February
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February 1
February 1, 1960 - In Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American students sat
down and ordered coffee at a lunch counter inside a Woolworth's store. They were
refused service, but did not leave. Instead, they waited all day. The
scene was repeated over the next few days, with protests spreading to
other southern states, resulting in the eventual arrest of over 1,600
persons for participating in sit-ins.
February 1, 2003 - Sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in flight over west Texas, killing all seven
crew members. The accident may have resulted from damage caused during
liftoff when a piece of insulating foam from the external fuel tank
broke off, piercing a hole in the shuttle's left wing that allowed hot
gases to penetrate the wing upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
This was the second space shuttle lost in flight. In January 1986, Challenger exploded during liftoff.
Birthday - Hattie
Caraway (1878-1950) the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, was
born in Bakersville, Tennessee. Her husband became the U.S. Senator
from Arkansas. Following his death in 1931, she filled the remainder
of his term, then was elected herself, serving a total of 14 years.
Birthday - Hollywood
director John Ford (1895-1973) was born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Known
for The Grapes of Wrath and The Searchers, he also served
in World War II as chief of the Photographic Unit of OSS, and earned
two Academy Awards for documentaries made during the war.
February 2
February 2, 1848 - The war between the U.S. and Mexico ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
In exchange for $15 million, the U.S. acquired the areas encompassing
parts or all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico,
Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas. The treaty was ratified on March 10, 1848.
February 2, 1990 - In South Africa, the 30-year-old ban on the African National Congress
was lifted by President F.W. de Klerk, who also promised to free Nelson
Mandela and remove restrictions on political opposition groups.
Birthday - Irish
novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941) was born in Dublin, Ireland.
His works include; Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as
a Young Man, Ulysses, and Finegan's Wake.
February 3
February 3, 1865 - A four-hour peace conference occurred between President Abraham Lincoln
and Confederate Vice President Alexander
Stephens at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The meeting was unsuccessful
as President Lincoln insisted there could be no armistice until the
Confederates acknowledged Federal authority. The Confederates wanted
an armistice first. Thus the Civil War continued.
February 3, 1870 - The 15th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing the right of citizens to
vote, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
February 3, 1913 - The 16th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting Congress the authority to collect
income taxes.
February 3, 1943 - An extraordinary act of heroism
occurred in the icy waters off Greenland after the U.S. Army transport
ship Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo and began to sink
rapidly. When it became apparent there were not enough life jackets,
four U.S. Army chaplains on board removed theirs, handed them to frightened young soldiers, and
chose to go down with the ship while praying.
Birthday - The first
female physician in the U.S., Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) was born
near Bristol, England. As a girl, her family moved to New York State.
She was awarded her MD by the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York,
in 1849. She then established a hospital in New York City run by an
all-female staff. She was also active in training women to be nurses
for service in the American Civil War.
Birthday - American
artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was born in New York
City. Best known for depicting ordinary scenes from small town
American life for the covers of Saturday Evening Post magazine.
February 4
February 4, 1861 -
Apache Chief Cochise was arrested in Arizona by the U.S. Army for raiding
a ranch. Cochise then escaped and declared war, beginning the period
known as the Apache Wars, which lasted 25 years.
February 4, 1985 -
Twenty countries in the United Nations signed a document entitled "Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment."
Birthday - Thaddeus
Kosciusko (1746-1817) was born in Poland. He served in the American
Revolution, building the first fortifications at West Point. He then
returned to Poland and fought against a Russian invasion.
Birthday - Aviation
pioneer Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) was born in Detroit, Michigan.
He made the first non-stop solo flight from New York to Paris, May 20-21,
1927.
February 5 Return
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February 5, 1917 -
The new constitution of Mexico, allowing for sweeping social changes,
was adopted.
February 6
February 6, 1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the new U.S. Constitution,
by a vote of 187 to 168.
February 6, 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution was adopted. It set the date for the Presidential
Inauguration as January 20th, instead of the old date of March 4th. It also
sets January 3rd as the official opening date of Congress.
February 6, 1952 - King George VI of England died. Upon his death, his daughter Princess
Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Her actual coronation took place
on June 2, 1953.
Birthday - Aaron
Burr (1756-1836) was born in Newark, New Jersey. In 1804, Vice President
Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel over Hamilton's negative
remarks and mortally wounded him. Burr was later tried for treason over
allegations he was planning to invade Mexico as part of a scheme to
establish his own empire in the Southwest, but was acquitted.
