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Historical Events 483 - St Felix III begins his reign as Catholic Pope 1878 - Oxford University defeats Cambridge University in their 1st golf match 1964 - Turkey threatens Cyprus with armed attack 2012 - 28 people, including 22 children, are killed in a motorway bus crash near Sierre, Switzerland 2013 - Argentine Catholic Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (76) is elected the new pope, taking the papal name Pope Francis 2022 - 75th BAFTA awards: Best Film "The Power of the Dog", Best Director Jane Campion, acting awards Joanna Scanlan, Will Smith More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1870 - Albert Meyer, Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1929-38), born in Fällanden, Switzerland (d. 1953) 1906 - Frank Teschemacher, American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1932) 1914 - Bob Haggart, American dixieland, swing jazz, and session double bass player, and composer ("What's New?"), born in New York City (d. 1998) 1929 - Bill Cunningham, American fashion photographer (New York Times), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2016) 1937 - Terence "Terry" Cox, British drummer (Pentangle; Duffy's Nucleus; Humblebums; Charles Aznavour), born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England 1940 - Candi [Canzetta Maria] Staton, American gospel singer ("Young Hearts Run Free"), born in Hanceville, Alabama More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1271 - Henry of Almain, English crusader (b. 1235) 1911 - John J. Toffey, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (b. 1844) 1973 - Stacy Harris, Canadian born actor (NOPD, Doorway to Danger), dies at 54 1987 - Gerald Moore, English pianist (Am I Too Loud), dies at 87 2001 - John A. Alonzo, American cinematographer (pioneered handheld work, lighting techniques and HD video development), dies at 66 2016 - Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, dies at 89 More Famous Deaths »

1857 - Desjardins Canal Train Disaster: Canadian Great Western passenger train crashes through rotting timber bridge over Desjardins Canal, near Hamilton, Ontario, killing 59 people 1939 - Pope Pius XII crowned 260th Supreme Pontiff in a ceremony at the Vatican 1940 - Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty in Moscow, surrendering to Russia and ceding 11% of their pre-WWII territory, ending the "Winter War" 1954 - 1st performance of Arnold Schoenberg's opera "Moses und Aaron", in a concert setting in Hamburg, Germany 1989 - 10th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Georgetown beats Syracuse, 88-79 1995 - Letitia Vriesde runs South American indoor record 800m (2:00.35) 2005 - 26th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Syracuse beats West Virginia, 68-59 2006 - 47th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Florida beats South Carolina, 49-47 2013 - The 2013 Papal conclave begins with no new Pope elected on the first day 2018 - British Prime Minister Theresa May says Russia was "highly likely" to have poisoned a Russian spy and his daughter on March 4 with nerve agent More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1799 - Austria declares war on France 1857 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Simon Boccanegra" premieres in Venice 1896 - 1st movie in Netherlands (Kalverstr 220) 2002 - Animated film "Ice Age" directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha, with voices by Denis Leary and John Leguizamo premieres 2017 - Irene Sankoff and David Hein's musical drama "Come From Away" opens at Schoenfeld Theatre, NYC 2019 - Dozens charged in US college admission scandal by US federal prosecutors, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1837 - Alexandre Guilmant, French organist (La Trinitié, 1871-901), composer and pedagogue (Schola Cantorum, 1894-1911), born in Meudon, France (d. 1911) 1921 - Max de Metz, Dutch publisher and translator (d. 1993) 1931 - William "Billie" Thomas, American child actor (Buckwheat- Our Gang), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1980) 1938 - Tona Scherchen-Hsiao, German-Chinese composer (Yi; Lo; Shen), born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland 1957 - Jerry Levine, American actor ("Born on the Fourth of July"), born in New Brunswick, New Jersey 1960 - Eldine Baptiste, cricketer (WI all-rounder early 80's) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1902 - John Peter Altgeld, German-American politician (Governor of Illinois, 1893-97), known for pardoning of Haymarket anarchists, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage, while delivering a speech, at 54 1916 - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer (The Child of the Parish), dies at 39 1929 - Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman (developed Coca-Cola into a company), dies at 77 1949 - Maria "Beppie" Bakker, Dutch actress abd wife of Piet Vink Sr, dies at 95 1950 - L Heinrich Mann, German/American writer (Between the Races), dies at 78 1993 - Michael Kanin, American director, writer and actor (Woman of the Year, Teacher's Pet), dies at 83 More Famous Deaths »

