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Today is Wednesday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2002. There are 321 days left in the year. This is Ash Wednesday. 

Today’s Highlight in History: 

On Feb. 13, 1935, a jury in Flemington, N.J., found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-death of the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Hauptmann was later executed. 

On this date: 

In 1542, the fifth wife of England’s King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery. 

In 1635, America’s oldest public school, the Boston Public Latin School, was founded. 

In 1914, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, known as ASCAP, was founded in New York. 

In 1920, the League of Nations recognized the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland. 

In 1945, during World War II, the Soviets captured Budapest, Hungary, from the Germans. 

In 1945, Allied planes began bombing the German city of Dresden. 

In 1960, France exploded its first atomic bomb. 

In 1980, opening ceremonies were held in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the 13th Winter Olympics. 

In 1984, Konstantin Chernenko was chosen to be general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party’s Central Committee, succeeding the late Yuri Andropov. 

In 1988, the 15th winter Olympics opened in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

Ten years ago: Donna Weinbrecht of the United States won the gold medal in women’s freestyle skiing moguls at the Olympic games in Albertville, France. 

Five years ago: Discovery’s astronauts hauled the Hubble Space Telescope aboard the shuttle for a one-billion-mile tuneup to allow it to peer even deeper into the far reaches of the universe. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average broke through the 7,000 barrier for the first time, ending the day at 7,022.44. 

One year ago: A 6.6 magnitude earthquake shook El Salvador, killing at least 402 people one month to the day after another quake killed more than 800 people. Ivan Lendl was elected to the tennis Hall of Fame along with Mervyn Rose, an Australian star from the 1950’s. 

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Lyle Bettger is 87. Singer Eileen Farrell is 82. Former test pilot Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager is 79. Actress Kim Novak is 69. Actor George Segal is 68. Actor Bo Svenson is 61. Actress Carol Lynley is 60. Singer-musician Peter Tork (The Monkees) is 60. Actress Stockard Channing is 58. Talk show host Jerry Springer is 58. Singer Peter Gabriel is 52. Actor David Naughton is 51. Rock musician Peter Hook is 46. Actor Matt Salinger is 42. Singer Henry Rollins is 41. Singer Freedom Williams is 36. Actress Kelly Hu is 34. Rock musician Todd Harrell (3 Doors Down) is 30. Actress Mena Suvari is 23.