CoM Moderators

1797 - Trinidad, West Indies, a Spanish colony, surrenders to the British 1821 - Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire begins 1828 - 1st American Indian newspaper in US, "Cherokee Phoenix", published 1916 - World War I: Battle of Verdun begins with a German offensive, leads to an estimated 1 million casualties and becomes the longest battle of the entire war (9 months) 1921 - Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country's first constitution 1927 - Franz Lehár's opera "Der Zarewitsch" premieres 1958 - Egypt-Syria as United Arab Republic elect Nasser president (99.9% vote) 1969 - Ted Williams signs 5-year contract to manage Washington Senators 1978 - Electrical workers accidentally discover the Aztec Templo Mayor, or High Temple, two blocks from Mexico City's central square, the Zócalo 2015 - 35th Golden Raspberry Awards: "Saving Christmas" wins worst film More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1440 - The Prussian Confederation is formed 1911 - Gustav Mahler conducts his last concerto, Berceuse élégiaque, in New York City 1982 - "Little Me" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 36 performances 1993 - Sergei Bubka pole vaults world record indoor (6.15 m) 1995 - RAF-pilot Jo Salter is 1st woman to fly in a tornado 1997 - NASA's STS 82 (Space Shuttle Discovery 22) lands More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1880 - Frank Orth, American actor (Boston Blackie, Brothers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1962) 1887 - Savielly Tartakower, Austrian-Polish-French chess player, born in Rostov-on-Don, Russian Empire (d. 1956) 1925 - Al Fann, American actor (Alvin-He's the Mayor), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2018) 1949 - Jerry Harrison, American rock keyboardist and guitarist (Talking Heads; solo "Rev It Up"), and record producer (Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Bo-Deans; The String Cheese Incident), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1958 - Steve Nieve [Nason], British session and touring keyboard player and composer (Elvis Costello), born in Bishop’s Stortford, England 1970 - Marc Woodard, American NFL linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Kosciusko, Mississippi More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1846 - Emperor Ninko, 120th Emperor of Japan (1817-46), dies at 45 1918 - Neltje Blanchan, American nature writer, dies at 52 1919 - Mary Edwards Walker, American surgeon and feminist, only woman awarded Medal of Honor (US Civil War), dies at 86 1941 - Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, dies in a plane crash at 49 1985 - Ina Claire [Fagan], American stage and screen actress (Ninotchika), dies of a heart attack at 91 1993 - Dick White, British intelligence officer (Director General of MI5 1953–1956; Head of the Secret Intelligence Service 1956–1968), dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1865 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology forms 1st US collegiate architectural school 1956 - WOSU TV channel 34 in Columbus, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting 1963 - Australian cricket greats Neil Harvey and Alan Davidson play final Test match in drawn 5th Test vs England at the Sydney Cricket Ground 1975 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR 1989 - Members of 1949 Oklahoma football team cancel an April reunion because of the deplorable conduct of Oklahoma players 1998 - Vancouver Canucks' right wing Pavel Bure scores 5 goals for Russia in a 7-4 semi-final win over Finland at the Nagano Winter Olympics 1999 - Toronto Maple Leafs play their first NHL home game at Air Canada Centre; Steve Thomas scores overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens 2013 - Estonia becomes the first country to establish a national system of fast chargers for electric cars 2014 - Marie-Philip Poulin scores in overtime to lead Canada to a 3-2 win over the US and 4th consecutive Olympic women's ice hockey gold medal at the Sochi Winter Games 2017 - Famine is declared in Unity State, South Sudan, affecting 4.9 million More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1926 - Montreal and Ottawa battle out just the second 0-0 tie in NHL history; dominant goalies are Clint Benedict (Maroons) and Alex Connell (Senators) 1971 - National Emergency Center erroneously orders US radio and TV stations to go off the air. Mistake wasn't resolved for 30 minutes 1976 - The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands. 1988 - Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria sets high jumps indoor world record (2.06 m) 1988 - Andre Hoffmann