Birthday - Legendary
baseball player George Herman "Babe" Ruth (1895-1948) was
born in Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth held or shared 60 Major League records,
including pitching 29 consecutive scoreless innings and hitting 714
home runs.
Birthday - Ronald
Reagan, (1911-2004) the 40th U.S. President, was born in Tampico, Illinois. Reagan spent 30 years as an entertainer in radio,
film, and television before becoming governor of California in 1966.
Elected to the White House in 1980, he survived an assassination attempt
and became the most popular president since Franklin Roosevelt.
February 7
February 7, 1795 - The 11th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the powers of the Federal Judiciary
over the states by prohibiting Federal lawsuits against individual states.
Birthday - Thomas
More (1478-1535) was born in London, England. He was a lawyer, scholar,
and held the title Lord Chancellor of England. As a devout Catholic,
he refused to acknowledge the divorce of King Henry VIII from Queen
Catherine, thereby refusing to acknowledge the King's religious supremacy. He was charged with
treason, found guilty and beheaded in 1535, with his head then displayed
from Tower Bridge. Four hundred years later, in 1935, he was canonized by Pope
Pius XI.
Birthday -
British novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born in Portsmouth, England.
He examined social inequalities through his works including; David
Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Nicholas Nickleby.
In 1843, he wrote A Christmas Carol in just a few weeks, an
enormously popular work even today.
Birthday - American
social critic and novelist Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was born in Sauk
Center, Minnesota. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930.
His works include; Main Street, Babbit, and It Can't
Happen Here.
February 8
February 8, 1587 - Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was beheaded at Fotheringhay, England,
after 19 years as a prisoner of Queen Elizabeth I. She became entangled
in the complex political events surrounding the Protestant Reformation
in England and was charged with complicity in a plot to assassinate
Elizabeth.
February 8, 1910 - The Boy Scouts of America was founded by William Boyce in Washington,
D.C., modeled after the British Boy Scouts.
Birthday - Union
Civil War General William
Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) was born in Lancaster, Ohio.
February 9
February 9, 1943 - During World War
II in the Pacific, U.S. troops captured Guadalcanal in the Solomon
Islands after six months of battle, with 9,000 Japanese and 2,000 Americans
killed.
Birthday - William
Henry Harrison (1773-1841) the 9th U.S. President was born in Berkeley,
Virginia. He took office on March 4, 1841 and died only 32 days later
after developing pneumonia from the cold weather during his inaugural ceremonies.
February 10 Return
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February 10, 1942 - The first Medal of Honor during World War II was awarded to 2nd Lt. Alexander Nininger (posthumously)
for heroism during the Battle of Bataan.
February 10, 1967 - The 25th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution was ratified, clarifying the procedures for presidential
succession in the event of the disability of a sitting president.
February 11
February 11th - Celebrated
in Japan as the founding date of the Japanese nation, which occurred
with the accession to the throne of the first Emperor, Jimmu, in 660
BC.
February 11, 1929 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini granted political independence to Vatican City and recognized the sovereignty of the Pope (Holy See)
over the area, measuring about 110 acres.
February 11, 1990 - In South Africa, Nelson Mandela, at age 71, was released from prison
after serving 27 years of a life sentence on charges of attempting to
overthrow the apartheid government. In April 1994, he was elected president
in the first all-race elections.
February 11, 2011 - In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak resigned amid a massive protest calling for his ouster. Thousands of young Egyptians and others had protested non-stop for 18 days in Cairo, Alexandria and elsewhere. Mubarak had ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years, functioning as a virtual dictator.
Birthday - American
inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
was born in Milan, Ohio. Throughout his lifetime he acquired over
1,200 patents including the incandescent bulb, phonograph and movie
camera. Best known for his quote, "Genius is one percent inspiration
and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
February 12
February 12, 1999 - The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in the U.S. Senate ended. With the whole
world watching via television, Senators stood up one by one during the
final roll call to vote "guilty" or "not guilty."
On Article 1 (charging Clinton with perjury) 55 senators, including 10 Republicans
and all 45 Democrats voted not guilty. On Article 2 (charging Clinton with obstruction of
justice) the Senate split evenly, 50 for and 50 against the President.
With the necessary two-thirds majority not having been achieved,
President Clinton was thus acquitted on both charges and served out the
remainder of his term of office lasting through January 20, 2001.
