This Day in History
February 10

Copyright © 2006-2008 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: kpolsson@islandnet.com
URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/thisday/
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing a single day's events)

What happened in history on this day: February 10?

On February 10 in ...

  • 1098 - Crusaders defeat Prince Redwan of Aleppo at Antioch.
  • 1134 - Robert III/II Curthouse Duke of Normandy, dies.
  • 1162 - Boudouin III son of King Fulco of Anjou/husband of Theodora, dies.
  • 1164 - Hugo van Fosses/Prémontré abbott of Prémontré, dies.
  • 1482 - Luca della Robbia Italian sculptor (majolica reliefs), dies at age 81.
  • 1495 - Sir William Stanley English lord chamberlain, executed for conspiracy.
  • 1535 - Twelve nude Anabaptists run through Amsterdam streets.
  • 1549 - Tomé de Sousa appointed Governor-General of Brazil.
  • 1567 - Henry Stuart earl of Darnley/Consort of Mary Queen of Scots, murdered.
  • 1588 - Joost Sybrantsz Buyck Amsterdam merchant/regent, dies at about age 82.
  • 1598 - Anna van Bull first wife of Polish/Swedish king Sigismund II, dies.
  • 1609 - Birth of Sir John Suckling English Cavalier poet/dramatist/courtier.
  • 1635 - Académie Française is founded in Paris (by Cardinal Richelieu).
  • 1637 - Birth of Henriëtte Catharina van Nassau Dutch daughter of Frederik Henry.
  • 1657 - Sebastian Stosskopf Elizabethian painter, dies at age 59.
  • 1670 - Birth of Norbert van Flowers [Cephalus], Flemish painter.
  • 1670 - Birth of William Congreve England, restoration writer (Old Bachelor, Way of the World).
  • 1676 - Wampanoag Indians under King Philip kill all men in Lancaster Massachusetts.
  • 1678 - Philip Vingboons Amsterdam's master builder, buried.
  • 1685 - Birth of Aaron Hill English playwright/poet (Tragedy of Zara).
  • 1686 - Birth of Johann F Gronovius Dutch physician/botany.
  • 1686 - William Dugdale Garter King of Arms (1677-86), dies.
  • 1696 - Birth of Johann Melchior Molter composer.
  • 1702 - Birth of Jean-Pierre Guignon composer.
  • 1711 - Lukas Fencer Dutch poet (Meleager and Atalante), dies at age 22.
  • 1713 - Netherlands and England sign accord concerning anti-French Barrier.
  • 1716 - Scottish pretender to the throne James III Edward returns to France.
  • 1717 - Birth of Pierre de La Garde composer.
  • 1720 - Edmund Halley appointed second Astronomer Royal of England.
  • 1728 - Birth of Peter III Feodorovich German/Russian czar of Russia (1761-62).
  • 1735 - Birth of Johann Christoph Kuhnau composer.
  • 1741 - Birth of Franz Adam Veichtner composer.
  • 1746 - English Pelham government resigns.
  • 1749 - 10th (final) volume of Fielding's "Tom Jones" is published.
  • 1750 - Birth of Stanislao Mattei composer.
  • 1763 - Treaty of Paris ends French-Indian War, surrenders Canada to England.
  • 1772 - Jozef Wenceslas monarch of Liechtenstein/general, dies at age 75.
  • 1772 - Louis Tocqué French painter, dies at age 75.
  • 1774 - Andrew Becker demonstrates diving suit.
  • 1774 - Florian Leopold Gassmann composer, dies at age 44.
  • 1775 - Birth of Charles Lamb London England, critic/poet/essayist.
  • 1783 - James Nares composer, dies at age 67.
  • 1788 - Birth of Johann Peter Pixis composer.
  • 1794 - Joseph Haydn's 99th Symphony in E, premieres.
  • 1795 - Birth of Ary Scheffer Dutch painter/etcher/sculptor.
  • 1807 - Birth of Abner Clark Harding Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1874.
  • 1807 - US Coast Survey authorized by Congress.
  • 1816 - Johann Paul Aegidius Martini composer, dies at age 74.
  • 1818 - Birth of Isham Green Harris Governor (Confederacy), died in 1897.
  • 1819 - Birth of Richard Storrs Willis composer.
  • 1821 - Birth of William Read Scurry (Confederate Army Brigadier General, died in 1864).
  • 1822 - Albert-Kasimir duke of Saxon-Teschen/Governor of Hungary, dies at age 83.
  • 1824 - Birth of Samuel Plimsoll Bristol England, inventor (Plimsoll line for ships).