skates world record 1500m (1:52.06) 2014 - Aberdeen, Washington unveils statue of a weeping Kurt Cobain at park named after the singer More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1779 - Augustus Callcott, English landscape painter, born in Kensington Gravel Pits, England (d. 1844) 1794 - William Carleton, Irish novelist (d. 1869) 1802 - Charles-Auguste de Beriot, Belgian violinist and composer, born in Leuven, Belgium (d. 1870) 1967 - Kurt Knudsen, American baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers) 1971 - Shawn McKenzie, American programmer 1978 - Julia Jentsch, German actress More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1855 - Joseph Hume, Scottish doctor and social reformer, dies at 78 1860 - Henry Drummond, English banker and religious leader, dies at 69 1911 - (Peter) Nicolai von Wilm, German-Baltic pianist and composer, dies at 76 1976 - Kathryn Kuhlman, religious leader/faith healer, dies 2004 - J. J. Malone, American soul singer ("It's A Shame"), dies of cancer at 68 2005 - John Raitt, American stage and screen singer and actor (Carousel; Pajama Game), dies from pneumonia at 88 More Famous Deaths »

1574 - Spanish troops plunder Krommenie, Wormerveer and Jisp, Netherlands 1600 - Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in South American recorded history 1900 - British troops occupy Hlangwane, Natal 1928 - II Winter Olympic Games close at St Moritz, Switzerland 1946 - New York Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is 1st major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Baseball League for a fee of $10,000 1950 - Groundbreaking ceremony held for Mississippi Vocational College (later Mississippi Valley State University) 1953 - William Inge's "Picnic" premieres in NYC 1985 - ADM of Amsterdam declares bankruptcy 1995 - Kenneth Koch wins Bollingen Prize for One Train (1994) and On The Great Atlantic Rainway: Selected Poems 1950-1988 (1994) 2023 - Brazilian state of Sao Paulo hit by flooding and landslides after heavy rain, with at least 44 killed and 800 homeless More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1594 - Having already inherited the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth through his mother, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, succeeding his father John III of Sweden. 1897 - Inaugural meeting of the Women's Institute at Stoney Creek, Ontario, set at the suggestion of Adelaide Hoodless, the organization will rapidly spread around the world 1928 - World champion French team Andrée Joly and Pierre Brunet win the Olympic pairs figure skating gold medal at the St. Moritz Winter Games; the couple marry in 1929 and take 2nd straight gold in 1932 1943 - German tanks under Major General Karl Buelowius attack Kasserine Pass, Tunisia 1977 - France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll 1987 - Musical revue "Stardust - The Mitchell Parish Musical", featuring songs of the Lithuanian-American lyricist, opens at Biltmore Theater, NYC; runs for 101 performances More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1755 - Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten, Dutch Governor-General of Dutch East Indies (1796-1801), born in Bergen op Zoom (d. 1801) 1881 - Evert Gorter, Dutch children's pioneering paediatrician (founder of Dutch medical child care), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1954) 1916 - Eddie Arcaro, American Racing Hall of Fame jockey (Triple Crown 1941 Whirlaway, 1948 Citation), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1997) 1952 - Gaëtan Dugas, French Canadian flight attendant and HIV patient erroneously vilifed as "Patient Zero", born in Quebec City, Quebec (d. 1984) 1970 - Ruwan Kalpage, Sri Lankan cricket off-spinner 1983 - Assunta De Rossi, Filipino actress More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1936 - Charles Harding Firth, British historian (b. 1857) 1994 - Vittorio Rieti, Jewish Italian-American composer, dies at 96 1995 - John Howard, American actor (The Philadelphia Story; My Three Sons), dies of heart failure at 81 1996 - Brenda Bruce, actress (December Bride, Nightmare), dies at 77 2016 - [Nelle] Harper Lee, American author (To Kill a Mockingbird), dies at 89 2023 - Richard Belzer, American comedian, actor (Homicide: Life on the Street; Law and Order: SVU - both shows "Det. John Munch") and author (How To Be A Stand-Up; UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to Be Crazy to Believe), dies at 78 More Famous Deaths »