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Birthday - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
the 16th U.S. President was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He led
the nation through the tumultuous Civil War, freed the slaves, composed
the Gettysburg Address, and established Thanksgiving. |
Birthday - Author
and naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was born in Shrewsbury, England.
Best known for his work Origin of the Species concerning the
theory of evolution.
February 13
February 13, 1635 - Boston Latin School, the first tax-payer supported (public) school in America was established
in Boston, Massachusetts.
February 13, 1945 - During World War II in Europe, British and American planes began massive bombing raids on Dresden, Germany. A four-day firestorm erupted that was visible for 200 miles and engulfed the historic
old city, killing an estimated 135,000 German civilians.
Birthday - American
artist Grant Wood (1892-1942) was born near Anamosa, Iowa. Best known
for his painting American Gothic featuring a farm couple.
February 14
February 14th - Celebrated
as (Saint) Valentine's Day around the world, now one of the most widely observed unofficial holidays
in which romantic greeting cards and gifts are exchanged.
February 14, 1849 - Photographer Mathew Brady took the
first photograph of a U.S. President in office, James
Polk.
February 14, 1929 - The St. Valentine's Day massacre occurred in Chicago as seven members
of the Bugs Moran gang were gunned down by five of Al
Capone's mobsters posing as police.
February 15 Return
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February 15, 1898 - In Havana, the U.S. Battleship Maine was blown up while at anchor and quickly sank with 260 crew members lost. The incident inflamed public opinion in
the U.S., resulting in a declaration of war against Spain on April 25,
1898, amid cries of "Remember the Maine!"
February 15, 1933 - An assassination attempt on newly elected U.S. President Franklin
D. Roosevelt occurred in Miami, Florida. A spectator deflected the
gunman's aim. As a result, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was shot and killed
instead. The gunman, an Italian immigrant, was captured and later sentenced
to death.
February 15, 1989 - Soviet Russia completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan after
nine years of unsuccessful involvement in the civil war between Muslim
rebel groups and the Russian-backed Afghan government. Over 15,000 Russian
soldiers had been killed in the fighting.
Birthday - Astronomer
and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was born in Pisa, Italy. He
was the first astronomer to use a telescope and advanced the theory
that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the solar system.
Birthday - Inventor
Cyrus McCormick (1809-1884) was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia.
He invented the horse-drawn mechanical reaper, a machine that freed
farmers from hard labor and contributed to the development and cultivation
of vast areas of the American Great Plains.
Birthday - Susan
B. Anthony (1820-1906) was born in Adams, Massachusetts. A pioneer in women's
rights, she worked tirelessly for woman's suffrage (right to vote) and
in 1872 was arrested after voting (illegally) in the presidential election.
She was commemorated in 1979 with the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin,
thus became the first American woman to have her image on a U.S. coin.
February 16
Birthday - Entertainer
and politician Sonny Bono (1935-1998) was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Following a career as a popular singer, he became mayor of Palm Springs,
California, then became a Republican congressman, serving until his
accidental death from a skiing mishap.
February 17
February 17, 1865 - During the American Civil War, Fort
Sumter in South Carolina was returned to the Union after nearly
a year and a half under Confederate control. The fort had been the scene
of the first shots of the war.
February 17, 1909 - Apache Chief Geronimo (1829-1909)
died while in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He had led a small group
of warriors on raids throughout Arizona and New Mexico. Caught once,
he escaped. The U.S. Army then sent 5,000 men to recapture him.
February 18
Birthday - American
politician Wendell Willkie (1892-1944) was born in Elwood, Illinois.
He was the Republican nominee for president in 1940, running against
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
February 19
February 19, 1942 - Internment of Japanese Americans began after President Franklin Roosevelt issued
an Executive Order requiring those living on the Pacific coast to report
for relocation. Over 110,000 persons therefore shut down their businesses,
sold off their property, quit school and moved inland to the relocation
centers.
Birthday - Astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was born in Torun, Poland. Considered
the founder of modern astronomy, he theorized that the sun, not the
earth, was the center of the solar system.
February 20 Return
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February 20, 1943 - German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel broke through American lines at Kasserine Pass in North Africa as inexperienced
U.S. Troops lost their first major battle of World War II in Europe,
with 1,000 Americans killed.