1502 - Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty, crowned Shah of Persia (rules till 1524) 1829 - Johann Sebastian Bach's "St Matthew Passion" is revived by Felix Mendelssohn, aged 20, conducting in Berlin, Germany 1848 - Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government 1924 - NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens sweeps Ottawa Senators in 2 games 1978 - USF-led Bill Cartwright scores 23 points as the Dons oust NC 1982 - Harrison Williams (Sen-D-NJ) resigns rather than face expulsion 1996 - Mark Waugh scores 110 v NZ for his third century of the World Cup 2004 - Terrorists explode simultaneous bombs on Madrid's rail network ripping through a commuter train and rocking three stations, killing 190 2007 - 48th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Florida beats Arkansas, 77-56 2017 - At least 65 killed in landslide at rubbish dump near Addis Ababa, Ethopia More Historical Events »

Historical Events 843 - Icon veneration officially re-instated in Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople 1665 - NY approves new code guaranteeing Protestants religious rights 1835 - HMS Beagle anchors off Valparaiso, Chile 1892 - 1st public basketball game (Springfield, Massachusetts) 2003 - Nicholas Winton (93), former British stockbroker who helped 669 young Jews flee Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Nazi invasion in 1939, receives knighthood from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace 2007 - 48th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Florida beats Arkansas, 77-56 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1731 - Robert Treat Paine, American judge and Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1814) 1902 - Josef Martin Bauer, German writer and director (As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me), born in Taufkirchen, Germany (d. 1970) 1930 - David Gentleman, designer/painter 1933 - Sandra Milo [Salvatrice Greco], Italian actress (8½; Juliet of the Spirits), and television personality, born in Tunis, French Tunisia (d. 2024) 1966 - Pavel Petrovich Mukhortov, Russian cosmonaut 1971 - Johnny Knoxville [Philip Clapp], American stunt performer and actor (Jackass franchise), born in Knoxville, Tennessee More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1925 - Andreas Hallen, composer, dies at 78 1955 - Alexander Fleming, Scottish bacteriologist (invented penicillin; Nobel Prize 1945), dies of a heart attack at 73 1982 - Edmund Cooper, British sci-fi writer (Tomorrow Came), dies at 55 1989 - Johan Fleerackers, Flemish linguist, dies at 57 1993 - Dino Bravo, wrestler (WWF), shot to death at 44 2012 - Sid Couchey, American comic book artist, dies at 92 More Famous Deaths »

1535 - Spanish Bishop of Panama Tomés de Berlanga discovers the uninhabited Galapagos Islands after his ship drifts off course 1831 - The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis-Philippe to support his war in Algeria 1906 - 1st performance of Maurice Ravel's "Sonatine" by pianist Paule de Lestang, in Lyon, France 1920 - NHL's Quebec Bulldog Joe Malone scores 6 goals vs Ottawa Senators 1937 - Benny Goodman unofficially crowned the “King of Swing” at New York City's Paramount Theater as his band plays before exuberant sell-out crowd filled with teenagers; unable to attend nightclub performances, kids dance in the aisles 1966 - 5 time American Horse of the Year, Kelso, retires from racing 1972 - General Lon Nol becomes President and Prince Sirik Matak premier of Cambodia 1977 - CBS' premiere of "A Circle of Children", starring Jane Alexander and based on the life and book about this by Mary Mac Cracken 1978 - "The Incredible Hulk", starring Bill Bixby as David Banner, premieres on CBS 2002 - 49th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats NC State, 91-61 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1906 - Baker Street and Waterloo Railway opens, constructed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London. The contraction Bakerloo became the official name in July 1906. 