1503 - Henry Tudor (later Henry VIII) appointed Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the English throne 1884 - General Charles Gordon arrives in Khartoum 1899 - San Francisco named as a port of dispatch for Army transports 1924 - US Men's Figure Skating championship won by Sherwin Badger 1928 - Norway goes 1-2 in the ski jumping at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics with Alf Andersen taking gold ahead of Sigmund Ruud 1928 - USA 2 beats USA 1 by 0.5s for the 5-man bobsleigh gold medal at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; Germany 2 takes bronze 1930 - US astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto 2007 - 56th NBA All-Star Game, Thomas and Mack Center, Paradise, NV: West beats East, 153-132; MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F 2013 - 15 people are killed by flooding and landslides in Indonesia 2023 - Global financial system is "dysfunctional and unfair" and is "failing developing countries" according to UN Secretary General António Guterres at opening of African Union leaders' summit in Ethiopia More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1856 - The American Party (Know-Nothings) convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate its first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore. 1900 - British troops occupy Monte Christo, Natal 1943 - Members of student non-violent resistance group "White Rose" arrested by Nazis after distributing pamphlets in Munich, Germany 1951 - Netherlands Radio School forms 1953 - "Maggie" opens at National Theater NYC for 5 performances 2019 - British parliamentary committee issues scathing report on Facebook, accusing company of breaking privacy laws, calling for new regulations More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1543 - Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1608) 1898 - Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1980) 1922 - Rolf "Hazy" Osterwald, Swiss jazz bandleader, trumpeter, and vibraphonist, born in Bern, Switzerland (d. 2012) 1964 - Paul Hanley, British musician (The Fall, Tom Hingley and the Lovers), born in Manchester, England 1967 - Harry Van Barneveld, Belgian judoka, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands 1974 - Jamey Carroll, American baseball player, born in Evansville, Indiana More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1915 - Frank James, American outlaw (member of the James-Younger gang), dies at 72 1976 - Anton Betzner, writer, dies at 81 1977 - Maria Realino [Frederikus Janssen], teacher (Botany of Curacao), dies at 87 1995 - John Rhea "Yank" Lawson, American jazz trumpeter (Dogtown Blues, Stormy Weather), dies of a heart attack at 84 2006 - Richard Bright, American actor (Al Neri-Godfather), dies at 68 2008 - Alain Robbe-Grillet, French novelist (Voyeur) and film maker, dies of heart failure at 85 More Famous Deaths »

1776 - 1st volume of Edward Gibbon's seminal work "The Decline and Fall of Roman Empire" published 1933 - First issue of American news magazine "Newsweek" is published 1940 - Altmark Incident: Crew of the British destroyer "Cossack" board German "Altmark" in Jøssingfjord, Norway, releasing 299 British prisoners after hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and the last recorded Royal Naval action with cutlass 1956 - Ice Pairs Championship at Garmisch won by Schwarz and Oppelt of AUT 1969 - Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash record an album; it is never released 1976 - Macau adopts constitution (Organic Law of Macau) 1986 - 1st Francophone Summit convenes at Versailles 1996 - Garry Kasparov defeats chess-playing computer Deep Blue 4-2 2012 - The President of Germany, Christian Wulff, resigns over a corruption scandal 2013 - 5 people are killed and 11 are injured after a gas explosion destroyed an apartment complex in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, Czech Republic More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1854 - Britain recognises independence of Orange Free State (South Africa) 1878 - 1st telephone exchange in San Francisco, California opens with 18 phones 1916 - Sigmund Romberg, James Hanley, Harold R. Atteridge and Edgar Smith's musical "Robinson Crusoe Jr", featuring Al Jolson, opens at the Winter Garden Theatre, NYC; runs for 139 performances 1924 - American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller sets 100m world freestyle record 57.4s at Miami, Florida 1928 - American brothers, Jennison and John Heaton fight out the top placings in the cresta (now known as skeleton) at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; Jennison takes the gold by 1.0s 2020 - Amazon boss Jeff Bezos pledges $10 billion to help fight climate change More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1850 - Anton Urspruch, German