  • 1824 - Simon Bolívar named dictator by the Congress of Perú.
  • 1825 - Paul van Hemert Dutch theologist/philosopher (Kant), dies at age 68.
  • 1827 - Birth of Peter J Savelberg Dutch Limburgs monastery founder.
  • 1829 - Leo XII [Annibale Sermattei], Italian Pope (1823-29), dies at age 68.
  • 1832 - Antonio Benedetto Maria Puccini composer, dies at age 84.
  • 1837 - Alexander S Pushkin writer, dies at age 37.
  • 1840 - British queen Victoria marries her cousin Albert von Saksen-Coburg.
  • 1841 - Birth of Walter Parratt composer.
  • 1846 - Beginning of Mormon march to west US.
  • 1846 - Birth of Mildred Childe "Life" Lee daughter of confederate General Robert E Lee.
  • 1846 - British defeat Sikhs in battle of Sobraon, India.
  • 1847 - Birth of A N Hornby cricketer (pioneering England Test batsman).
  • 1855 - US citizenship laws amended all children of US parents born abroad granted US citizenship.
  • 1859 - General Horsford defeats Begum of Oude and Nana Sahib in Indian mutiny.
  • 1860 - John Brahms' second Serenade in A, premieres.
  • 1861 - Francis Danby Exmouth, painter, dies.
  • 1862 - Birth of W H "Gobo" Ashley cricketer (7 wickets in one Test for South Africa 1889).
  • 1862 - Dutch second government of Thorbecke forms.
  • 1863 - First US fire extinguisher patent granted to Alanson Crane, Virginia.
  • 1863 - PT Barnum stages wedding of Tom Thumb and Mercy Lavinia Warren (New York City, New York).
  • 1866 - Birth of Bror Beckman composer.
  • 1866 - Birth of Rafael Altamira Crevea Spanish lawyer/historian.
  • 1866 - Dutch government Frans van der Putte forms.
  • 1868 - Birth of William Allen White Emporia Kansas, editor (Pulitzer 1942).
  • 1868 - Conservatives and military, seize Convention Hall in Florida.
  • 1869 - Birth of Vasily Pavovlich Kalafati composer.
  • 1870 - Birth of Fritz Klimsch German sculptor/painter.
  • 1870 - City of Anaheim incorporates (first time).
  • 1870 - YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) is founded (New York City, New York).
  • 1872 - Birth of Anne Anema Dutch lawyer/journalist/politician (ARP).
  • 1876 - Johan August Soderman composer, dies at age 43.
  • 1878 - Peace of Zanjón.
  • 1878 - Peter Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony in F, premieres.
  • 1879 - First electric arc light used (California Theater).
  • 1879 - Birth of Franz Carl Bornschein composer.
  • 1879 - Henry Morton Stanley departs to the Congo.
  • 1879 - Honoré V Daumier French painter/lithographer, dies at age 70.
  • 1879 - Wolter R baron van Hoëvell Dutch vicar/abolitionist, dies at age 66.
  • 1880 - Birth of Jesse G Vincent Arkansas, engineer designed first V-12 engine.
  • 1880 - Isaäc M "Isaac A" Crémieux French minister of Justice, dies at age 83.
  • 1880 - Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Arcanum about Christian marriage.
  • 1881 - Jacques Offenbach's opera "Les Contes d'Hoffman" premieres in Paris.
  • 1882 - Rimski-Korsakovs opera "Snyegurochka" premieres in Saint Petersburg.
  • 1883 - Fire at un-insured New Hall Hotel in Milwaukee Wisconsin, kills 71.
  • 1884 - Birth of Herbert Hordern cricketer (pioneering leggie for Australia and Philadelphia).
  • 1887 - Birth of [Fran J] Vital Celen Flemish literary/author.
  • 1887 - Ellen Wood English author (Pomeroy Abbey), dies at age 73.
  • 1887 - Pieter van der Aa Dutch geographer, dies at age 54.
  • 1888 - Birth of G Ungaretti writer.
  • 1889 - Birth of Howard Spring British author/novelist/writer/critic (O Absalom).
  • 1890 - Around 11 million acres, ceded to US by Sioux Indians opens for settlement.
  • 1890 - Birth of Boris L Pasternak Russia, novelist/poet (Dr Zhivago, Nobel Prize 1958).
  • 1890 - Birth of Cor Ruys Dutch actor (Princess Stage).
  • 1891 - Birth of Harold first Earl Alexander of Tunis, Governor-General of Canada (1945-52).
  • 1892 - Birth of Alan Hale [Rufus Alan Mackahan], Washington DC; actor (Little John-Adventures of Robin Hood).
