Today in History: Feb. 8

Today is Saturday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2025. There are 326 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 8, 1968, three Black students were killed and 28 wounded as state troopers opened fire on student demonstrators on the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg in the wake of protests over a whites-only bowling alley. The event would become known as the Orangeburg Massacre.

Also on this date:

In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1693, a charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in the Virginia Colony.

In 1904, Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian Navy at Port Arthur (now Dalian, China), marking the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War.

In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated by William D. Boyce.

In 1915, D.W. Griffith’s controversial epic film “The Birth of a Nation” premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1924, the first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City as Gee Jon, a Chinese immigrant convicted of murder, was put to death.

In 1936, the first NFL draft was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia.

In 1960, work began on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles.

In 1971, NASDAQ, the world’s first electronic stock exchange, held its first trading day.

Today’s birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 93. Broadcast journalist Ted Koppel is 85. Actor Nick Nolte is 84. Comedian Robert Klein is 83. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is 82. Actor Mary Steenburgen is 72. Author John Grisham is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli is 65. Rock singer Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe) is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning is 55. Actor Seth Green is 51. Actor William Jackson Harper is 45. Actor-comedian Cecily Strong is 41. Hip-hop artist Anderson .Paak is 39. Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton is 35.