composer, born in Frankfurt (d. 1907) 1892 - Theodor Plievier, German writer (Des Kaisers Kulis [The Kaiser's Coolies]; Stalingrad), born in Berlin, German Empire (d. 1955) 1906 - Ramon Tapales, Filipino composer and conductor, born in Baybay, Philippines (d. 1995) 1934 - Alan Bates, British actor (Zorba the Greek; An Unmarried Woman; The Rose), born in Allestree, Derby, England (d. 2003) 1969 - Levon Kirkland, American NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Lamar, South Carolina 1971 - Jeremy Edwards, British actor (Holby City), born in London, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1609 - Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, dies at 59 1924 - Henry Bacon, American architect (Lincoln Memorial), dies at 57 1970 - Alfred Newman, American film music arranger, conductor and composer, winner of 9 Academy Awards (The Robe; How The West Was Won; Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing), dies at 69 1985 - Wanda Perry, actress (Roberta, Death of a Salesman), dies at 67 1993 - Alfredo de Leon, leader (Philippines Red Scorpio Gang), killed 2021 - Gianluigi Saccaro, Italian fencer (Olympic gold épée team 1960; silver épée team 1964; bronze épée 1968), dies at 82 More Famous Deaths »

1646 - Battle of Great Torrington, Devon - the last major battle of the first English Civil War 1804 - US Navy Lt Stephen Decatur raids Tripoli Harbor and burns Navy frigate "Philadelphia" after it is seized by pirates 1824 - Athenaeum club founded in London 1892 - Opera "Werther" by Jules Massenet premieres in Vienna 1951 - San Francisco City Hall dome fire 1966 - France performs underground nuclear test at Ecker, Algeria 1975 - 17th Daytona 500: Benny Parsons wins after Cale Yarborough sends race leader David Pearson spinning on the backstretch; Parsons avoids the accident and takes the victory 1984 - 3-time men's figure skating world champion Scott Hamilton of the US wins the gold medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics from Brian Orser of Canada and Jozef Sabovčík of Czechoslovakia 1992 - Ethiopia finds the remains of former Emperor Haile Selassie on the grounds of the Imperial Palace, under the private lavatory of dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, who overthrew the Emperor 2016 - China announces it will relocate 9,000 people in Guizhou province, before completion of world's largest telescope (FAST), designed to look for extraterrestrial life More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1854 - Franz Liszt's symphony "Orpheus" premieres 1903 - -59°F (-51°C), Pokegama Dam, Minnesota (state record) 1914 - 1st airplane flight from LA to SF 1943 - Withdrawing Afrika Korps reaches Mareth-line in North Africa 2005 - 2004-05 NHL season is cancelled by Commissioner Gary Bettman; first time a North American professional sports league has called off a season due to labor dispute 2018 - Swiss cross country skier Dario Cologna wins 4th career Olympic gold medal in the 15k freestyle in Pyeongchang; wins event in Vancouver (2010), and 15k classical and 30k skiathlon in Sochi (2014) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1620 - Frederick William, Great Elector, ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia (1640-88), born in Berlin (d. 1688) 1916 - Charlie Fowlkes, American baritone saxophonist (Count Basie Orchestra, 1953-80), born in New York City (d. 1980) 1931 - George E. Sangmeister, American politician (Rep-D-Illinois 1989-95), born in Frankfort, Illinois (d. 2007) 1938 - John Corigliano, American composer (Fern Hill, Ghosts of Versailles), born in New York City 1954 - Margaux Hemingway, actress (Lipstick, They Call Me Bruce), born in Portland, Oregon 1954 - Michael Holding, West Indian cricket fast bowler (60 Tests, 249 wickets, BB 8/92; Jamaica, Derbyshire CCC, Lancashire CCC) and broadcaster (Sky Sports), born in Kingston, Jamaica More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1279 - Afonso III, King of Portugal (1248-79), dies at 68 1560 - Jean du Bellay, French Catholic cardinal and diplomat 1993 - Donald Phelps, American actor (Ghost Ship), dies of AIDS at 61 1993 - Richard Salant, news president (CBS-60 Minutes), dies at 78 2018 - Hubert Doggart, English cricket batsman (2 Tests; Cambridge University CC, Sussex CCC) and executive (President MCC 1981–82), dies at 92 2020 - Barry Hulshoff, Dutch soccer defender (14 caps; European Cup 1971, 72, 73; Ajax Amsterdam), dies at 73 More Famous Deaths »

