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. 1667 - Treaty of Andrussovo Russia/Poland signs peace treaty. 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 vs 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 Virginia, (Whigs) 9th President (March 4-April 4, 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). 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 - Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens elected president and Vice President of CSA. 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 German Federal Republic, 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, a Lulu of a composer!. 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). 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 established a new tennis trophy, the Davis Cup. 1901 - Birth of Brian Donlevy Portadown Ireland; actor (Barbary Coast, Glass Key, Wake Island, Dangerous Assignment). 1902 - Birth of Blanche Calloway US vocalist/dancer (12 Clouds of Joy). 1902 - Birth of Chester H Lauck Allene Arkansas; actor (Dreaming Out Loud, two Weeks to Live). 1903 - Birth of Georg Trexler composer. 1904 - Japan declares war on Russia. 1906 - Birth of Gwen Catley British soprano. 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 federal legislation prohibiting narcotics (opium). 1909 - First forestry school is incorporated at Kent Ohio. 1909 - Birth of Carmen Miranda [Maria do Carmo Miranda Da Cunha] Marco de Canavezes Portugal, vocalist/actress (Copacabana, Date With Judy). 1909 - Birth of Dean Rusk US Secretary of State (1961-69). 1909 - Birth of Harald Genzmer composer. 1909 - Birth of Heather Angel Oxford England, actress (Informer, Last of Mohicans). 1909 - Birth of John Eustace Theodore Brancker lawyer/parliamentarian. 1910 - Birth of Jacques Monod French biochemist. 1911 - Birth of Eustace Wenworth Roskill law lord. 1912 - Birth of Hubert William Dean air armaments specialist. 1912 - US Tennis Association amends rule taking bye away from defending champion. 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 (Rhymes with Wreck) Veeck baseball club owner. 1914 - Birth of Ernest Tubb Texas, guitarist/singer (I'm Walking the Floor over You). 1914 - Birth of Max Manus resistance fighter. 1914 - Birth of Ralph Herman Milwaukee Wisconsin, orchestra leader (Circus Time). 1916 - Britain's military service act enforced (conscription). 1916 - Hynek Ignac Frantisek Vojacek composer, dies at age 90. 1916 - Jack Barrett cricketer (two Tests for Australia 1890), dies. 1916 - National League votes down a proposal by New York Giants, Braves, and Chicago Cubs to increase club player limit from 21 to 22 (The Cincinnati Reds want 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. 1918 - Emiel van der Straeten [Delrue], Flemish playwright, dies at age 30. 1918 - Sacha Guitry's "Deburan" premieres in Paris. 1920 - International treaty recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard. 1920 - Joint Rules Commission bans foreign substances and alterations to baseballs. 1921 - Birth of B M Ducat-Amos Air Commandant/director (RAF Nursing Service). 1921 - Birth of Charles Montgomery Monteith publisher. 1922 - Birth of James C "Jim" Laker Bradford England, cricket off spinner. 1922 - Italian government of Bonomi falls. 1922 - Snow on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. 1923 - Birth of Brendan Behan Dublin Ireland, author/poet (Hostage). 1923 - Birth of Kathryn Grayson North Carolina, vocalist/actress (Anchors Aweigh, Kiss Me Kate). 1923 - Birth of Norman E Shumway Michigan, pioneer cardiac transplant surgeon. 1923 - Soviet Aeroflot airlines established. 1924 - Birth of George Guest British organist. 1924 - Nakhichevan ASSR constituted within Azerbaijan SSR. 1924 - Nils Kj'r Norwegian playwright (Det Lykkelige Valg), dies at age 53. 1925 - Birth of Vic Wertz baseball player. 1925 - German Minister Stresemann proposes security treaty with France. 1925 - Haifa Technion (Israel), opens. 1926 - Birth of Garret FitzGerald Prime Minister of Ireland. 1926 - Teaching theory of evolution forbidden in Atlanta Georgia schools. 1927 - Birth of Donald Miller CEO (Scottish Power). 1927 - Birth of Norman Adams painter/ceramic sculptor. 