1931 - Oswald Mosley leaves British Labour party and founds the "New Party" 1940 - 1st US opera telecast, W2XBS, NYC: Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" 1996 - 37th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Kentucky, 84-73 2010 - Carlos Slim becomes the first Mexican and person from an emerging economy to top Forbes Richest Person list, with net worth of US$53.5 billion 2020 - Three months into the COVID-19 epidemic Chinese President Xi Jinping finally travels to Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak as the rate of daily new infections declines in China falls to 19 new cases and 17 deaths More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1863 - E J Ratcliffe [Edward], British stage and screen actor, born in London (d. 1948) 1928 - James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., born in Alton, Illinois (d. 1998) 1943 - Angelique Pettyjohn, [Dorothy Lee Perrins], American actress (Clambake; Repo Man), and burlesque queen, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1992) 1958 - Sharon Stone, American actress (Basic Instinct, Sliver, Casino), born in Meadville, Pennsylvania 1965 - Rod Woodson, American NFL cornerback/kick returner (11 Pro Bowl; Super Bowl 2000, Baltimore Ravens), born in Fort Wayne, Indiana 1977 - Robin Thicke, Canadian-American singer ("Blurred Lines"), born in Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 37 - Tiberius Claudius Nero, Roman emperor (14 AD-37 AD), dies at 78 1391 - Tvrtko I first king of Bosnia (b. 1338) 1940 - Mikhaïl Boulgakov, Russian writer (b. 1891) 1948 - Zelda Fitzgerald [née Sayre], American writer (This Side of Paradise) and wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, dies at 47 2012 - Heinz Wunderlich, German organist and composer, dies at 92 2023 - Jesús Alou, Dominican MLB baseball outfielder, 1963-79 (World Series 1973, 74 Oakland A's; Houston Astros, and 2 other teams), dies at 80 More Famous Deaths »

1745 - Bells for 1st American carillon shipped from England to Boston 1804 - Georges Cadoudal, Breton royalist who plotted to overthrow Napoleon in the Pichegru Conspiracy, arrested 1822 - Charles Graham of NY granted first US patent for artificial teeth 1858 - Albert Potts of Philadelphia patents the street mailbox 1922 - KJR-AM in Seattle Washington begins radio transmissions 1961 - The Supremes release singles "I Want a Guy" and "Never Again" 1978 - Ladies Figure Skating Champions in Ottawa won by Anett Pötzsch (East Germany) 1983 - Zimbabwe opposition leader Joshua Nkomo flees to Botswana 1991 - Joe Dumaars (Detroit) begins NBA free throw streak of 62 games 1994 - IRA launch 1st of 3 mortar attacks on London's Heathrow Airport More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1276 - Augsburg becomes an Imperial Free City 1864 - Ulysses S. Grant is named Commanding General of the U.S. (Union) Army 1889 - Battle at Gallabat (Metema): Mahdi's beat Abyssinian emperor John IV 1922 - KJR-AM in Seattle Washington begins radio transmissions 1956 - Weather forecasting phone line set up in London England 1957 - 4th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: North Carolina beats South Carolina, 95-75 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1454 - Amerigo Vespucci, Italian explorer (America), born in Florence (d. 1512) 1890 - Vyacheslav Molotov [Skryabin], Russian politician (Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1939-49, 1953-6), born in Kukarka, Russian Empire (d. 1986) 1954 - Carlos Ghosn, French Brazilian automobile executive (Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors), born in Porto Velho, Brazil 1958 - Jack Kenny, American television writer and producer (Warehouse 13), born in Chicago, Illinois 1979 - Óscar Isaac [Hernández], French Guatemalan-American actor (Scenes From A Marriage; Balibo; Inside Llewyn Davis), born in Guatemala City, Guatemala 1987 - Lil' Bow Wow [Shad Gregory Moss], American rapper and actor (Beware of Dogs), born in Columbus, Ohio More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1954 - Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (b. 1912) 1964 - Johanna "Mina" Bakker, Dutch actress (Boefje), dies at 87 1992 - Felipe Turich, actor (Lawless), dies 2017 - Howard Hodgkin, British abstract painter, dies at 84 2019 - Harry Howell, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman (NY Rangers 1952-69), dies of dementia at 86 2023 - Otis Taylor, American football wide receiver (Super Bowl IV Kansas City Chiefs; First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl 1971, 72), dies from Parkinson's disease dementia at 80 More Famous Deaths »