1676 - Isaac Newton writes to Robert Hooke “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants” (O.S. 5 Feb) 1848 - Sarah Roberts barred from white school in Boston 1954 - WRDW TV channel 12 in Augusta, GA (CBS) begins broadcasting 1958 - Ice Dance Championship at Paris won by June Markham/Courtney Jones GRB 1972 - Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time. 1972 - Newly-formed NHL franchise New York Islanders hire Bill Torrey as their first General Manager 1996 - NFL coaching maestro Bill Belichick is fired by Cleveland, finishing his Browns coaching career with a record of 36-44 1999 - 7th ESPY Awards: Mark McGwire, Chamique Holdsclaw win 2018 - First known case of transgender woman breastfeeding reported in "Transgender Health Journal" in US 2019 - US President Donald Trump declares a national emergency to divert funds to build a border wall, after signing bipartisan spending agreement to avoid another government shutdown More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1686 - Jean Baptiste Lully's opera "Armide" premieres in Paris 1950 - WM Inge's "Come Back, Little Sheba" premieres in NYC 1954 - WRDW TV channel 12 in Augusta, GA (CBS) begins broadcasting 1978 - England all out 64 for 1st loss to NZ in cricket (Geoffrey Boycott captain) 1979 - 21st Grammy Awards: Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are"; A Taste of Honey win 1989 - Soviet military occupation of Afghanistan ends as the last Soviet troops cross the Soviet-Afghan border More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1739 - Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect (d. 1813) 1931 - [Patricia] Claire Bloom, British actress (Charly, Look Back in Anger), born in London, England 1931 - W K Reid, British ombudsman 1937 - Terry Everett, American politician (Rep-R-Alabama 1993-2009), born in Dothan, Alabama 1939 - Robert Hansen, American serial killer 1979 - Adam Granduciel [Granofsky], American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer (The War on Drugs - "Thinking Of A Place"; "Holding On": The Violators, 2003-11), born in Dover, Massachusetts More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1923 - Josephine Beall Bruce, African-American activist (NACW), dies at 69 1932 - Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress (Henrik Ibsen's plays), dies at 66 1961 - Dudley Richards, American figure skater (U.S. Pairs champion, 1961), dies in a plane crash at 29 2005 - Pierre Bachelet, French singer and songwriter, dies of lung cancer at 60 2021 - Vincent Jackson, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 2009, 11, 12; SD Chargers, TB Buccaneers), dies at 38 2023 - Raquel Welch (née Tejada), American stage and screen (Myra Breckenridge; One Million Years B.C.; 100 Rifles), and nightclub singer, dies at 82 More Famous Deaths »

842 - Charles II and Louis the German sign The Oaths of Strasbourg, a pact uniting their armies in fights against their older brother Lothar 1670 - Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I chases Jews out of Vienna 1804 - Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general who plotted to overthrow Napoleon in the Pichegru Conspiracy, arrested, and exiled to the United States 1918 - Harold R. Atteridge and Sigmund Romberg's musical "Sinbad", starring Al Jolson, opens at the Winter Garden Theatre, NYC; runs for 164 performances 1945 - Peru, Paraguay, Chile and Ecuador joins UN 1949 - 1st session of Knesset (Jerusalem Israel) 1956 - Verhoeven, Nauta and De King/Wijnhout win Dutch 11 city skate 1959 - $3.6 million heroin seizure in NYC 1984 - Canadian speed skater Gaétan Boucher takes out the 1,000m gold medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; also wins 1,500m; narrowly beats Soviet skater Sergey Khlebnikov in both events 1989 - World's 1st satellite Skyphone opens More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1076 - Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (for the 1st time) 1872 - 1st US state bird refuge authorized (Lake Merritt, California) 1929 - St Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, 7 gangsters killed, allegedly on Al Capone's orders 1968 - WHKY TV channel 14 in Hickory, NC (IND) begins broadcasting 1980 - US launches Solar Maximum Mission Observatory to study solar flares 2002 - Fishing vessel Tullaghmurray Lass sinks off the coast of Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland killing three members of the same family on board More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1895 - Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (Dialectic of Enlightenment, Eclipse of Reason), born in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, Germany (d. 1973) 1926 - (Alexander) "Bobby" Kok, Boer-British classical and session cellist (BBC Symphony; George Harrison - "When We Was Fab"), born in Brakpan, Union of South Africa, (d. 2015) 