By The Associated Press

  Today is Wednesday, Feb. 24, the 55nd day of 1999. There are 310 days left in
  the year.

  - On Feb. 24, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached President
    Andrew Johnson following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War
    Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.
  - In 1803, the Supreme Court ruled itself the final interpreter of
    constitutional issues.
  - In 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain.
  - In 1863, Arizona was organized as a territory.
  - In 1903, the United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval
    station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
  - In 1942, the Voice of America went on the air for the first time.
  - In 1945, American soldiers liberated the Philippine capital of
    Manila from Japanese control.
  - In 1955, the Cole Porter musical "Silk Stockings" opened at
    the Imperial Theater on Broadway.
  - In 1980, the U.S. hockey team defeated Finland, 4-2, to clinch
    the gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
  - In 1981, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's
    Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
  - In 1983, a congressional commission released a report condemning
    the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a
    "grave injustice."
  - In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody
    and satire, the Supreme Court overturned a $200,000 award that Rev.
    Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and publisher Larry
    Flynt.
  - Ten years ago: A state funeral was held in Japan for Emperor
    Hirohito, who died the month before at age 87. A cargo door blew
    off a United Air Lines Boeing 747-100 flying near Hawaii; the
    explosive release of pressure pulled nine passengers to their
    deaths.
  - Five years ago: Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders labeled smoking
    an "adolescent addiction" and accused the tobacco industry of
    trying to convince teen-agers that cigarettes will make them sexy
    and successful. Entertainer Dinah Shore died in Beverly Hills,
    Calif., at age 76.
  - One year ago: Henny Youngman, a tireless comic who quipped
    "Take my wife - please" and countless other one-liners during a
    career that spanned seven decades, died in New York City at age 91.

  *** Today's Birthdays

  - Actor Abe Vigoda is 78.
  - Actor Steven Hill ("Law and Order") is 77.
  - Actor Richard B. Shull is 70.
  - Movie composer Michel Legrand is 67.
  - Actor John Vernon is 67.
  - Opera singer Renata Scotto is 64.
  - Actor Barry Bostwick is 54.
  - Actor Edward James Olmos is 52.
  - Singer-writer-producer Rupert Holmes is 52.
  - Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 41.
  - Singer Michelle Shocked is 37.