This Day in History
February 9

What happened in history on this day: February 9? On February 9 in ... 1267 - Synod of Breslau orders Jews of Silesia to wear special caps. 1404 - Birth of Constantine XI Dragases last Byzantine Emperor. 1441 - Birth of Ali Sjir Neva'i [Fani] Turkish poet/author (Mahbub al-kulub). 1499 - France and Venice sign treaty against Milan. 1537 - Pope Paul III routes Cardinal Pole to England. 1540 - The first recorded race meet in England (Roodee Fields, Chester). 1554 - Battle at London Sir Thomas Wyatt defeated. 1555 - John Hooper, deprived Bishop of Gloucester, burnt for heresy. 1574 - Louis of Nassau ends siege of Maastricht. 1578 - Birth of Giambattista Andreini Italian playwright/actor (L'adamo). 1579 - Birth of John Meursius [van Meurs], Dutch historian. 1583 - Jeseph Sanalbo Jewish convert in Rome, burned at stake. 1588 - Marquis of Santa Cruz Spanish Admiral, dies. 1602 - Birth of Franciscus van de Enden Flemish Jesuit/free thinker/tutor of Spinoza. 1607 - Birth of Abraham Megerle composer. 1617 - Hans Christoph Haiden composer, dies at age 44. 1621 - Alexander Ludovisi is elected Pope Gregory XV. 1640 - Murad IV sultan of Turkey (1623-40), dies in Baghdad at age 27. 1670 - Frederik III King of Denmark/Norway (1648-70), dies at age 60. 1674 - English re-conquer New York from Netherlands. 1675 - Gerard Dou Dutch painter, buried. 1682 - Thomas Otway's "Venice Preserved" premieres in London. 1708 - Birth of Egidio Romoaldo Duni composer (opéra-comique). 1735 - Birth of Adriaan Kluit Dutch historian. 1740 - Vincenz Lubeck composer, dies at age 85. 1741 - Birth of Henri-Joseph Rigel composer. 1742 - British ex-premier Walpole becomes earl of Orford. 1744 - Battle at Toulon (French/Spanish versus English fleet of Admiral Matthews). 1744 - Birth of Amos Bull composer. 1751 - Henri F D'Aguesseau Chancellor of France (1717-50), dies at age 82. 1756 - Birth of Karel Blazej Kopriva composer. 1757 - British East Africa Company makes a treaty with Siraj-Ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. 1765 - Elisabetta de Gambarini composer, dies at age 33. 1771 - Birth of Daniel Belknap composer. 1772 - Birth of Frans Mikael Franzén Finnish-Swedish poet (Abo). 1773 - Birth of William Henry Harrison in Charles City County, Virginia; 9th US President (1841). 1775 - Birth of Farkas/Wolfgang Bolyai Hungary, mathematician (parallel axiom). 1775 - English Parliament declares Massachusetts colony is in rebellion. 1780 - Birth of Walenty Karol Kratzer composer. 1783 - Birth of Vasili A Zjukovski Russian folk poet/translator (Homer). 1788 - Austria declares war on Russia. 1799 - USS Constellation captures French frigate Insurgente off Nevis, West Indies. 1801 - France and Austrian sign Peace of Lunéville. 1807 - French Sanhedrin convened by Napoleon. 1808 - Birth of Francesco Gomez da Rocha composer. 1811 - Nevill Maskelyne 5th Astronomer Royal of England (1765-1811), dies. 1812 - Franz Anton Hoffmeister composer, dies at age 57. 1814 - Birth of Samuel Jones Tilden philanthropist for New York Public Library. 1817 - Franz Wilhelm Tausch composer, dies at age 54. 1822 - American Indian Society organizes. 1822 - Birth of Charles T Stork Dutch industrialist. 1824 - Anna K Emmerick/Emmerich German poet, dies at age 49. 1825 - House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams 6th US President. 1826 - Birth of John Alexander Logan Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1886. 1830 - Birth of Abdül Aziz Istanbul Ottoman, 32nd sultan of Turkey (1861-76). 1831 - Birth of John M. Eckfeldt; US Mint Chief Coiner. 1834 - Birth of Felix Dahn writer. 1834 - Birth of Franz Xaver Witt composer. 1846 - Birth of Wilhelm Maybach German engineer, designer of first Mercedes. 1846 - Henry Gally Knight architect/writer, dies. 1849 - Corneille Vander Planken composer, dies at age 76. 1849 - Roman Republic declared. 1853 - Birth of Leander Starr Jameson Prime Minister of South African Cape colony. 1854 - Birth of Aletta [Henriëtte] Jacobs first Dutch female physician. 