1943 - Griselda Blanco 'Cocaine Godmother', Colombian drug lord, born in Cartagena, Colombia (d. 2012) 1958 - Perry Stephens, German actor (Loving, All My Children), born in Frankfurt, Germany 1972 - Erika Rachael Schwarz, Miss America (Louisiana-2nd-1997), born in Folsom, Louisiana 1983 - Rhydian Roberts, Welsh Singer (X Factor runner up), born in Sennybridge, United Kingdom More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1760 - François Colin de Blamont, French composer, dies at 69 1870 - St. John Richardson Liddell, American Civil War Confederate General, dies at 54 1884 - Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, 1st wife of Theodore Roosevelt, dies of Bright's disease at 22 1955 - Charles Cuvillier, French composer of operetta (The Naughty Princess), dies at 77 1994 - Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet-Russian serial killer who murdered at least 52 women and children between 1978 and 1990, executed by a single gunshot at 57 2010 - Dick Francis, British jockey and detective writer (Whip Hand, High Stakes), dies at 89 More Famous Deaths »

1349 - Jews are expelled from Burgdorf, Switzerland, accused of spreading the Bubonic Plague 1899 - -1°F (-18°C) New Orleans, La 1929 - Cruiser Act, USA, approves the construction of 19 new cruisers and an aircraft carrier 1940 - Bradman scores 209* in 161 minutes for South Aust at the WACA 1965 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gary Visconti 1979 - Formation of Guardian Angels crime fighters in New York City 1994 - Inna Lassovskaya jumps world record 14.9m 1995 - West Indies beat NZ by innings and 332, Courtney Walsh 13-55 2014 - Polish cross country skier Justyna Kowalczyk follows her Vancouver (2010) Olympic women's 30k classical title with a gold medal in the 10k classical in Sochi 2020 - Premier of Tania León's "Stride" for the New York Philharmonic at the David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City (2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1502 - Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, new Governor of the Indies sets sail for the Indies with fleet of 30 ships, largest-ever fleet to the New World 1968 - US sends 10,500 additional soldiers to Vietnam 1980 - NZ beats West Indies by one wicket in cricket at Dunedin 1995 - 3rd ESPY Awards: Steve Young, Bonnie Blair win 2000 - 49th NBA All-Star Game, Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA: West beats East, 137-127; MVPs: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, F; Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers, C 2009 - The Dutch Statistics agency confirms the Netherlands are in recession More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1610 - Jean de la Badie, French theologian, founder of Labadists, born in Bourg, Bordeaux, France (d. 1674) 1728 - John Hunter, Scottish surgeon and founder of pathological anatomy in England, born in Long Calderwood, Scotland (d. 1793) 1769 - Ivan Krylov, Russian fabulist, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1844) 1870 - Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist, composer (Java Suite; Triakontameron; 53 Studies on Chopin's Études), and pedagogue, born in Žasliai, Russian Empire (now Lithuania), (d. 1938) 1888 - Georgios Papandreou, Greek politician and Prime Minister of Greece (1944–45, 1963, 1964–65), born in Kalentzi, Achaea, Greece (d. 1968) 1908 - Lennie Hayton, American pianist, composer, conductor and arranger (Paul Whiteman; Bing Crosby; MGM), born in New York City (d. 1971) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1914 - Alphonse Bertillon, French police officer and anthropologist (devised crime ID system), dies at 60 1927 - Brooks Adams, American philosopher (New Empire), dies at 78 1966 - Marguerite Long, French concert pianist (Ravel) and teacher (Paris Conservatoire, 1906-40), dies at 91 1966 - Elio Vittorini, Italian writer (Conversations in Sicily), dies at 57 2002 - Pauline Trigère, French-American fashion designer (Bell Bottoms), dies at 93 2023 - Conrad Dobler, American football guard (Pro Bowl 1975, 76, 77; St. Louis Cardinals; famous for unsportsmanlike play), dies at 72 More Famous Deaths »

