1945

Allied forces in World War II began a three-day bombing raid on Dresden, Germany, killing as many as 25,000 people and triggering a firestorm that swept through the city center.

1996

The rock musical “Rent,” by Jonathan Larson, premiered off-Broadway less than three weeks after Larson’s death.

2017

President Donald Trump’s embattled national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned following reports he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.

2018

President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, said he had paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to Stephanie Clifford, a porn actor who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump.

2021

Former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate at his second impeachment trial – the first to involve a former president – in which he was accused of inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Seven Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in voting to convict, less than the two-thirds threshold required.

Birthdays

Actor Kim Novak is 92. Actor Stockard Channing is 81. Musician Peter Gabriel is 75. Musician Peter Hook is 69. Singer-writer Henry Rollins is 64. Actor Mena Suvari is 46.