, and I have an important meeting this morning that's going to keep me from periodically checking in for birthday greetings. So to all of you who are wishing me happy birthday, thank you very much.

As it turns out, it will be a very happy birthday, because of a writing-related announcement I will be making later today. Watch this space!

Finally, to make this post more interesting, here's a few highlights of what else happened on this day throughout history:

1801: The District of Columbia is placed under Congressional jurisdiction
1860: Abraham Lincoln gives a speech condemning slavery at Cooper Union in New YorkCity
1897: Britain recognizes US authority over the western hemisphere
1922: The Supreme Court unanimously declares the 19th amendment constitutional, defending women's right to vote
1933: The German Parliamentary building, the Reichstag, catches fire, giving the Nazis an excuse to suspend civil liberties
1973: The American Indian Movement begins its occupation of Wounded Knee
1991: The first Gulf War is declared officially over
1993: The World Trade Center is shut down indefinitely, as investigators begin looking into the February 26 bombing

There's probably other events I've missed.

I share my birthday with John Steinbeck, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Nader, Elizabeth Taylor, and Chelsea Clinton, among others.

Tags: history, personal