1862 - Confederate ironclad "Merrimack" launched 1913 - MLB Federal League organizes with 6 teams, including the Chicago Whales, who built and played at Weeghman Park (now Wrigley Field); League folded after 3 seasons 1916 - US invades Cuba for 3rd time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime 1939 - Lenore Coffee and William Joyce Cowan's "Family Portrait" premieres 1944 - US resumes bombing Berlin 1966 - An IRA bomb destroys Nelson's Column in Dublin 1966 - Lee Adams and Charles Strouse's musical adaptation of Clifford Odet's "Golden Boy", starring Sammy Davis Jr. closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 569 performances 1966 - Baseball player, manager and coach Casey Stengel elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in a surprise ceremony 1971 - Milwaukee Bucks win their 20th straight NBA game (team record) 2016 - Turner Classic Movies show several of Claire Trevor’s films to honor the 106th anniversary of her birth More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1862 - Confederate ironclad "Merrimack" launched 1898 - Richard Straus' "Don Quixote" premieres in Keulen 1916 - US invades Cuba for 3rd time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime 1927 - Pan American Airlines incorporates 1995 - Dutch Liberal Party wins Provincial-National elections 2014 - Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 people loses contact and disappears, prompting the most expensive search effort in history and one of the most enduring aviation mysteries More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1743 - [Benedikt] Bendix Friedrich Zinck, Danish violinist, keyboardist, and composer, baptized in Husum, Duchy of Schleswig (now Germany) (d. 1801) 1879 - Mechtilde Lichnowsky, German writer, born in Pocking, Bavaria (d. 1958) 1918 - Poon Lim, Chinese sailor who survived 133 days adrift at sea, born in Hainan, China (d. 1991) 1927 - Jaromir Podešva, Czech composer (Fragments of the Quinguennium), music theorist, and pedagogue, born in Brno, Czechoslovakia (d. 2000) 1971 - Marc Tobert, CFL slot back (Edmonton Eskimos) 1977 - James Van Der Beek, American actor (Dawson's Creek), born in Cheshire, Connecticut More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1853 - Edward John Dent, British clockmaker to Queen Victoria and commissioned to make Big Ben, London (completed after his death by his son Frederick Dent), dies at 62 1955 - Clémentine, Princess of Belgium, wife of Prince Napoleon Bonaparte V, dies at 82 1971 - Harold Lloyd, American silent and sound film actor, comedian, and director (Why Worry?; The Freshman; Safety Last!; The Sin of Harold Diddlebock), dies of cancer at 77 1985 - Thomas Creighton, US heart patient (3 implants in 46 hrs), dies at 33 1994 - Joop C Swart, publisher/founder (World Press Photo), dies at 69 2014 - William Guarnere, American WWII veteran and author, portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, dies at 90 More Famous Deaths »

1922 - US Ladies' Figure Skating championship won by Theresa Weld Blanchard 1940 - Peter Saur, fighting as Ray Steele, beats Bronko Nagurski in St Louis, to become National Wrestling Association Heavyweight Champion 1942 - 1st cadets graduated from flying school at Tuskegee, Alabama 1950 - Ladies' Figure Skating Championship in London won by Alena Vrzanova CZE 1953 - South African cricket opening batsman Jackie McGlew scores an unbeaten 255 in 1st Test win against New Zealand in Wellington 1970 - WXOW TV channel 19 in La Crosse, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting 1975 - RCA releases "Young Americans", David Bowie's 9th studio album, recorded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City; featuring appearances by John Lennon on two tracks, it peaks in the U.S. charts at No. 9, and No. 2 in the U.K. 1994 - Charles Taylor resigns as President of Liberia 1996 - 1st surface photos of Pluto (photographed by Hubble Space Telescope) 2019 - Thailand's Constitutional Court dissolves opposition party Thai Raksa Chart, after it nominated the King's sister as candidate for Prime Minister More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1942 - 15 Mk-VB Spitfires reach Malta 1958 - Chicago Cardinals announce they will play their 1958 opener in Buffalo 1965 - Alabama state troopers and 600 black protesters clash in Selma during "Bloody Sunday", protesters, including future congressman John Lewis beaten and hospitalized 1970 - Ice Pairs Championship at Ljubljana won by Rodnina and Ulanov (URS) 1975 - "Mirror", Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Margarita Terekhova and Ignat Daniltsev, is released 1990 - Wayne Huizenga buys ½ of Joe Robbie Stadium and 15% of Dolphins for $30m More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1872 - Piet Mondrian, Dutch abstract painter (Broadway Boogie Woogie, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow) and art theoretician, born in Amersfoort, Netherlands (d. 1944) 1895 - Juan Jose Castro, Argentine composer, born in Avellaneda, Argentina (d. 1968) 1931 - Cornelis T "Cor" van de Molen, Dutch journalist (Beehive) 1940 - Daniel J