  • 1893 - Birth of Jimmy Durante New York City, New York, long-nosed comedian (and good-night Mrs Calabash).
  • 1893 - Birth of William [Bill] T Tilden II tennis player (US Open 1920-25, 29).
  • 1894 - Birth of Roy D'Arcy San Francisco California; actor (Warning Shadows, Revolt of Zombies).
  • 1894 - Birth of [Maurice] Harold MacMillan London, (Conservative) British Prime Minister (1957-63).
  • 1896 - Birth of Olin Howlin Denver Colorado; actor (Swifty-Circus Boy).
  • 1897 - Birth of John Franklin Enders Connecticut, micro-biologist (polio-Nobel Prize 1954).
  • 1897 - New York Times begins using slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print".
  • 1898 - Birth of Bertolt Brecht Germany, playwright (Mother Courage)/composer.
  • 1898 - Birth of Dame Judith Anderson Adelaide Australia, actress (Laura, Rebecca, Tycoon).
  • 1898 - Birth of Joseph Kessel French journalist/writer (Army of the Shadows).
  • 1898 - Birth of Robert Keith Fowler Indiana; actor (Battle Circus, Branded, Wild One).
  • 1899 - -39 degrees F (-39 degrees C), Milligan Ohio (state lowest temperature record).
  • 1899 - US-Spain peace treaty signed by President McKinley; US gets Puerto Rico and Guam.
  • 1900 - Birth of Rebecca Negrin.
  • 1900 - Peter Ostlund skates world record 500 metre (45.2 seconds).
  • 1902 - Birth of Armand Bernier Belgian poet (Sorcier Triste).
  • 1902 - Birth of Stella Adler New York, actress (My Girl Tisa).
  • 1902 - Birth of Walter H Brattain Amoy China, US physicist (Nobel Prize 1956-transistor).
  • 1902 - J N Krieger German Selenographer, dies.
  • 1903 - Birth of Matvey Isaakovich Blanter composer.
  • 1904 - Birth of John Farrow Sydney Australia, director/actor (Botany Bay, Wake Island).
  • 1904 - Japan and Russia declares war after Japan's surprise attack on Russian fleet at Port Arthur disabled 7 Russian warships.
  • 1905 - Birth of John Dierkes Ohio; actor (Daughter of Dr Jekyll, Hanging Tree).
  • 1905 - Birth of Max Schubert winemaker.
  • 1905 - Birth of Vilko Ukmar composer.
  • 1905 - Birth of Walter Brown sports organizer (NBA).
  • 1905 - Ignacy Krzyzanowski composer, dies at age 78.
  • 1906 - Birth of Erik Rhodes [Ernest Sharpe]; actor (Top Hat, Night at the Ritz).
  • 1906 - Birth of Henry Phelps Brown historian/economist.
  • 1906 - Birth of John "Cat" Thompson basketball hall of famer (elected 1962).
  • 1906 - Birth of Lon Chaney Jr Oklahoma City Oklahoma; actor (Dracula vs. Frankenstein, The Phantom, Hawkeye, Pistols 'n' Petticoats).
  • 1906 - Birth of Walraven (Wally) van Hall Dutch banker/resisted Nazis.
  • 1906 - Britain's first modern and largest battleship "HMS Dreadnought" launched.
  • 1906 - State of siege proclaimed in Zululand.
  • 1907 - Birth of Grace Hamilton first black member of Georgia state legislature.
  • 1908 - Birth of Jean Coulthard composer.
  • 1908 - Tommy Burns knocks out Jack Palmer in four for heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1909 - Birth of Lord Milne.
  • 1910 - Birth of Dominique Pire Belgium, educator, aided WWII refugees (Nobel Prize 1958).
  • 1910 - Birth of Douglas Spencer actor (Thing, This Island Earth, River of No Return).
  • 1910 - Birth of Joyce Grenfell actress (Pickwick Papers, Americanization of Emily).
  • 1910 - Birth of Paul Whitelaw cricketer (New Zealand opening batsman vs England 1933).
  • 1912 - Birth of Lord Orr-Ewing.
  • 1912 - Hobbs and Rhodes make 323 cricket opening stand vs Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
  • 1912 - Joseph Lister first Baron Lister, surgeon (pioneer of antiseptic), dies.
  • 1913 - Birth of Philippa Bevans actress (Notorious Landlady, World of Henry Orient).
  • 1913 - Birth of Ragnhild Marie Hatton historian.
  • 1913 - Edward Sheldons "Romance" premieres in New York City, New York.