1928 - Birth of Roger Mudd Washington DC, news anchor (CBS Weekend News, NBC Evening News). 1929 - Birth of Bill Barrett (Representative-Republican-Nebraska). 1929 - Birth of James Mulcro Drew composer. 1929 - Birth of Lennox Butler cricketer (one Test West Indies vs 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. 1930 - Birth of Emil Petrovics composer. 1931 - Birth of Robert Morris sculptor. 1931 - Birth of Xavier Benguerel composer. 1932 - America enter Olympics two-man bobsled competition for first time. 1932 - Junnosuke Inouye Japanese minister of Finance, murdered. 1932 - US airship Columbia crashes during storm (Flushing New York). 1933 - -63 degrees F (-53 degrees C), Moran Wyoming (state record). 1933 - Birth of Countess of Airlie. 1933 - Birth of Jo Ann Prentice LPGA golfer. 1933 - Birth of Justice Johnson. 1933 - Birth of Lord Williams of Elvel. 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). 1934 - Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Romania). 1934 - Birth of John A Ziegler Jr Grosse Pointe Michigan, fourth NHL president (1977-92). 1935 - Birth of Paul Flynn Member of Parliament. 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 Liverpool; actor (Frenzy, Passage to India). 1936 - Jacques Bainville French historian/essayist/journalist, dies at age 57. 1937 - Birth of Brian Wenham media consultant/journalist. 1937 - Birth of Johnny Sayles US 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 South Africa, actress (Dry White Season, Nuns on the Run). 1940 - Birth of Brian Bennett London, rock drummer (Shadows). 1940 - Birth of Ronnie Claire Edwards Oklahoma City Oklahoma, actress (Corabeth-Waltons, 8 Seconds, Sweet Bird of Youth). 1940 - Birth of Smokey Robinson rocker (and Miracles-Tears of Clown). 1940 - Joe Louis beats Arturo Godoy in 15 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], Brooklyn New York, pianist/singer (Tapestry). 1942 - Birth of Charlie Morrow composer. 1942 - Birth of Milos Stedron composer. 1942 - Birth of Peder Lunde Jr Norway, yachtsman (Olympics-gold-1960). 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 - Wife of General Reydons shot to death by resistance. 1943 - Birth of Barbara Lewis US vocalist (Hello Stranger). 1943 - Birth of James King New Orleans Louisiana, basketball player (Olympics-gold-1968). 1943 - Birth of Joe Pesci Newark New Jersey; actor (Half Nelson, Goodfellas). 1943 - Birth of Jonny Nilsson Sweden, 10K speed skater (Olympics-gold-1964). 1943 - Birth of Ryland Davies tenor. 1943 - Birth of Squire Fridell Oakland California; actor (Rosetti and Ryan). 1943 - Franklin Roosevelt orders minimal 48 hour work week in war industry. 1943 - German riots at "plutocratenzoontjes", 1,200 in Vught Camp. 1943 - Japanese evacuate Guadalcanal, epic battle ends. 1943 - National League seeks buyer for Philadelphia Phillies, as owner Gerry Nugent, falls in arrears. 1943 - Nazis arrest Dutch sons of rich parents. 1944 - Birth of Alice Walker US, novelist (Color Purple, Meridian). 1944 - U-734/U-238 sunk off Ireland. 1945 - Birth of Bill Bergey NFL player. 1945 - Birth of Mia (Maria) Farrow Los Angeles California, 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. 1945 - WAAF-corporal flies along the tail of a Spitfire. 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 Annette Penhaligon. 1946 - Birth of M J H Sterling Vice-Chancellor (Brunel University). 1946 - Dutch Labor Party (Dutch Social Democratic Party) forms. 1947 - Bank robber Willie Sutton escapes jail in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. 1947 - Birth of Joe Ely Amarillo Texas, country vocalist (Honky Tonk Masquerade). 1947 - Birth of Major Harris US 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 Trenton New Jersey, (Angela-Who's The Boss?, One Life to Live). 1949 - Poul Julius Ouscher Schierbeck composer, dies at age 60. 1950 - Birth of Andrew N Meltzoff developmental psychologist. 1950 - Birth of Lloyd Weldon Keasor Pumphrey Maryland, wrestler (Olympics-silver-1976). 1950 - Birth of Terry Hawkins theatre administrator. 1950 - Senator Joseph McCarthy charges State Dept infested with 205 communists. 1951 - Birth of Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas saxophonist (Kool and the Gang-Celebration). 