Today in History for 26th February 2024

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1773 - State of Pennsylvania approves construction of Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia; it will become the first experiment with the practice of solitary confinement in the United States
1935 - RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt
1971 - Two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers shot and killed by the Irish Republican Army while on mobile patrol in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, North Ireland
2012 - 61st NBA All-Star Game, Amway Centre, Orlando, FL: West beats East, 152-149; MVP: Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder, F
2018 - Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, receives its 1 millionth seed on its 10 year anniversary
2023 - Dilbert comic strip creator Scott Adams faces widespread condemnation for his comments about African Americans in a YouTube show, prompting his strip and up-coming book to be cancelled

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Famous Birthdays

1717 - John Randall, British organist and hymn composer, born in Cambridge, England (d. 1799)
1861 - Ferdinand I, 1st tsar of modern Bulgaria (1908-18), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1948)
1887 - Benegal Narsing Rau, Indian lawyer and civil servant, President of UN Security Council (1950), helped draft India's constitution, born in Mangalore, India (d. 1953)
1958 - Greg Germann, American actor, born in Houston, Texas
1981 - Johnathan Wendel, American professional video gamer, born in Kansas City, Kansas
1984 - Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer, born in Mexico City

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Famous Deaths

1538 - Worp van Thabor, Frisian abbott of Thabor (Chronicon Frisiae), dies
1906 - Manuel Fernandez Caballero, Spanish composer, dies at 70
1941 - Jan Keizer, Zaanse February striker, shot to death
1972 - Tom Manders, Dutch cabaret artist (Dorus), dies at 50
1973 - Doc Hayes, American basketball coach (Southern Methodist University 1947-67), dies in an auto accident at 67
2008 - John Yates, Anglican bishop (Bishop of Lambeth), dies at 82

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