  • 1914 - Birth of Larry Adler Baltimore Maryland, harmonica player (Harmonicats) (blacklisted performer).
  • 1915 - Albert J-BJ Thijs Belgian Colonial pioneer (Congo), dies at age 65.
  • 1916 - Birth of Edward R Roybal (Representative-Democrat-California, 1963-).
  • 1916 - Conscription begins in Britain.
  • 1917 - Emile Pessard composer, dies at age 73.
  • 1917 - Johanna Westerdijk installed as Netherlands first female professor.
  • 1918 - Abdül-Hamid II 34th sultan of Turkey (lost Serbia/Egypt), dies at age 65.
  • 1918 - Birth of Gordon Pirie England, Group Captain.
  • 1918 - Birth of Idwal Pugh British ombudsman.
  • 1920 - Baseball outlaws all pitches involving tampering with the ball.
  • 1920 - Birth of Alexander Comfort English poet/writer (Wreath for the Living).
  • 1920 - Birth of J Heslop-Harrison botanist.
  • 1921 - Birth of Adrian Cruft composer.
  • 1922 - Birth of Harold Hughes (Governor-Democrat-New Jersey).
  • 1922 - Birth of Neva Patterson Nevada Iowa, actress (Governor and JJ, Doc Elliot, Nichols).
  • 1923 - Birth of Cesare Siepi Milan Italy, basso (New York Metropolitan Opera).
  • 1923 - Ink paste manufactured for first time by Standard Ink Company.
  • 1923 - Owen Davis' "Icebound" premieres in New York City, New York.
  • 1923 - SDAP speaks out against allied occupation of Ruhrgebied.
  • 1923 - Wilhelm Konrad von Rontgen physicist (Nobel Prize 1901), dies at age 77.
  • 1924 - Birth of Bud (Norman) Poile NHL player.
  • 1924 - Birth of Randy Van Horne El Paso Texas, singer (Nat King Cole Show).
  • 1924 - Bucky Harris, 27, becomes youngest baseball manager (Washington Senators).
  • 1925 - First waterless gas storage tank put into service, Michigan City Indiana.
  • 1925 - American League decides to alternate leagues for game one of World Series each year.
  • 1926 - Birth of Danny Blanchflower British soccer player.
  • 1926 - Building of Olympian Stadium Amsterdam, begins.
  • 1927 - Birth of Jakov Lind German/British author (Counting My Footsteps).
  • 1927 - Birth of Leontyne Mary Violet Price Laurel Mississippi, opera soprano (Porgy and Bess).
  • 1927 - Birth of Nigel Bagnall British field marshal.
  • 1927 - Birth of Viscount Cowdray British financier/multi-millionaire.
  • 1927 - President Coolidge asks for second disarmament conference.
  • 1928 - Birth of Gene Taylor (Representative-Democrat-St Louis, 1973-).
  • 1929 - Birth of Hallgeir Brenden Norway, 15K/18K cross country (Olympics-gold-1952, 56).
  • 1929 - Birth of Henk Heidweiler Surinam ambassador (in Netherlands).
  • 1929 - Birth of Jerry Goldsmith pianist/composer (Twilight Zone).
  • 1929 - Birth of Jim Whittacker mountain climber (first American to climb Mount Everest).
  • 1930 - Birth of John Gilpin English ballet dancer (Études, Alice in Wonderland).
  • 1930 - Birth of Peter Phillips composer.
  • 1930 - Birth of Robert Wagner Detroit Michigan; actor (It Takes a Thief, Hart to Hart).
  • 1930 - Grain Stabilization Corporation authorized byUS Congress.
  • 1931 - Birth of Gerhard Rosenfeld composer.
  • 1931 - Birth of Makoto Shinohara composer.
  • 1931 - Birth of Thomas Bernhard writer.
  • 1931 - New Delhi becomes capital of India.
  • 1931 - Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Harts premieres in New York City, New York.
  • 1932 - Birth of Donald Hilton Moderator (General Assembly of United Reformed Church).
  • 1932 - Birth of Rockin Dopsie Sr [Alton Jay Rubin], Jazz-Fusion singer (Zydeco).
  • 1932 - R H Edgar Wallace British writer/journalist (3 Just Men), dies at age 76.
  • 1933 - -54 degrees F (-48 degrees C), Seneca Oregon (state record).
  • 1933 - Delivery of first singing telegram (Postal Telegram Company New York City).
  • 1933 - Dutch sea-plane bombs Dutch ship.
  • 1933 - Hitler proclaims end of Marxism.