1854 - Birth of Edward Carson first Baron Carson, lawyer/leader (Irish Unionist Party). 1857 - Birth of Johannes T de Visser theologist/Dutch first minister of Education. 1860 - Edmond Willem van Dam van Isselt Dutch military/liberal politician, dies at age 63. 1861 - Confederate Provisional Congress declares all laws under the US Constitution were consistent with constitution of Confederate states. 1861 - The Confederate States of America establishes its capital at Montgomery, Alabama, with Jefferson Davis as president. 1861 - Tennessee votes against secession. 1863 - Birth of Anthony Hope [Hopkins] London, novelist. 1863 - Fire extinguisher patented by Alanson Crane. 1865 - Birth of Erich von Drygalski Germany, geographer/glaciologist/Antarctic explorer. 1865 - Birth of Mrs [Beatrice] Patrick Campbell England, actress (Pygmalion, Sean O'Casey's mistress). 1866 - Birth of George Ade US, journalist/playwright/humorist (Fables in Slang). 1867 - Birth of Edward Naylor composer. 1867 - Birth of Natsume Sôseki [Natsume Kinnosuke] Japanese author (Kokoro). 1867 - Nebraska becomes 37th US state. 1870 - Grant signs the bill establishing Federal Meteorological Service. 1871 - Birth of Franc S Finzgar Slovenian clergyman/writer (Our Blood). 1871 - Birth of Howard T Ricketts US pathologist (studied typhus fever). 1871 - Federal fish protection office authorized byUS Congress. 1874 - Birth of Amy Lowell US, critic/Imagist poet (Patterns, Sword Blades and Poppy Seed). 1874 - Birth of Vsevolod Meyerhold Russian theatrical producer/director/actor (Houligan). 1874 - Jules Michelet French historian (History of France), dies at age 75. 1875 - Birth of Sidney Hugo Nicholson composer. 1876 - Birth of Aloïs Walgrave Flemish writer/pastor (Silent hours). 1876 - Birth of Martin Stixrud Norway, figure skater (Olympics-bronze-1920). 1879 - Birth of Carl Natanael Berg composer. 1879 - Birth of Jacques Bainville French historian/essayist/journalist. 1881 - Feodor M Dostoevski, Russian novelist (Crime and Punishment), dies at age 59. 1882 - Birth of Thomas Campbell South African cricket wicketkeeper (5 Tests 1909-12). 1884 - Birth of Frederik Gerretson [Geerten Gossaert], Dutch poet/politician). 1885 - First Japanese arrive in Hawaii. 1885 - Birth of Alban Maria Johannes Berg Vienna Austria. 1886 - President Cleveland declares a state of emergency in Seattle because of anti-Chinese violence. 1887 - Birth of Henry Zimmerman baseball player (1912-batted .372 with 14 home runs). 1887 - Birth of Vital Celen Flemish writer (Puppy Love). 1890 - Birth of Jacobus J P Oud Dutch architect/co-founder (Stijl). 1891 - First shipment of asparagus arrives in San Francisco from Sacramento. 1891 - Birth of Pietro Nenni Italy, socialist/minister of foreign affairs (1946-47). 1891 - Birth of Ronald Colman England, 1947 Academy Award actor (Tale of Two Cities). 1891 - Johan B Jongkind Dutch/French painter (Winter View), dies at age 71. 1892 - Birth of Barend ter Haar Dutch lawyer (Indonesian adat justice). 1892 - Birth of Peggy Wood Brooklyn New York, actress (One Life to Live, Mama). 1892 - Death of John Jay Knox, Comptroller of Currency. 1893 - Canal builder De Lesseps and others sentenced to prison for fraud. 1893 - Verdi's opera "Falstaff" premieres in Milan. 1895 - First intercollegiate basketball game (Minnesota Agricultural beats Hamline, 9-3). 1895 - Volleyball invented by W G Morgan in Massachusetts. 1897 - Birth of Sir Charles Edward Kingsford-Smith pioneer Australian aviator. 1900 - Dwight Davis establishes a new tennis trophy, the Davis Cup. 1901 - Birth of Brian Donlevy in Portadown, Ireland; actor (Barbary Coast, Glass Key, Wake Island, Dangerous Assignment). 1902 - Birth of Blanche Calloway; US vocalist/dancer (Twelve Clouds of Joy). 1902 - Birth of Chester H Lauck in Allene, Arkansas, USA; actor (Dreaming Out Loud, Two Weeks to Live). 1906 - Natal proclaims state of siege in Zulu uprising. 1906 - Paul Laurence Dunbar, black dialect poet, dies at age 33 in Dayton, Ohio. 1907 - Birth of Aubrey "Dit" Clapper; NHL hall of famer (Boston Bruins). 