Today is Sunday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2004. There are 327 days left in the year. On this date in

Today is Sunday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2004. There are 327 days left in the year. On this date in 1904, the Russo-Japanese War, a conflict over control of Manchuria and Korea, begins as Japanese forces attack Port Arthur. During the war, Russia suffers a series of stunning defeats to Japan; the fighting ends with an agreement mediated by President Theodore Roosevelt, who goes on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she is implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1693, a charter is granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America is incorporated. In 1915, D.W. Griffith's silent movie epic about the Civil War, "The Birth of a Nation," premieres in Los Angeles. In 1922, President Harding has a radio installed in the White House. In 1924, the first execution by gas in the United States takes place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City. In 1968, three college students are killed in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley. In 1974, the three-man crew of the Skylab space station returns to Earth after spending 84 days in space. In 1989, 144 people are killed when an American-chartered Boeing 707 filled with Italian tourists slams into a fog-covered mountain in the Azores. In 1992, the 16th Olympic Winter Games opens in Albertville, France.
February 8, 1979: Saying she cannot tolerate "disrespectful" conduct, Carroll County Judge Patricia Anderson jails the county's three commissioners for refusing to give her $13,000 to add to her budget of $40,000. She sentenced the commissioners to 10 days in jail, ordered them placed into custody and then left town for a weekend conference in Washington.
Officials of the city of Youngstown and Mahoning County agree to cooperate in developing a city-county building for downtown. Mayor J. Phillip Richley and the county commissioners pledge $18,750 to prepare a work plan.
Ohio Gov. James A. Rhodes appoints state Rep. Michael Del Bane of Hubbard to a term on the Ohio Public Utilities Commission.
Trumbull County's newest commissioner, Republican Margaret Dennison, tells the Niles Kiwanis Club that county commissioners "are going to have to take a sharp ax to everything," indicating that cuts could include employee layoffs.
February 8, 1964: Three labor unions representing Youngstown municipal employees are expected to oppose the repeal of the seniority rights ordinance proposed by council President Joseph E. O'Neill.
Struthers Safety-Service Director Paul Van Kulick is seeking a meeting with officials of the Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube Co. regarding "black rain" that damaged about 50 homes on the north side of the city.
Three Youngstown patrolmen are injured when their automobile is struck from behind as they waited for a traffic light to change at Midlothian Boulevard and Shirley Road.
February 8, 1954: Martin B. Friedman, 65, operator of a popular downtown confectionery, Friedman's Candy Co. adjacent to the Palace Theater from 1907 to 1950, dies in North Side Hospital.
Atty. Paul VanSuch, Campbell solicitor, says that information he gathered while investigating rackets and vice in Campbell, indicates S. Joseph "Sandy" Naples and Vincent J. DeNiro control the "bug" racket in Youngstown.
A new plan to streamline Central Square, adding 83 percent to its parking space, is presented to city council by the Youngstown Chamber of Commerce.
Trumbull County commissioners, by a 2-1 vote, authorize the advertisement for bids for the purchase of 300 automatic voting machines.
February 8, 1929: Five hundred men and women of Mahoning County are being called as prospective jurors under the county's new jury system. They will report to the courthouse on one of two days for examination by the jury commissioner.
Warren Perry of Youngstown, representing the Mahoning County Dry Federation, speaks during a Senate hearing in Columbus, urging the creation of a state highway police force. The federation believes a highway patrol would hamper transportation of illicit liquor in the state.
Arthur Brock, manager of WKBN radio, submits a proposal to broadcast one hour of city council meetings per week for a year at a cost to the city of $2,925.
Everybody's Tabernacle on Pyatt Street near the Growers' Market is attracting hundreds of people every night to revivals conducted by Evangelist C.H. Erickson, who came from New Castle and built the tabernacle, which seats 2,000. One of the most remarkable cases recorded at the service involves the restoration of vision by divine healing to Billy Bates of New Castle, who had been totally blind in one eye for six years and was losing sight in the other eye.