  • 1933 - Mutiny on "7 Provinces" ends (began February 4th), 23 killed.
  • 1934 - First Jewish immigrant ship to break the English blockade in Palestine.
  • 1934 - Byrd souvenir sheet issued, New York City; first unperforated ungummed US stamp.
  • 1934 - Howard Hanson's "Merry Mount" premieres in New York City, New York.
  • 1934 - Stalin ends 17th CPSU-congress, says "Life becomes merrier".
  • 1934 - Thomson/Gertrude Stein's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" premieres in New York City, New York.
  • 1935 - Birth of Conrad Klapheck German painter (typewriters).
  • 1935 - Birth of Salvator Pueyo composer.
  • 1935 - Birth of Theodore Antoniou composer.
  • 1935 - Pennsylvania railroad begins passenger service on new streamlined electric locomotive.
  • 1936 - Birth of Olwyn Bowey painter.
  • 1936 - Birth of Sylvia Williams museum director/curator.
  • 1937 - Birth of Don Wilson rock guitarist (Ventures-Walk Don't Run, Batman Theme).
  • 1937 - Birth of Lord Justice Rose.
  • 1937 - Birth of Yuriy Poyarkov USSR, volleyball player (Olympics-2 gold/1 silver-1964-72).
  • 1937 - Ragnhild Hveger swims world free style record 400 metre (5:14.2).
  • 1938 - King Carol II of Romania drives out dictator Goga.
  • 1939 - Birth of Barbara Kolb Hartford Connecticut, composer (Trobar Jus).
  • 1939 - Birth of Roberta Flack Black Mountain (Asheville) North Carolina, vocalist (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face).
  • 1939 - Pius XI [Ambrogio D A Ratti], Italian Pope (1922-39), dies at age 81.
  • 1940 - "In The Mood" by Glenn Miller hits #1.
  • 1940 - Birth of Hamish Imlach folk singer/comic.
  • 1940 - Birth of Jimmy Merchant rock vocalist (Frankie Lymon and Teenagers-Why Do Fools Fall In Love).
  • 1940 - Birth of Mary Rand-Bignal-Toomey England, long jumper (Olympics-gold-1964).
  • 1940 - Birth of Peter Middleton CEO (Lloyd's).
  • 1940 - Tom and Jerry created by Hanna and Barbera debut by MGM.
  • 1940 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Joan Tozzer.
  • 1940 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Eugene Turner.
  • 1941 - First highway post office makes first trip, Washington DC-Harrisonburg, Virginia.
  • 1941 - Anti-Nazi "Het Parool" begins publishing in Netherlands.
  • 1941 - Birth of John Hampshire cricketer (of Yorkshire Century on debut for England 1969).
  • 1941 - Birth of Michael Apted director/researcher (Granada TV).
  • 1942 - Birth of Michael Bishop CEO (British Midland Airways).
  • 1943 - "Manifesto of Algerian People" calls for equality and self-determination.
  • 1943 - 8th Army sweeps through North Africa to Tunisia.
  • 1943 - Spanish and German governments sign a secret protocol, in which Spain will resist entry of Anglo-American forces on any Spanish territory, in exchange for German supplies of war material.
  • 1943 - Birth of Ral Donner [Ralph Stuart], Black Mountain North Carolina, singer (Starfires).
  • 1943 - Van der Veen Resistance starts fire in Amsterdam employment bureau.
  • 1944 - Belgium resistance fighter/author Kamiel van Baelen arrested.
  • 1944 - Birth of Peter Allen Australia, singer/pianist (I Go to Rio, Legs Diamond).
  • 1944 - U-666/U-545/U-283 sink off Ireland.
  • 1945 - "Rum and Coca Cola" by Andrews Sisters hits #1.
  • 1945 - Birth of John Hayes Secretary-General (British Law Society).
  • 1945 - Birth of Klas Tuinstra Dutch Member of Parliament (CDA).
  • 1945 - Juan de Hernandez composer, dies at age 63.
  • 1946 - First black pro-baseball player Jackie Robinson marries Rachel Isum.
  • 1946 - Birth of Donovan [P Leech] Scotland, rocker (Mellow Yellow).
  • 1946 - Birth of Keith Mans Member of Parliament.
  • 1947 - Italy cedes most of Venezia Giulia to Yugoslavia.
  • 1947 - Netherlands Radio Union forms.
  • 1947 - Province of Petsamo returned to Soviet Union by Finland.
  • 1947 - In Paris, France, representatives of 21 nations sign five peace treaties with Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Finland.
  • 1948 - Birth of Conrad Cummings composer.