1908 - Birth of Jackie Fields; US featherweight boxer (Olympics-gold-1924). 1909 - First US federal legislation prohibiting narcotics (opium). 1909 - First forestry school is incorporated at Kent, Ohio, USA. 1909 - Birth of Carmen Miranda [Maria do Carmo Miranda Da Cunha] Marco de Canavezes in Portugal; vocalist/actress (Copacabana, Date With Judy). 1909 - Birth of Dean Rusk; US Secretary of State (1961-69). 1909 - Birth of Heather Angel in Oxford, England; actress (Informer, Last of Mohicans). 1913 - Ten Day Tragedy of Mexico City; 3,000 die. 1913 - Birth of Leo van der Kar; masseur/businessman/founder (Sports funds). 1914 - Birth of Bill Justice in Ohio, USA; joined Disney studio 1937, animator, programmer, parade designer, Imagineer, designer of attrations at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland, retired 1979, author of Justice for Disney (1992), named a Disney Legend 1996. 1914 - Birth of Ernest Tubb in Texas, USA; guitarist/singer ("I'm Walking the Floor over You"). 1914 - Birth of Ralph Herman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; orchestra leader (Circus Time). 1916 - Britain's military service act is enforced (conscription). 1916 - Jack Barrett, cricket player (two Tests for Australia 1890), dies. 1916 - American baseball's National League votes down a proposal by New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Chicago Cubs to increase club player limit from 21 to 22 (The Cincinnati Reds wanted to decrease to 20). 1917 - Francis Allan, cricket bowler (lefty in 1879 Australia-England Test), dies. 1918 - Army chaplain school organized at Fort Monroe, Virginia. 1920 - International treaty recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard. 1921 - Birth of B M Ducat-Amos; Air Commandant/director (RAF Nursing Service). 1922 - Birth of James C "Jim" Laker in Bradford, England; cricket off spinner. 1922 - Italian government of Bonomi falls. 1923 - Birth of Brendan Behan in Dublin, Ireland; author/poet (Hostage). 1923 - Birth of Kathryn Grayson in North Carolina, USA; vocalist/actress (Anchors Aweigh, Kiss Me Kate). 1923 - Birth of Norman E Shumway in Michigan, USA; pioneer cardiac transplant surgeon. 1923 - Soviet Aeroflot airlines is established. 1924 - Nakhichevan ASSR constituted within Azerbaijan SSR. 1924 - Nils Kj'r, Norwegian playwright (Det Lykkelige Valg), dies at age 53. 1925 - German Minister Stresemann proposes security treaty with France. 1926 - Birth of Garret FitzGerald; Prime Minister of Ireland. 1926 - Teaching theory of evolution is forbidden in Atlanta, Georgia, USA schools. 1927 - Birth of Donald Miller; CEO (Scottish Power). 1928 - Birth of Roger Mudd in Washington DC, USA; news anchor (CBS Weekend News, NBC Evening News). 1929 - Birth of Bill Barrett; American politician (Representative-Republican-Nebraska). 1929 - Birth of Lennox Butler; cricket player (one Test West Indies versus Australia 1955, 16 and 2-151). 1929 - Birth of Willem Kersters; Flemish composer (Parwati, Gospel Song). 1929 - A Protocol (Litvinov Pact) renouncing war as an instrument of national policy is signed by the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Romania. 1932 - America enters Olympics two-man bobsled competition for first time. 1932 - Junnosuke Inouye, Japanese minister of Finance, is murdered. 1932 - US airship Columbia crashes during storm (Flushing, New York). 1933 - -63 degrees F (-53 degrees C), Moran, Wyoming (state record low). 1934 - -14.3 degrees F (-25.8 degrees C), coldest day in New York City, New York. 1934 - -51 degrees F (-46 degrees C), Vanderbilt, Michigan (state record low). 1934 - Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, and Romania). 1934 - Birth of John A Ziegler Jr in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, USA; fourth NHL president (1977-92). 1935 - Karl Nef, Swiss musicologist, dies at age 61. 1935 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Maribel Vinson. 1935 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee. 1936 - Birth of Clive Swift in Liverpool, England; actor (Frenzy, Passage to India). 