Travanti, American actor (Hill Street Blues - "Capt. Frank Furillo"), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin 1964 - Denyce Graves, American mezzo-soprano (Carmen), born in Washington, D.C. 1967 - Zheng Haixia, Chinese WNBA center (LA Sparks), born in Shangqiu, China More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 851 - Nominoe, first Duke of Brittany "father of the country" (Tad ar Vro) 1724 - Innocent XIII [Michelangiolo dei Conti], Italian 244th Pope (1721-24) tried to introduce frugal measures and end nepotism, dies at 68 1833 - Rahel Varnhagen von Ense-Levin, German literary hostess, dies at 61 1984 - Paul Rotha, English director (b. 1907) 1985 - Victor W. Farris, American inventor (paper milk carton), dies at 75 1995 - Paul-Emile Victor, French polar explorer, dies at 87 More Famous Deaths »

1853 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premieres at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy 1855 - Gustave Flaubert writes goodbye to the poet Louise Colet 1906 - Heavy storm bursts dike, flooding Vlissingen, Netherlands 1909 - Dutch film distributor Jean Desmet opens his first permanent cinema, the Cinema Parisien in Rotterdam 1921 - Police in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, issue an edict requiring Women to wear skirts at least 4 inches below the knee 1923 - MLB St. Louis Cardinals announce their players will wear numbers on their uniforms 1962 - US promise Thailand assistance against communist aggression 1965 - The Temptations' single "My Girl" reaches #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart; written and produced by the Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White 1982 - Susan Birmingham makes then world's loudest recorded human shout (120 dB) 2018 - British health officials tells the country it's time "to get on a diet" and urging manufacturers to reduce calories in foods More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1900 - After a meeting in Indianapolis, USA, a group forms the Social Democratic Party and nominates Eugene Debs as its candidate for President in the forthcoming election (becomes the Socialist Party in 1901) 1972 - Jack Nicklaus, passes Arnold Palmer as golf's all-time money winner 1974 - Australian cricketing brothers Ian (145 and 121) and Greg Chappell (247no and 133) score unique twin centuries in drawn 1st Test vs New Zealand in Wellington 1983 - US Football League begins its 1st season 1986 - USSR's Vega 1 flies by Halley's Comet at 8,889 km 1992 - Founding of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1475 - Michelangelo, Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance (David, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel), born in Caprese, Tuscany (d. 1564) 1926 - Andrzej Wajda, Polish film director (Ashes and Diamonds, Man of Iron), born in Suwalki (d. 2016) 1933 - Ted Abernathy, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1955-72 (Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs, and 5 other teams), born in Stanley, North Carolina (d. 2004) 1946 - Tony Klatka, rocker (Blood, Sweat and Tears) 1972 - Shaquille O'Neal, American Basketball Hall of Fame center (4-time NBA champion, 3-time NBA Finals MVP, Olympic gold 1996), born in Newark, New Jersey 1973 - Greg Ostertag, NBA center (Utah Jazz) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1936 - Rubin Goldmark, American composer, dies at 63 1962 - Rezső Kókai, Hungarian pianist, composer, musicologist, and pedagogue, dies at 56 1986 - Adolph Caesar, actor (Club Paradise, Soldier's Story), dies 1994 - Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Georgian filmmaker (Repentance), dies at 70 1998 - Frank Barrett, American baseball player (b. 1913) 2016 - Nancy Reagan [Anne Frances Robbins], US First Lady (1981-89), dies at 94 More Famous Deaths »

1179 - 3rd Lateran Council (11th ecumenical council) opens in Rome 1713 - Handel's "Jubilate" first performance in a public rehearsal at St. Paul's Cathedral, London 1821 - Monroe is 1st US President inaugurated on March 5th, because 4th was Sunday 1864 - 1st track meet between Oxford and Cambridge 1897 - American Negro Academy forms 1924 - Frank Carauna, becomes 1st to bowl 2 successive perfect 300 games 1954 - "Girl in Pink Tights" opens at Mark Hellinger NYC for 115 performances 1960 - The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis originates when Alister Hardy publicly announces his idea that ape-human divergence may have been due to a coastal phase. 