  • 1948 - Ewart Astill cricket all-rounder (9 Tests for England 1927-30), dies.
  • 1948 - Greek General Markos' guerrilla army bombs Saloniki.
  • 1948 - Sergei Eisenstein Russian director (Battleship Potemkin), dies at age 50.
  • 1949 - Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" opens at Morosco Theater, New York City.
  • 1949 - Birth of Joe Lavender NFL player.
  • 1950 - Armen Tigran Tigranyan composer, dies at age 70.
  • 1950 - Birth of Gail Rebuck CEO (Random House).
  • 1950 - Birth of Mark Spitz Modesto California, swimmer (Olympics-9 gold/silver/bronze-1968, 1972).
  • 1950 - Birth of Mike Rutherford rocker (Genesis-Against All Odds, Mike and Mechanics).
  • 1951 - Birth of Roxanne Pulitzer Glendale California, author (The Prize Pulitzer).
  • 1951 - Birth of Zeudi Araya Asmara Ethiopia, Miss Ethiopia (1969).
  • 1951 - Joseph Bovet composer, dies at age 71.
  • 1951 - Shah of Persia marries 19-year-old Soraja Esfandiara Bakhtiari.
  • 1952 - Birth of Mike Varty NFL player.
  • 1953 - Birth of Carl Joseph Stone composer.
  • 1953 - Birth of John Shirley US, sci-fi author (Eclipse Penumbra, Eclipse Corona).
  • 1953 - Ice Dance Championship at Davos won by Jean Westwood and Lawrence Demmy of Great Britain.
  • 1953 - Ice Pairs Championship at Davos won by Jennifer and John Nicks of Great Britain.
  • 1953 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Tenley Albright USA.
  • 1953 - Men's Figure Skating Champion in Davos won by Hayes Alan Jenkins USA.
  • 1954 - Eisenhower warns against US intervention in Vietnam.
  • 1954 - Ice Dance Championship at Oslo won by Jean Westwood/Lawrence Demmy Great Britain.
  • 1954 - Ice Pairs Championship at Oslo won by Frances Dafoe/Norris Bowden CAN.
  • 1954 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Oslo won by Gundi Busch Germany.
  • 1954 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Oslo won by Hayes Alan Jenkins US.
  • 1955 - Birth of Greg[ory John] Norman Queensland Australia, PGA golfer "The White Shark" (1984 Kemper).
  • 1955 - Birth of Lusia Mae Harris Minter City Mississippi, basketball player (Olympics-silver-1976).
  • 1956 - My Friend Flicka premieres on CBS TV.
  • 1956 - Elvis Presley records "Heartbreak Hotel" for RCA.
  • 1957 - Birth of Debbie Brinkley Tasmania, golfer (1990 T25 Victorian Open).
  • 1957 - Birth of Pranab Roy cricketer (son of Pankaj, Indian batsman 1982).
  • 1957 - Fay Crocker wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open.
  • 1957 - Laura Ingalls Wilder US author (Little House on Prarie), dies at age 90.
  • 1957 - Southern Christian Leadership Conference forms.
  • 1958 - Billy Vine, actor (54th Street Revue), dies at age 42.
  • 1959 - Birth of Tonga [Uliuli Fifita]; wrestler (WCW/WAR/WWF, Ming, Haku, Islanders).
  • 1959 - Dutch Princess Wilhelmina publishes Lonely, but not alone.
  • 1959 - Tornado in Saint Louis kills 19 and injures 265.
  • 1960 - Unsinkable Molly Brown closes at Winter Garden theater in New York City after 532 performances.
  • 1960 - Birth of Lionel Cartwright in Ohio, USA; country vocalist ("I Watched it on the Radio").
  • 1961 - AFL's Los Angeles Chargers move to San Diego.
  • 1961 - Birth of David Ward; cricketer (prolific Surrey batsman).
  • 1961 - Birth of Eva Pfaff in West Germany; tennis star.
  • 1961 - Birth of George Stephanopoulos; presidential adviser (Bill Clinton).
  • 1961 - Niagara Falls hydroelectric project begins producing power.
  • 1961 - Walter Piston's 7th Symphony premieres.
  • 1962 - Birth of Cliff Burton; rocker (Metallica).
  • 1962 - Birth of Jean-Marie Banos in Lavelanet, France; Canada sabre (Olympics-9/10-1988, 1992, 1996).
  • 1962 - Jim Beatty sets American indoor mile record (3:58.9) in Los Angeles, California.
  • 1962 - USSR swaps spy Francis Gary Power to US for Rudolph Abel.