1855 - Michigan State University established 1934 - The four-day February Uprising, sometimes called the Austrian Civil War, begins 1964 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Allen 1964 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming 1981 - Pete Squires sets record for 1575 steps of Empire State Building, 10m 2012 - Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow is re-elected President of Turkmenistan with 97% of the vote 2013 - North Korea allegedly conducts its third nuclear test, saying it was a nuclear device that could be weaponized 2016 - Fiji becomes the first country to ratify the UN climate deal (signed Paris, December 2015) 2019 - US national debt tops 22 trillion for the first time according to US Treasury 2023 - Super Bowl LVII, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona: Kansas City Chiefs beat Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35; MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KC, QB More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1793 - 1st US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves 1818 - Chile gains independence from Spain 1925 - E. Thieffry departs with Handley Page for the Belgian Congo 1938 - Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg visits Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden 1997 - Fred Goldman says he will settle for a signed murder confession from O.J. Simpson in lieu of his $20.5 million judgement 2007 - A gunman opens fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing 5 people in the Trolley Square shooting. More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1907 - Clifton C. Edom, American photojournalism educator (d. 1991) 1920 - Pran Krishan Sikand, Indian actor often cast as the villain in Hindi cinema (Khandaan, Be-Imaan), born in New Delhi (d. 2013) 1938 - Judy Blume, American author (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey 1969 - Byron Stroud, Canadian heavy metal bassist, born in New Westminster, British Columbia 1976 - Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby union footballer, born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand 1985 - Saskia Burmeister Croft, Australian actress, born in Sydney, Australia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1903 - Gaspar Núñez de Arce, Spanish dramatist and statesman (b. 1834) 1981 - Jean Dixon, American actress (Joy of Living, You Only Live Once), dies at 87 1996 - Bob Shaw, Northern Irish novelist (b. 1931) 2000 - (Jalacy) "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, American blues-rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter ("I Put a Spell On You"), and actor, dies of an aneurysm at 70 2004 - Robert A. Bruce, American cardiologist and pioneer (exercise cardiology), dies at 87 2022 - Brian Kan, Chinese thoroughbred horse trainer (5 x Hong Kong champion trainer; 5 x HK Derby winners), dies at 84 More Famous Deaths »

1543 - Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and English King Henry VIII sign anti-French covenant 1897 - White Rose Mission opens on East 97th Street, NYC 1929 - Vatican City, the world's smallest country, is made an enclave of Rome 1945 - 1st gas turbine propeller-driven airplane flight tested, Downey, CA 1948 - John Costello follows Eamon Da Valera as premier of Ireland 1951 - Kwame Nkrumah and his Convention People's Party wins 1st legislative general election in the Gold Coast (Ghana) in a landslide 1953 - J Styne and Bob Hilliard's musical "Hazel Flagg" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 190 performances 1956 - British diplomats Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean deny working as spies for Soviet Russia after reappearing in the Soviet Union after going missing 5 years earlier 1979 - Iran's premier Bakhtiar resigns, Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power 1992 - Michael Johnson runs indoor world record 400m (44.97 sec) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1814 - Norway's independence proclaimed 1929 - Eugene O'Neill's play "Dynamo" premieres in NYC 1989 - Barbara Clementine Harris consecrated 1st female bishop (Episcopalian) 1994 - Space shuttle STS-60 (Discovery 18), lands 1995 - Space shuttle STS-63 (Discovery 19), lands 2020 - "The Hot Wing King" a play by Katori Hall premieres off-Broadway at Signature Theatre in New York (Pulitzer Prize 2021 for Drama) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1889 - Vladimir Mikhaylovich Deshevov, Russian-Soviet composer (Ice and Steel), born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1955) 1904 - Keith Holyoake, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (National: 1960-72), born in Pahiatua, New Zealand (d. 1983) 1923 - Sy Kattelson, American photographer, born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2018) 1929 - Leonard Kastle, opera composer, librettist, director (The Passion of Mother Ann), and film maker (The Honeymoon Killers), born in New York City (d. 2011) 1930 - Alevtina Koltschina, USSR, cross coutry relay skier (Olympic gold 1960) 1977 - Mike Shinoda, American musician (Linkin Park, Fort Minor), born in Agoura