1981 - Ice Pairs Champ at Hartford won by Irina Vorobieva and I Lisovski (URS) 2012 - Tropical Storm Irina kills 65 in Madagascar More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1774 - John Hancock delivers the fourth annual Massacre Day oration, a commemoration of the Boston Massacre, and denounces the presence of British troops in Boston, enhancing Hancock's stature as a leading Patriot 1784 - Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, is named President of the Board of Trade. 1928 - Karl Zuckmayer's "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick" premieres in Berlin 1966 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1974 - Ralph Stewart failed in 2nd Islander penalty shot 1982 - Russian spacecraft Venera 14 lands on Venus sends back data More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1871 - Rosa Luxemburg, Polish-German Marxist revolutionary and founder of the Spartacus League, born in Zamość, Poland (d. 1919) 1893 - Emmett J. Culligan, American entrepreneur (founder of water treatment organization Culligan Inc.), born in Yankton, South Dakota (d. 1970) 1934 - James B Sikking, American actor (Hill Street Blues - "Lt. Howard Hunter"; Star Trek 3; Doogie Howser), born in Los Angeles, California 1939 - Norman Seeff, South African-American photographer, filmmaker, and album cover artist (Joni Mitchell; Captain and Tenille; Fleetwood Mac), born in Johannesburg, South Africa 1948 - Jacques Kloes, Dutch rock singer (Dizzy Man's Band - "The Show"; "Matter of Facts"), born in Heemskerk, Holland (d. 2015) 1961 - Dan Stuart, American singer-songwriter (Green on Red), poet, and author (The Unfortunate Demise of Marlowe Billings), born in Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1940 - Cai Yuanpei, Chinese educator (b. 1868) 1967 - Mischa Auer [Ounskowsky], Russian actor (My Man Godfrey), dies from a heart attack at 61 1967 - Georges Vanier, French Canadian soldier and 19th Governor General of Canada, dies at 78 1979 - Vicente Ascone, Italian composer, dies at 81 1984 - Harry Salter, orchestra leader (Stop the Music), dies at 85 2010 - Edgar Wayburn, American environmentalist awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom 1999, dies at 103 More Famous Deaths »

1793 - Washington's 2nd inauguration as US President, shortest speech (133 words) 1881 - California becomes 1st state to pass plant quarantine legislation 1894 - Great fire in Shanghai; over 1,000 buildings destroyed 1901 - Term of George H. White, last of post-Reconstruction US congressmen, ends 1910 - Avalanche at Bear Creek in Rogers Pass, British Columbia, kills 58 railway line workers - Canada's worst avalanche disaster 1925 - US President Coolidge's inauguration broadcast live on 21 radio stations 1931 - West Indies beat Australia for the 1st time, by 30 runs at SCG 1933 - Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss dissolves Austrian parliament 1947 - WWJ (now WDIV) TV channel 4 in Detroit, MI (NBC) begins broadcasting 1995 - Michael Johnson runs world record 400m indoor (44.63 sec) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1804 - The Battle of Vinegar Hill, colony of New South Wales (Australia), when Irish convicts (some of whom had been involved in Ireland's Battle of Vinegar Hill in 1798) led the colony's only significant convict uprising. 1868 - 30th Grand National: George Ede victorious aboard Irish 9/1 shot The Lamb; horse wins second GN in 1871 1881 - California becomes 1st state to pass plant quarantine legislation 1970 - Jacksonville is 1st college basketball team to avg 100+ pts per game 1977 - 1st CRAY 1 supercomputer shipped, to Los Alamos Laboratories, New Mexico 2020 - "Once in a century" winter in Moscow the hottest in 140 years, with 7.5° C (13.5° F) above average temperatures and virtually no snow More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1754 - Benjamin Waterhouse, American physician co-founder of Harvard Medical School, and smallpox vaccine pioneer, born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 1846) 1765 - Charles Dibdin, British composer, author (Sea Songs), and actor, baptized in Hampshire, England (d. 1814) 1877 - Garrett Morgan, American inventor (gas mask and traffic signal), born in Claysville, Kentucky (d. 1963) 1917 - Clyde McCullough, American baseball player (d. 1982) 1932 - Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, American custom hot rod car designer, born in Beverly Hills, California (d. 2001) 1947 - Jan Garbarek, Norwegian jazz saxophonist, born in Mysen, Norway More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1733 - Claude de Forbin, French naval commander, dies at 76 1858 - Matthew C. Perry, Commodore of the United States Navy who opened Japan to Western influence and trade, dies of rheumatism at 63 1866 - Alexander Campbell, Irish-American clergyman and Founder of Disciples of Christ, dies at 77 1989 - James A. Parsons, American metallurgist and inventor (stainless steel), dies at 88 2007 - Sunil Kumar Mahato, Indian parliamentarian, assassinated by Communist rebels at 41 2012 - Runako Morton, West Indian cricketer, dies in a traffic collision at 33 More Famous Deaths »