February 20, 1962 - Astronaut John Glenn became the first American launched into orbit. Traveling aboard the "Friendship 7" spacecraft, Glenn reached an altitude of 162 miles (260 kilometers) and completed three orbits in a flight lasting just under five hours. Glenn was the third American in space, preceded by Alan Shepard and Virgil “Gus” Grissom who had each completed short sub-orbital flights. All of them had been preceded by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who was the first human in space, completing one orbit on April 12, 1961 - a feat that intensified the already ongoing Space Race between the Russians and Americans. Glenn’s successful flight showed the Americans had caught up and was followed in September 1962 by President John F. Kennedy’s open call to land an American on the moon before the decade’s end.
February 21
February 21, 1965 - Former Black Muslim leader Malcolm X (1925-1965) was shot and killed
while delivering a speech in a ballroom in New York City.
February 21, 1972 - President Richard Nixon arrived in
China for historic meetings with Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou
En-lai.
February 21, 1994 - CIA agent Aldrich Ames was arrested on charges he spied for the Soviet
Union from 1985 to 1991.
February 22
February 22, 1956 - In Montgomery, Alabama, 80 participants in the three-month-old bus
boycott voluntarily gave themselves up for arrest after an ultimatum
from white city leaders. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were among
those arrested. Later in 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court mandated desegregation
of the buses.
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Birthday - George
Washington (1732-1799) was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
He served as commander of the Continental Army during the American
Revolution and became the first U.S. President. |
February 23
February 23, 1942 - During World War II, the first attack on the U.S. mainland occurred as a Japanese submarine
shelled an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California, causing minor
damage.
February 23, 1991 - In Desert Storm, the Allied ground offensive began after a devastating
month-long air campaign targeting Iraqi troops in both Iraq and Kuwait.
Birthday - African
American educator and leader W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was born in
Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Birthday - Historian
William L. Shirer (1904-1993) was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a news
reporter stationed in Europe, he witnessed the rise of Adolf Hitler
and reported on the surrender of France. Following the war he wrote
the first major history of Nazi Germany, The Rise and Fall of the
Third Reich.
February 24
February 24, 1582 - Pope Gregory XIII corrected mistakes on the Julian calendar by dropping
10 days and directing that the day after October 4, 1582 would be October
15th. The Gregorian, or New Style calendar, was then adopted by Catholic
countries, followed gradually by Protestant and other nations.
February 24, 1867 - The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew
Johnson. The vote followed bitter opposition by the Radical Republicans
in Congress toward Johnson's reconstruction policies in the South. However,
the effort to remove him failed in the
Senate by just one vote.
Birthday - Admiral
Chester Nimitz (1885-1966) was born in Fredericksburg, Texas. He commanded
Allied naval, land and air forces in the South Pacific during World
War II, and signed the Japanese surrender document on September 2, 1945.
February 25 Return
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Birthday - Millicent Fenwick (1910-1992) was born in New York City. She championed
liberal causes, serving as a member of the U.N. General Assembly and
as a U.S. Congresswoman.
February 26
February 26, 1848 - The Communist Manifesto pamphlet was published by two young
socialists, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It advocated the abolition
of all private property and a system in which workers own all means
of production, land, factories and machinery.
February 26, 1994 - Political foes of Russian President Boris Yeltsin were freed by a
general amnesty granted by the new Russian Parliament.
Birthday - American frontiersman "Buffalo
Bill" Cody (1846-1917) was born in Scott County, Indiana. He
claimed to have killed over 4,000 buffalo within 17 months. He became
world famous through his Wild West show which traveled throughout the
U.S. and Europe for 30 years.
February 27
February 27, 1950 - The 22nd Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the president to two terms
or a maximum of ten years in office.
February 27, 1991 - In Desert Storm, the 100-hour ground war ended as Allied troops entered
Kuwait just four days after launching their offensive against Saddam Hussein's Iraqi
forces.
Birthday - American
poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was born in Portland, Maine. Best known for Paul Revere's
Ride, The Song of Hiawatha, and The Wreck of the Hesperus.
February 28
February 28, 1844 - During a demonstration of naval fire power, one of the guns aboard
the USS Princeton exploded, killing several top U.S. government
officials on the steamer ship, and narrowly missed killing President John Tyler.
February 28, 1986 - Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme (1927-1986) was assassinated in Stockholm
while exiting a movie theater with his wife.
February 28, 1994 - NATO conducted its first combat action in its 45 year history
as four Bosnian Serb jets were shot down by American fighters in a no-fly
zone.
(Photo and picture credits:
Library of Congress and U.S. National Archives)
