WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2008

Today is Wednesday, February 20, the 51st day of 2008. There are 315 days left in the year.

1673 _ First recorded wine auction held (London)

1811 _ Austria declares bankruptcy

1816 _ Rossini's opera ``The Barber of Seville" premieres in Rome

1941 _ First transport of Jews to concentration camps leave Plotsk Poland

1944 _ Batman & Robin comic strip premieres in newspapers

1975 _ Margaret Thatcher elected leader of British Conservative Party

1991 _ 33rd Grammy Awards Another Day in Paradise, Mariah Carey

1994 _ Pope John Paul II demands juristic discrimination of homosexuals

1997 _ San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds signs record $22.9 million, 2 year contract

1998 _ US movie box office hits quickest $1 billion for year (51 days)