1845 - Florida becomes 27th state of the Union 1893 - US Congress authorizes 1st federal road agency, in Department of Agriculture 1931 - "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially becomes US national anthem by congressional resolution; lyrics by Francis Scott Key in 1814, set to John Stafford Smith's 18th century tune "The Anacreontic Song" 1943 - Bethnal Green Tube disaster: 173 die in a stampede sheltering in an air raid, UK's greatest loss of civilian life in WWII (details censored till January 20 1945) 1943 - Battle of the Bismarck Sea: Australian and American air forces devastate Japanese navy convoy 1950 - National-American Football League reverts to calling itself the NFL after 3 months 1959 - British government arrests Hastings Banda of Nyasaland, ends emergency crisis 1978 - 1st day of Test cricket for Desmond Haynes (WI v Australia) 1980 - Pierre Trudeau sworn in, for the second time, as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada 2004 - Belgian brewer Interbrew and Brazilian rival AmBev agreed to merge in a $11.2 billion deal forming InBev, the world's largest brewer More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1905 - US Forest Service forms 1917 - First major strike of the Russian "February Revolution" starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [OS=Feb 18] 1942 - 1st combat flight for Canadian British-built Avro Lancaster bomber 1981 - NY Islanders and Edmonton Oilers play to an 8-8 tie 1992 - Charges are filed in Florida against NY Mets Darryl Boston, Vince Coleman and Dwight Gooden of rape (dropped in April) 2021 - Great apes at San Diego Zoo reported given experimental COVID-19 vaccine designed for animals after earlier outbreak among the gorillas (San Diego, California) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1814 - Charles Kensington Salaman, British pianist and synagogue music composer, born in London, England (d. 1901) 1880 - Florence Auer, American actress (Eradicating Aunty), born in Albany, New York (d. 1962) 1893 - Beatrice Wood, American artist, ceramist and editor (The Blind Man, inspiration for Titanic film character Rose), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1998) 1913 - Roger Caillois, French writer and scholar (Les Jeux et les Hommes), born in Reims, France (d. 1978) 1920 - Julius Boros, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1968, US Open 1952, 63), born in Fairfield, Connecticut (d. 1994) 1945 - Farooq Hamid, cricketer (1-107 in Test, Pakistan v Australia 1964) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1459 - Ausiàs March, Catalan poet of Valencian literature, dies at 59 1927 - J.G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh motor-racing driver (b. 1884) 1973 - Vera Panova, Russian author and journalist (Sputniki), dies at 67 1996 - Ludwig Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord, German journalist, dies at 76 2000 - Toni Ortelli, Italian composer ("La Montanara" (The Song of the Mountains), conductor, and alpinist, dies at 95 2004 - Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director (b. 1958) More Famous Deaths »

1865 - Freedman's Bureau founded for Black Education, 1865 1888 - The Convention of Constantinople signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace 1934 - Union Pacific tests light-weight high-speed passenger train, Omaha 1939 - Massachusetts Legislature votes to ratify the US Bill of Rights - 147 years late 1986 - Edmonton's Finnish right wing Jari Kurri scores 2 goals, including the overtime winner, to lead Oilers to a 2-1 win over Philadelphia; Kurri, 100 points for the 4th straight NHL season 1991 - "La Bete" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 24 performances 1996 - Despite Sachin Tendulkar's masterful 137 in India's 3 for 272, Sri Lanka wins Cricket World Cup match in Delhi by 6 wickets; Sanath Jayasuriya 79, Hashan Tillakaratne 70no 2000 - Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet heads home after being told the UK would not extradite him on torture charges 2021 - Six books by Dr. Seuss will cease publication because of racist and insensitive imagery according to Dr. Seuss Enterprises 2023 - UN confirms it will ignore statements made by an Indian guru and now fugitive from the fictional country of the United States of Kailasa, made attending official UN events in Geneva More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1861 - Government Printing Office purchases 1st printing plant, Washington 1925 - Japan's House of Representatives recognizes male suffrage 1965 - Montcalm Community