Hills, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1755 - Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist (b. 1675) 1939 - Franz Schmidt, Austro-Hungarian cellist, pianist, and composer, dies at 64 1944 - Ivan Sollertinski, friend of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, dies 1997 - Don Porter, American actor (Gidget), dies at 84 1999 - Jaki Byard, American jazz pianist (Charlie Mingus), saxophonist, drummer, composer, arranger, and educator, dies from an unsolved gunshot at 76 2021 - Phil Horrocks-Taylor, English rugby union fly half (9 caps England, 1 British and Irish Lions; Leicester Tigers), dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1763 - Treaty of Paris ends French-Indian War, France surrenders Canada to Great Britain 1842 - Moreton Bay Penal Colony abolished and opened for free settlement (modern city of Brisbane, Australia) 1931 - Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical "America's Sweetheart" premieres on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, NYC 1934 - Byrd souvenir sheet issued, NYC; 1st unperforated ungummed US stamp 1953 - Ice Pairs Championship at Davos won by Jennifer and John Nicks of GRB 1970 - Dry powder avalanche moving at 120 mph smashes into youth hostel at Val d'Isere, France, killing 40 Belgian, French, and German youths 1989 - Miami Vice's 100th episode seen on TV 2013 - 55th Grammy Awards: "Somebody That I Used To Know" (Goyte); "We Are Young" (fun); and "Babel" (Mumford and Sons) win 2014 - After winning Vancouver (2010) Olympic moguls title, Canadian freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau wins 2nd consecutive Olympic gold medal in Sochi; beats teammate Mikaël Kingsbury 2019 - 61st Grammy Awards: Childish Gambino first rapper to win Best Song and Best Record for "This Is America"; Best Album "Golden Hour" Kacey Musgraves More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1899 - -39°F (-39°C), Milligan, Ohio (state lowest record temperature) 1931 - Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical "America's Sweetheart" premieres on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, NYC 1959 - Dutch Princess Wilhelmina publishes "Lonely, but not alone" 1971 - American Mensa Ltd incorporates in New York 1981 - 33rd NHL All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood: Campbell Conference beats Wales Conference, 4-1; MVP: Mike Liut, St. Louis Blues, G 2014 - Canadian short track speed skater Charles Hamelin wins his 3rd career Olympic gold medal in the 1,500m in Sochi; Vancouver (2010) 500m and 5,000m relay champion More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1696 - Johann Melchior Molter, German composer, born in Tiefenort, Thuringia (now Germany) (d. 1765) 1846 - Mildred Childe Lee, American favourite daughter of confederate General Robert E. Lee, born at Arlington Plantation, Virginia (d. 1905) 1888 - Giuseppe Ungaretti, Italian poet (Hermeticism) and journalist, born in Alexandria (d. 1970) 1894 - Roy D'Arcy [Roy Giusti], American actor (Warning Shadows, Revolt of Zombies), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1969) 1913 - Ragnhild Marie Hatton, Norwegian historian, born in Bergen, Norway (d. 1995) 1918 - Gordon Pirie, English Group Captain and politician, born in Oxford (d. 2003) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1543 - Johann Eck, German Scholastic theologian and early counter-reformer against Lutheran challenges, dies a 56 1836 - Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, French chemist (worked with husband Antoine Lavoisier), dies at 78 1927 - Laura Netzel (née Pistolekors), Finnish-Swedish pianist, composer, concert organizer, and humanitarian, dies at 87 1987 - Sadequain, Pakistani artist, painter, calligrapher and artist, dies at 56 1995 - Paul Monette, American writer, dies of AIDS at 49 2001 - Lewis Arquette, American actor (Horror Show; Book of Love), dies at 65 More Famous Deaths »

1941 - Nazi collaborators destroy pro-Jewish café Alcazar Amsterdam (Alcazar refused to hang "No Entry for Jews" signs in front of cafe) 1945 - The Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Venturer sinks U-Boat 864 off the coast of Norway 1945 - WAAF-corporal flies along the tail of a Spitfire 1946 - Dutch Labor Party (Dutch Social Democratic Party) forms 1971 - Apollo 14 returns to Earth 1974 - "Daddy What If" by Bobby Bare peaks at #41 1983 - Belgium buys 44 F-16s 1996 - WYNY-FM in NYC changes calls to WKTU-FM 2014 - Slovak biathlete Anastasiya Kuzmina retains her Olympic 7.5k sprint title (Vancouver 2010) at the Sochi Winter Games 2018 - XXIII Olympic Winter Games open in PyeongChang, South Korea More Historical Events »