1936 - Jacques Bainville, French historian/essayist/journalist, dies at age 57. 1937 - Birth of Johnny Sayles; American vocalist ("You Made Me Wiggle"). 1938 - Truby King, pioneer of mothercraft, dies. 1939 - Belgian Spaak government falls. 1939 - Birth of Barry Mann; singer ("Who put the Bomp"). 1939 - Birth of Janet Suzman in South Africa; actress (Dry White Season, Nuns on the Run). 1940 - Birth of Brian Bennett in London, England; rock drummer (Shadows). 1940 - Birth of Ronnie Claire Edwards in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; actress (Corabeth - The Waltons, Eight Seconds, Sweet Bird of Youth). 1940 - Joe Louis beats Arturo Godoy in 15 rounds for heavyweight boxing title. 1941 - Birth of Sheila James Kuehl; politician/actress (Zelda - Dobie Gillis). 1941 - British troops conquer El Agheila. 1941 - Nazi collaborators destroy pro-Jewish café Alcazar Amsterdam (Alcazar refused to hang "No Entry for Jews" signs in front of cafe). 1942 - Birth of Carole King [Klein], in Brooklyn, New York, USA; pianist/singer (Tapestry). 1942 - Birth of Peder Lunde Jr in Norway; yachtsman (Olympics-gold-1960). 1942 - In New York harbor, the USS Lafayette (formerly Normandie) is accidentally ignited by a welding torch during conversion for troopship use. While fighting the fire, too much water poured into the ship capsizes it, setting it on its side in the harbor. 1942 - Daylight Savings War Time goes into effect in US. 1942 - Japanese troops land near Makassar, South Celebes. 1942 - Philadelphia "Phillies" change nickname (temporarily) to "Phils". 1943 - Birth of Barbara Lewis; American vocalist ("Hello Stranger"). 1943 - Birth of James King in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; basketball player (Olympics-gold-1968). 1943 - Birth of Joe Pesci in Newark, New Jersey, USA; actor (Half Nelson, Goodfellas). 1943 - Birth of Jonny Nilsson in Sweden; 10km speed skater (Olympics-gold-1964). 1943 - Birth of Squire Fridell in Oakland, California, USA; actor (Rosetti and Ryan). 1943 - US President Franklin Roosevelt orders minimal 48 hour work week in war industry. 1943 - German riots at "plutocratenzoontjes", 1,200 in Vught Camp. 1943 - National League seeks buyer for Philadelphia Phillies, as owner Gerry Nugent falls in arrears. 1943 - Germans arrest Dutch sons of rich parents. 1944 - Birth of Alice Walker; US novelist (Color Purple, Meridian). 1944 - German submarines U-734 and U-238 sunk off Ireland. 1945 - Birth of Mia (Maria) Farrow in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Rosemary's Baby, Purple Rose of Cairo). 1945 - George J L Maduro, resistance fighter (Madurodam), dies in Dachau. 1945 - Germany destroys Ruhrdammen. 1945 - Jan Bakker, resistance fighter, executed at age 26. 1946 - Soviet Premier Josef Stalin announces a new Five-Year Plan for the Soviet Union to guarantee the country's future security. Stalin blames World War I and II on the capitalistic world economy, due to the imbalance of raw materials and markets. 1946 - In London, England, a representative of the Soviet Union presents its reparations demands on Italy: the equivalent of US$100 million of industrial plants of northern Italy. 1946 - Greece demands Italian reparations of US$3 billion in sulphur, textiles and agricultural machinery, automobiles, and reconstruction equipment. 1946 - Birth of M J H Sterling; Vice-Chancellor (Brunel University). 1946 - Dutch Labor Party (Dutch Social Democratic Party) forms. 1947 - Birth of Joe Ely in Amarillo, Texas, USA; country vocalist (Honky Tonk Masquerade). 1947 - Birth of Major Harris; American R&B-singer ("Love won't Let me wait"). 1948 - Karl Valentin, German comic/writer, dies at age 65. 1949 - Birth of Bernard Gallacher; British golfer. 1949 - Birth of Janet Issaca Ashford; writer. 1949 - Birth of Judith Light in Trenton, New Jersey, USA; actress (Angela - Who's The Boss?, One Life to Live). 1950 - Birth of Lloyd Weldon Keasor in Pumphrey, Maryland, USA; wrestler (Olympics-silver-1976). 