  • 1962 - Willem Paerels, Netherlands/Belgian painter/graphic artist, dies at age 83.
  • 1963 - Birth of Bennie Thompson; NFL player (New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens).
  • 1963 - Birth of Harris Huizingh; soccer player (FC Groningen).
  • 1963 - Birth of Joakim Nystrom in Sweden; tennis star.
  • 1963 - Birth of Lenny Dykstra; centerfielder (New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies).
  • 1963 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Women's Golf Open.
  • 1963 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Lorraine Hanlon.
  • 1963 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Thomas Litz.
  • 1964 - Birth of Francesca Neri in Trento, Italy; actress (Ages of Lulu).
  • 1964 - Birth of Mir Aimal Kansi in Quetta, Pakistan; murderer (FBI Most Wanted).
  • 1964 - Birth of Roger Reijners; soccer player (MVV).
  • 1964 - Birth of Sam Graddy in Gaffney, South Carolina, USA; 4x100 metre runner (Olympics-gold-1984).
  • 1964 - Destroyer Voyager sinks off Australia after colliding with aircraft carrier Melbourne, killing 82.
  • 1965 - Birth of Lenny Webster in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; catcher (Montreal Expos).
  • 1965 - Birth of Marjolein Macrander; Dutch actress (Drowned).
  • 1966 - Billy Rose, US theater producer (Diamond Horse Show), dies at age 66.
  • 1966 - Birth of Daryl Johnston; NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys).
  • 1966 - Harmel government in Belgium resigns.
  • 1967 - 25th Amendment to US Constitution (Presidential Disability and Succession) in effect.
  • 1967 - Birth of Bradley Hughes in Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia; Australasia golfer.
  • 1967 - Birth of Dwayne "Road Grader" White; NFL player (New York Jets, Saint Louis).
  • 1967 - Birth of Laura Dern in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Blue Velvet, Mask, Small Talk).
  • 1968 - Birth of Peter Popovic in Koping, Sweden; NHL defenseman (Montreal Canadiens).
  • 1968 - Birth of Ryan Bowen, US baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins).
  • 1968 - Pitirim A Sorokin, Russian/US sociologist, dies at age 79.
  • 1969 - Birth of Jayhawk Owens in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; catcher (Colorado Rockies).
  • 1969 - Birth of Tim Clark; US baseball outfielder (Florida Marlins).
  • 1969 - LSU Pete Maravich scores 66, despite losing to Tulane 101-94.
  • 1970 - Birth of Alberto Castillo; Dominican/US baseball catcher (New York Mets).
  • 1970 - Birth of Bobby Jones in Fresno, California, USA; pitcher (New York Mets).
  • 1970 - Birth of Brendan Eppert in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; speed skater (Olympics-1994).
  • 1970 - Dry powder avalanche moving at 120 mph smashes into youth hostel killing 40 Belgian, French, and German youths (Val d'Isere, France).
  • 1971 - American Mensa, Ltd incorporates in New York.
  • 1971 - Birth of Kevin Sefcik in Oaklawn, Illinois, USA; infielder (Philadelphia Phillies).
  • 1971 - Birth of Marty Nothstein in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA; sprint cyclist Olympics-silver-1996).
  • 1971 - Birth of Wayne Gandy; tackle (Saint Louis Rams).
  • 1971 - Royal Albert Hall bans scheduled concert featuring Frank Zappa.
  • 1972 - Birth of Michael Kasprowicz; cricketer (Australian Test fast bowler vs West Indies 1996).
  • 1972 - Birth of Nancy Christian; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; WPVA volleyballer (US Open-17th-1995).
  • 1972 - Birth of Sara Simmons in Belmont, Massachusetts, USA; rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1972 - Birth of Torey Hunter; NFL cornerback (Houston Oilers).
  • 1972 - Ras al Khaima joins the United Arab Emirates.
  • 1972 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1973 - Second time New York Rangers shut-out New York Islanders 6-0.
  • 1973 - 83-metre-wide gas tank on Staten Island, New York, explodes, crushing 40.
  • 1973 - Mushtaq Mohammad follows up 201 to take 5-49 vs New Zealand Dunedin.
  • 1974 - Birth of Andrew English; Canadian Football League receiver (British Columbia Lions).
  • 1974 - Birth of Lea Ghirardi-Rubbi in Colombes, France; tennis star (1994 Futures NC).
  • 1974 - Birth of Ty Law; NFL cornerback (New England Patriots).
  • 1974 - Gail Denenber wins LPGA Sears Women's Golf Classic.
  • 1974 - Iran/Iraq border fight breaks out.