1951 - Birth of Jay Inslee (Representative-Democrat-Washington). 1951 - Birth of Penny Peyser Irvington New York, actress (Rich Man Poor Man, Knots Landing). 1951 - Saint Louis Browns sign pitcher Satchel Paige, 45. 1952 - Birth of Danny White quarterback (Dallas Cowboys). 1952 - Norman Douglas essayist/novelist, dies. 1953 - "The Adventures of Superman" TV series premieres in syndication. 1953 - Birth of Andre Sevard NHL player. 1953 - Birth of Antonius GM "Toon" Agterberg Dutch actor (Hunk). 1953 - Birth of Gary Franks (Representative-Republican-Connecticut). 1953 - General Walter Bedell Smith, USA, ends term as fourth director of Central Intelligence Agency Allen W Dulles, becomes acting director of US Central Intelligence Agency. 1954 - Birth of Ulrich Walter German Federal Republic, cosmonaut. 1954 - Mario Scelba forms new government in Italy. 1955 - Birth of Charles Shaughnessy London England; actor (Maxwell Sheffield-The Nanny, Shane-Days of Our Lives). 1955 - Birth of Jm J Bullock Casper Wyoming; actor (Monroe-Too Close for Comfort). 1955 - Dutch second Chamber accepts crematory law. 1955 - US federations of trade unions merge into AFL/CIO. 1956 - -5 degrees F (15 degrees C) in Sicily. 1956 - Birth of Philip Jackson Ford Jr North Carolina, 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. 1960 - Birth of Peggy A Whitson in Mount Ayr, Iowa, USA; astronaut. 1960 - Ernst von Dohnanyi, US composer, dies at age 82. 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 - Buena Vista releases Disney's live-action feature film Moon Pilot to theaters in the USA. The film is based on a story by Robert Buckner. 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 - 7th largest snowfall in New York City history (42.4 cm, 16.7 inches). 1963 - Birth of Bonnie Levin in Miami Beach, Florida, USA; WPVA volleyballer. 1963 - Birth of Madusa Miceli [Debra Ann] in Milan, Italy; wrestler (WCW). 1963 - Birth of Mike Rindel; cricketer (N Transvaal opening bat ODI ton vs 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). 1964 - 9th Winter Olympics games close at Innsbruck, Austria. 1964 - Birth of Rachel Bolan; rocker (Skid Row). 1964 - Hanumant Singh scores 105 India vs 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 marathoner (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; cricketer (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 - Earthquake in San Fernando Valley kills 65 and causes over US$500 million damage. 1971 - 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 8, 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 - Rink opens at Martin Beck Theater in New York City for 204 performances. 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 - Madonna's "Like a Virgin" album goes #1 for three weeks. 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 - New York Stock Exchange installs ladies restroom in the Exchange Luncheon Club. 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 1.5k (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 - "2 Shakespearean Actors" closes at Cort Theater New York City after 29 performances. 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 - Heiress opens at Cort Theater in New York City for 340 performances. 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, (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, 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, making it the longest-running animated series in cartoon history. 1997 - Kelly Robbins wins LPGA Diet Dr Pepper National Pro-Am. 1997 - LG Senior Golf Championship. 1997 - Mark O'Meara wins Buick golf invitational. 1997 - Palm Beach National LPGA Pro-Am. 1997 - Scotty Bowman is first NHL coach to win 1,000 games. 1998 - 6th annual ESPY Awards. 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 - Death of Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom (born 1930). 2002 - (to February 24) The 19th 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 - Death of Murlidhar Devidas "Baba" Amte, champion of lepers and the handicapped in India, at age 93. You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/thisday/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of World History