1951 - Birth of Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas; saxophonist (Kool and the Gang - "Celebration"). 1951 - Birth of Jay Inslee; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Washington). 1951 - Birth of Penny Peyser in Irvington, New York, USA; actress (Rich Man Poor Man, Knots Landing). 1951 - Saint Louis Browns sign pitcher Satchel Paige, age 45. 1952 - Birth of Danny White; quarterback (Dallas Cowboys). 1953 - The Adventures of Superman TV series premieres in syndication. 1953 - Birth of Antonius GM "Toon" Agterberg; Dutch actor (Hunk). 1953 - Birth of Gary Franks; American politician (Representative-Republican-Connecticut). 1953 - General Walter Bedell Smith ends his term as fourth director of the American Central Intelligence Agency. Allen W Dulles becomes acting director. 1954 - Birth of Ulrich Walter in German Federal Republic; cosmonaut. 1954 - Mario Scelba forms new government in Italy. 1955 - Birth of Charles Shaughnessy in London, England; actor (Maxwell Sheffield - The Nanny, Shane - Days of Our Lives). 1955 - Birth of James Jackson "Jm J" Bullock in Casper, Wyoming, USA; actor (Monroe - Too Close for Comfort). 1955 - Dutch second Chamber accepts crematory law. 1955 - US federations of trade unions merge into AFL/CIO. 1956 - Birth of Philip Jackson Ford Jr in North Carolina, USA; basketball player (Olympics-gold-1976). 1956 - R Lacoste follows Catroux as premier of Algeria. 1957 - Birth of Gordon Strachan; soccer player. 1957 - Birth of Mohammed Valli Moosa; South African leader (UDF). 1957 - Miklós Horthy von Nagybanya, Hungarian Admiral/regent (1920-44), dies at age 88. 1958 - Birth of Alexander "Sandy" W B Lyle in Shrewsbury, England; PGA golfer (1988 Phoenix Open). 1960 - AFL and NFL agree verbally to a no-tampering pact. 1961 - Birth of John Kruk; US baseball first baseman (Philadelphia Phillies). 1961 - Grigory Levenfish, International chess grandmaster from Russia, dies at age 70. 1961 - Joseph Ileo appointed premier of Congo. 1962 - Birth of Diego Perez in Spain; tennis star. 1962 - Birth of Martin D Lascelles, grandson of English princess Mary. 1962 - Jamaica signs agreement to become independent. 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1963 - First flight of Boeing 727 jet. 1963 - Birth of Bonnie Levin in Miami Beach, Florida, USA; WPVA volleyball player. 1963 - Birth of Madusa Miceli [Debra Ann] in Milan, Italy; wrestler (WCW). 1963 - Birth of Mike Rindel; cricket player (N Transvaal opening bat ODI ton versus Pakistan 1995). 1963 - Birth of Travis Tritt in Marietta, Georgia, USA; country vocalist ("Country Club"). 1964 - First appearance of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show (73.7 million viewers, about 40 percent of US population). 1964 - IX Olympic Winter Games close at Innsbruck, Austria. 1964 - Birth of Rachel Bolan; rocker (Skid Row). 1964 - Hanumant Singh scores 105 India versus England on debut at Delhi. 1964 - Willie Bryant, singer ("Sugar Hill Times"), dies at age 55. 1965 - Birth of David Brandon; NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons). 1965 - Birth of Lennox Lewis in London, England; Super heavyweight boxer (Olympics-gold-1988). 1966 - Birth of Amanda Roocroft; opera singer. 1966 - Birth of James "Rachel" Bolan in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA; rocker (Skid Row-Psycho Love). 1966 - Sophie Tucker, Russian/US singer/actress (My Yiddish Mama), dies at age 79. 1967 - Birth of Kate Golden in Beaumont, Texas, USA; LPGA golfer (1992 Ping/Welch-5th). 1967 - Birth of Stevon Moore; NFL safety (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens). 1967 - Birth of Todd Pratt; US baseball catcher (Philadelphia Phillies). 1968 - Barbara Everest, actress (Inquest, Madeleine), dies at age 77. 1968 - Birth of Derek Strong; NBA forward (Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic). 1968 - Birth of Marcus Meloan in Agana, Guam; Canadian Tour golfer (1992 US Amateur Champion). 1968 - Birth of Paul Claxton in Vidalia, Georgia, USA; Nike golfer (NIKE Central Georgia Open-38th). 