Way back when: Today in history
BY GENE CURTIS
Saturday, February 16, 2013
2/16/13 at 2:19 AM
1999 - Kurds protest
Kurdish rebels broke down doors, smashed windows and held hostages as they occupied Greek embassies and consulates in at least 21 European cities and Vancouver, Canada, in protest of the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of their 14-year drive for autonomy. Turkish officials had claimed a victory over the rebel movement with the arrest of Ocalan, who had been on the run for months.
Lawyers working for Ocalan said he was dragged against his will from the Greek embassy in Nairobi by Kenyan security agents and forced onto a plane to Turkey, where his arrest was announced. Ocalan was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison when Turkey abolished the death penalty.
2002 - Rotting corpses found
Ray Brent Marsh, the operator of the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, Ga., was arrested after dozens of rotting corpses that were supposed to have been cremated were found stacked in storage sheds and scattered in woods outside. Marsh, 28, told authorities the incinerator wasn't working.
Within a few days, more than 300 uncremated bodies had been found. Marsh was sentenced to 12 years in prison on criminal charges of theft and abuse of a corpse.
2005 - NHL season canceled
The NHL canceled what was left of its season - that hadn't actually started - over a dispute between the NHL and the players' association about how to split revenues. A lockout had started Sept. 16 and ultimately wiped out the entire 1,230-game schedule and the playoffs. The labor dispute between the players and NHL finally reached agreement in July in time for the 2005-06 season.
2009 - Chimp mauls woman
A 200-pound chimpanzee was shot and killed by police in Stamford, Conn., after the animal mauled a friend of its owner and injured the owner and two police officers who were trying to subdue it. Police said they had no idea why the chimp, named Travis, attacked Charla Nash as she arrived at the home of Sandra Herold.
The owner tried to protect her friend by stabbing her pet with a butcher knife before calling 911 for help. When the chimp ran after them, several officers took refuge in their cars before the chimp opened the door of one and was shot by the officer inside.
Associated Images:
Kurdish rebels protest outside the Greek embassy in London after the arrest of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. Associated Press file
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