College founded in Sidney, Mich 1989 - GreenLeft (GroenLinks) political party forms from merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals, and the Evangelical People's Party in the Netherlands 2002 - U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: US conventional forces first deployed as part of Operation Anaconda 2014 - President Vladimir Putin receives unanimous approval from Russia's parliament to send troops to Ukraine More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1769 - DeWitt Clinton, American politician (Senator, Governor and Mayor of New York, had Erie Canal constructed), born in Little Britain, New York (d. 1828) 1779 - Joel Roberts Poinsett, American statesman and botanist (d. 1851) 1916 - Bernard George Stevens, British composer, born in London, England (d. 1983) 1947 - Harry Redknapp, English soccer winger (West Ham United; AFC Bournemouth) and manager (Bournemouth, West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth, QPR, Southampton), born in London, England 1952 - Mark Evanier, American writer 1954 - Pete Johnson, American football running back (Pro Bowl, 2nd Team All Pro 1981; Cincinnati Bengals; Ohio State University), born in Fort Valley, Georgia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1127 - Charles, the Good, Count of Flanders, murdered 1943 - Alexandre Yersin, Swiss French bacteriologist (discovered bubonic plague bacillus), dies at 79 1985 - John Kelly Jr, American rower (Olympic bronze single sculls 1956; president US Olympic Committee 1985) and brother of Grace Kelly, dies at 57 1994 - Charles Brink, German-born British classical scholar (Horace), dies at 86 2015 - Mal Peet, British children's author, dies at 67 2017 - Simon Hobday, South African golfer (US Senior Open 1994), dies of cancer at 76 More Famous Deaths »

1872 - Yellowstone becomes the world's 1st national park 1913 - 1First state law requiring bonding of officers and state employees, ND 1941 - Former University of Notre Dame star fullback Elmer Layden is named first Commissioner of the NFL 1953 - After an all-night movie and dinner session with his top advisers, Joseph Stalin suffers a stroke and collapses. He dies four days later. 1966 - Venera 3 becomes 1st man-made object to impact on a planet (Venus) 1991 - 37 year-old Pat Day becomes the 6th jockey in history whose mounts earned $100 million when he rides Wild Sierra to 2nd-place in the 1st race at Oaklawn Park, Arkansas 1992 - "Visit" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 45 performances 1993 - New expansion NHL team, owned in Anaheim, CA by Disney, receives its name, inspired by the 1992 Disney movie 'The Mighty Ducks' 2003 - Legendary Mount St. Mary's basketball head coach Jim Phelan wins final game of 49 year career as Mountaineers win 60-56 over Central Connecticut State; Phelan: 830 wins in NCAA record 1,354 games 2004 - Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum becomes President of Iraq. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1847 - Michigan becomes 1st English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty (except for treason against the state) 1946 - Panama accepts its new constitution 1970 - End of US commercial whale hunting 1984 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR #3931 Batten, #4529 Webern, #4530 Smoluchowski, #4818 Elgar, #5502 Brashear and #5943 Lovi 1991 - US Embassy in Kuwait officially reopens 2023 - At least 1000 Iranian school girls exposed to toxic gas attacks, since November, amid accusations they are an attempt to close schools after girls participated in recent anti-government protests More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1432 - Isabel of Coimbra, Queen of Portugal (d. 1455) 1734 - Pieter Valck, Dutch artist and sculptor (d. 1783) 1822 - Albin Francisco Schoepf, Polish-American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Podgórze, Kraków, Poland (d. 1886) 1837 - William Dean Howells, American novelist, critic and editor (Atlantic), born in Martinsville, Ohio (d. 1920) 1920 - Howard Nemerov, American poet, two-time US Poet Laureate and novelist (Blue Swallows), born in New York City (d. 1991) 1956 - Timothy Daly, American actor (Joe-Wings, Diner, Made in Heaven), born in Sufferin, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1510 - Francisco de Almeida, Portuguese soldier, explorer and 1st Viceroy of India dies at Table Bay, Africa at about 59 1826 - Friedrich Weinbrenner, German architect, dies at 59 1906 - Moritz Heyne, German germanist (Beowulf), dies at 68 1928 - Jacob Adolf Hägg, Swedish composer, dies at 77 1980 - Dixie Dean, English soccer striker (16 caps; Everton), dies from a heart attack at 73 1991 - Scott Huston, American composer, dies at 74 More Famous Deaths »