1968 - Frederik M baron van Asbeck, lawyer (League of Nations), dies at age 78. 1968 - Rotterdam metro is opened by Princess Beatrix. 1969 - Birth of Jeff Pahukoa; NFL guard/tackle (Atlanta Falcons). 1969 - Birth of Jimmy Smith; NFL wide receiver (Jacksonville Jaguars). 1969 - Birth of Peta Edebone; Australian softball outfielder (Olympics-bronze-1996). 1969 - Birth of Thomas Brandl in Bad Tolz, Germany; hockey forward (Team Germany 1998). 1969 - Birth of Todd Lyght; US football quarterback (Saint Louis Rams). 1969 - Manuel Plaza Reyes, Chilean marathon runner (Olympics-gold 1928), dies at age 68. 1969 - World's largest airplane, Boeing 747, makes first commercial flight. 1969 - [George] Gabby Hayes, actor (Albuquerque, Colorado), dies at age 83. 1970 - Birth of Glenn McGrath; cricket player (New South Wales and Australian fast bowler 1993-). 1970 - Birth of Grant Moorhead in New Plymouth, New Zealand; Australasia golfer. 1971 - Apollo 14 returns to Earth. 1971 - Birth of Gonzalo Floyd; Canadian Football League defensive end (Hamilton Tiger Cats). 1971 - Birth of Jason Mathews; NFL tackle (Indianapolis Colts). 1971 - Birth of Jim Miller; NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars). 1971 - Birth of Ken Felder; US baseball outfielder (Milwaukee Brewers). 1971 - Birth of Pat O'Neill; NFL punter/place kicker (New England Patriots). 1971 - Birth of Sharon Case in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actress (Sharon Collins - The Young and the Restless). 1971 - Probably first gay theme TV episode - All in the Family. 1971 - In San Fernando, California, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. The earthquake lasts about 60 seconds, kills 65, injures more than 2,000, and causes property damage estimated at $505 million. 1971 - Leroy "Satchel" Paige becomes first negro-league player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1972 - Birth of Jason George; actor (Michael Bourre - Sunset Beach). 1972 - Birth of Norbert Rosza; Hungarian swimmer (100 metre freestyle record). 1972 - British government declares state of emergency after month-long miners' strike. 1973 - Birth of Amber Valletta in Phoenix, Arizona, USA; model (Face, House of Style, Bazaar). 1973 - Max Yasgur, owner of Woodstock-festival farmland, dies at age 53. 1974 - Birth of Brad Maynard; punter (New York Giants). 1974 - Birth of John Wallace; NBA forward (Toronto Raptors). 1974 - Birth of Orlando Bobo; guard (Minnesota Vikings). 1974 - Cees de Lange, Dutch conferencier, dies at age 60. 1974 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill. 1974 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gordon McKellen Jr. 1975 - Constant Burniaux, Belgian art historian (L'amour Vivre), dies at age 82. 1975 - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Naples Lely Golf Classic. 1975 - Soyuz 17 returns to Earth. 1976 - Oscar Charleston selected to baseball's Hall of Fame. 1977 - Denys Amiel, French dramatist/playwright (Le mouton noir), dies at age 92. 1977 - Death of Gaus, an orangutan who lived to be 59. 1977 - Sergei Ilyushin Russian, airplane builder (Ilyushin), dies at age 82. 1978 - Ted Bundy kills Kimberly Leach, age 12, in Lake City, Florida. 1979 - ABC airs Heroes of Rock N Roll special. 1979 - C I J Smith, cricket all-rounder (5 Tests for England 1935-37), dies. 1979 - Nigeria amends constitution. 1980 - The late New York Yankees' catcher Thurman Munson is inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of Kent State University. 1980 - Antoine Pompe, Belgian architect, dies at age 106. 1980 - Rick Barry, Houston Rockets, is first in NBA to score eight 3-point goals in a game. 1981 - Bill Haley, American vocalist ("Rock Around Clock"), dies of heart attack at age 55 (born 1925). 1981 - Polish Prime Minister Józef Pinkowski resigns and is replaced by General Wojciech Jaruzelski. 1982 - Japan Airlines Flight 350 crashes in Tokyo Bay due to thrust reversal on approach to Tokyo International Airport, killing 24 people among the 174 people on board. 1982 - Birth of Ami Suzuki; Japanese singer. 1982 - 34th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 4-2 at Washington. 1983 - Belgium buys 44 F-16 fighter jets. 1984 - Balasaraswathi, Indian classical dancer, dies in Madras. 1984 - Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of Soviet Communist Party (1982-84), dies at age 69 (born 1914). 1984 - Birth of Han Geng; Chinese singer in Korea, member of Super Junior. 1985 - Birth of David Gallagher; American actor. 1985 - Birth of Rachel Melvin; American actress. 1985 - U.S. drug agent Enrique Camarena is kidnapped and murdered in Mexico (his body is discovered March 5). 1986 - 36th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 139-132 at Dallas, Texas. 1986 - Halley's Comet reaches 30th perihelion (closest approach to Sun). 1986 - Haydar Bakr al-Attas appointed President of South Yemen. 1986 - Marvin Johnson wins record third time, light heavyweight boxing title. 1986 - Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic. 1986 - West German team swims world record 4x200 metre freestyle (7:05.17). 1986 - Mohinder Amarnath becomes the first batsman dismissed for handling the ball in One Day International cricket. 1987 - Former US national security adviser Robert McFarlane attempts suicide. 1987 - Brownsville, Texas is deluged with seven inches of rain in just two hours; flooding in some parts of the city is worse than that caused by Hurricane Beulah in 1967. 1988 - 39th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 6-5 (overtime) at Saint Louis, Missouri. 1988 - New Hampshire begins a NCAA record 32-game losing streak at home (ends February 1991). 1988 - Death of Kurt Adler, conductor, in Ross, California (born in Vienna, Austria). 1989 - Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns) ends NBA free throw streak of 57 games. 1989 - Michael Manley's Socialist Party wins Jamaica parliamentary election. 1989 - Birth of Wu Chia-ching, Taiwanese pool player. 1989 - Death of Osamu Tezuka, Japanese Manga artist (Astroboy) (born 1928). 1990 - The Bradys return to TV for six episodes on CBS TV. 1990 - Doina Melinte runs world indoor record 1.5km (4:00:27) and mile (4:17:13). 1990 - Galileo flies by Venus. 1990 - Namibia's constitution ratified. 1991 - Johann Olav Koss skates world record 5km (6:41.73). 1991 - Terry Norris knocks down Sugar Ray Leonard twice and beats him. 1991 - Lithuanians vote by huge majority to restore pre-World War II independence. 1991 - Wally Joyner wins record $2.1 million salary arbitration. 1992 - 42nd NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 153-113 at Orlando. 1992 - Fastest yodeler-22 tones/15 falsetto in one second by Thomas School of Germany. 1992 - Heike Henkel high jumps female indoor world record (2.07 metres). 1992 - Jani Sievinen swims world record 400 metre medley (4:07.10). 1992 - Shelley Hamlin wins LPGA Phar-Mor Golf Tournament at Hamlin Inverrary. 1993 - Birth of Parimarjan Negi, Chess prodigy from India. 1993 - Army of opium king Khun Sa kills 60 in northeast Burma. 1993 - David Willis, British journalist (BBC World Service), dies at age 54. 1993 - Kate Wilkinson, actress (Clara - Another World), dies of cancer at age 76. 1993 - Nasrullah Mansoor, Afghan guerilla leader/governor of Paktia, dies. 1994 - Arnold Smith, British first Secretary-General of Commonwealth (1965-75), dies at age 79. 1994 - Israeli minister Shimon Perez signs accord with Palestinian Liberation Organization's Arafat. 1994 - Jarmila Novotna, Czechoslovakia/US soprano (Madame Butterfly), dies at age 86. 1994 - Louis Kaufman, US violinist/conductor (Gone With the Wind), dies at age 88. 1994 - The Vance-Owen Peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina is announced. 1994 - Death of Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1934). 1995 - David Wayne [Wayne Mcmeekan], US actor (Dallas), dies at age 81. 1995 - Irina Privalova runs female world record 50 metre (5.96 seconds). 1995 - J William Fulbright, American politician (Senator-Democrat-Arkansas)/anti-Vietnam War, dies at age 89. 1995 - Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale become the first African American and Briton, respectively, to walk in space (mission STS-63). 1996 - Adolf Galland, German general (Luftwaffe), dies at age 83. 1996 - Alistair Cameron Crombie, historian of science, dies at age 80. 1996 - Barry Troyna, teacher/educational sociologist, dies at age 44. 1996 - Birth of Jimmy Bennett, American actor. 1996 - Discovery of the element Ununbium. 1996 - Charles Henry "Harry" Urwin, trade unionist, dies at age 80. 1996 - Gerald Savory, actor playwright/TV producer (3 Weeks), dies at age 86. 1996 - Neil Franklin, soccer star, dies at age 74. 1996 - Death of Adolf Galland in Oberwinter, Germany; fighter pilot in World War II, shot down over 100 Allied planes. 1997 - 11th American Comedy Awards: Debbie Reynolds. 1997 - 47th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 132-120 at Cleveland. 1997 - Barry Evans, actor (Dr Upton - Doctor in the House), dies at age 53. 1997 - Fox cartoon series The Simpsons airs 167th episode in the USA, making it the longest-running animated series in cartoon history. 1997 - Kelly Robbins wins LPGA Diet Dr Pepper National Pro-Am. 1997 - Mark O'Meara wins Buick golf invitational. 1997 - Scotty Bowman is first NHL coach to win 1,000 games. 1998 - Failed assassination attempt on Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze. 2000 - Death of Beau Jack, American boxer (born 1921). 2001 - Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees finalize a $189 million, 10-year contract, making Jeter the second highest paid player in the history of the sport. 2001 - The submarine USS Greeneville strikes and sinks the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime-Maru near Hawaii. 2001 - Death of Herbert Simon, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916). 2002 - A cargo ship carrying over 815,000 litres of fuel oil runs aground near the north island port of Gisborne, New Zealand, sending an oil slick drifting to shore, rivers, and beaches. 2002 - The Irish pound expires as valid currency. 2002 - Death of Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom (born 1930). 2002 - (to February 24) The XIX Olympic Winter Games are held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. 2003 - The Cricket World Cup begins in South Africa. 2003 - BBC Choice closes for the final time at 12:30 am, replaced by BBC Three at 7 pm. 2005 - An ETA car bomb injures 31 people at a conference centre in Madrid, Spain. 2006 - Bengie Molina signs a US$5 million, one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, with a $7.5 million option for 2007. 2006 - Death of Sir Freddie Laker, British airline entrepreneur (born 1922). 2007 - Death of Benedict Kiely, Irish author and broadcaster (born 1919). 2007 - Death of Ian Richardson, Scottish actor (born 1934). 2007 - Death of Alejandro Finisterre, Spanish poet, editor, and inventor of table football (born 1919). 2008 - At a Philip Weiss auction, a 24-cent US postage stamp of 1869, Declaration of Independence with inverted-center error sells for US$1.27 million, a new record for a single US stamp. 2008 - Death of Murlidhar Devidas "Baba" Amte, champion of lepers and the handicapped in India, at age 93. 2009 - New York Yankees' baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez admits to having used performance-enhancing steroids earlier in his career, over a three-year period from 2001 to 2003 with the Texas Rangers. 2009 - Egyptian archaeologists find 22 mummies and eight wooden and stone sarcophagi in a burial chamber at the Saqqara site, dating back 2,600 to 4,000 years. 2009 - At Plumpton, England, jockey Tony McCoy, riding Restless D'Artaix, records his 3,000th career horse racing win. 2009 - Death of Eluana Englaro, Italian patient in right-to-die case (born 1970). 2010 - Death of Francine Irving Neff; US Treasurer (1974-77).         Your Ad Here         You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. 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