  • 1974 - Judy Ikenberry wins first US women's marathon (2:55:17).
  • 1974 - Silver futures hit record US$4.815 an ounce in London, England.
  • 1975 - Birth of Tina Thompson; WNBA forward (Houston Comets).
  • 1975 - William "Judy" Johnson selected to American baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 1977 - Birth of Stephanie Ann Foisy in Concord, New Hampshire; Miss New Hampshire-America (1995).
  • 1977 - Bomb explosion in Moskouse metro.
  • 1977 - Grace Mary Williams, composer, dies at age 70.
  • 1977 - Yehonathan Netanyou Lane in the Bronx, New York, named in honor of Bronx-born Israeli soldier who died freeing hostages in Entebbe Raid (1976).
  • 1978 - Frank C Carlucci succeeds John F Blake as deputy director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
  • 1979 - "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart peaks at #1.
  • 1979 - Border is named 12th man for Australia, only Test Cricket he missed.
  • 1980 - Jane Blalock wins LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic.
  • 1980 - Birth of César Izturis; Venezuelan Major League Baseball player.
  • 1980 - Birth of Steve Tully; English footballer.
  • 1981 - Birth of Natasha St-Pier; Canadian singer.
  • 1981 - 33rd NHL All-Star Game: Campbell beat Wales 4-1 at Los Angeles, California.
  • 1981 - A fire at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino kills eight and injures 198.
  • 1981 - Dennis Lillee becomes Australian Cricket's top wicket-taker with 249.
  • 1981 - Birth of The Reverend Tholomew Plague; American drummer (Avenged Sevenfold).
  • 1982 - K R Meher-Homji, cricketer (Test as Indian, catch no stumped), dies.
  • 1982 - Birth of Justin Gatlin; American athlete.
  • 1982 - Birth of Mon Redee Sut Txi; Malaysian athlete.
  • 1982 - 28 skiers perform backflips while holding hands, Bromont, Québec.
  • 1983 - Anglican synod vote 338-100 against unilateral United Kingdom nuclear disarmament.
  • 1983 - Eduard Franz, actor (Zorro), dies at age 80.
  • 1984 - Death of David Von Erich, American professional wrestler (born 1958).
  • 1984 - Birth of Kim Hyo Jin, Korean actress.
  • 1985 - Birth of Anette Sagen; Norwegian ski jumper.
  • 1985 - -61 degrees F (-52 degrees C), Maybell Colorado (state record).
  • 1985 - 35th NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 140-129 at Indiana.
  • 1985 - Andrea Schöne skates ladies world record 5 km (7:32.82).
  • 1985 - Space shuttle Challenger moves to Vandenberg Air Force Base for mating of STS 51-E mission.
  • 1985 - Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic.
  • 1985 - Nelson Mandela rejects an offer of freedom from the South African government.
  • 1985 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1986 - Brian Aherne, actor (Juarez, My Sister Eileen, Rosie), dies at age 83.
  • 1987 - Philippine troops murder 17 civilians-Lupao Massacre.
  • 1987 - Death of Robert O'Brien, racing driver (born 1908).
  • 1988 - In Japan, Enix releases the Dragon Quest III video game for the Famicom.
  • 1988 - Three-judge panel of 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, California strikes down Army's ban on homosexuals (later overturned by appeal).
  • 1988 - Rocky Malebane-Metsing coup in Bophuthatswana fails.
  • 1989 - Boston Celtics' KC Jones and Cleveland Cavaliers' Lenny Wilkens elected to NBA Hall of Fame.
  • 1989 - Dan Kelly, NHL sportscaster, dies at age 52, "He shoots, he scores!".
  • 1989 - Miami Vice's 100th episode seen on TV.
  • 1989 - Minor League Football System opens organizational meeting, Saint Louis, Missouri.
  • 1989 - Test Cricket debut of Aaqib Javed, Pakistan vs New Zealand age 16 years 189 days.
  • 1989 - To gain deregulation, WWF admits pro wrestling is an exhibition and not a sport, in a New Jersey court.
  • 1989 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1990 - Sixth largest wrestling crowd (63,900-Tokyo Dome).
  • 1990 - Birth of Craig Sorger, American murder victim (dies 2003).
  • 1990 - South Africa President F.W. de Klerk announces Nelson Mandela will be free February 11th.
  • 1990 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Jill Trenary.
  • 1991 - La Bete opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater in New York City for 24 performances.
  • 1991 - 41st NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 116-114 at Charlotte, North Carolina.
  • 1991 - Beth Daniel wins LPGA Phar-Mor at Inverrary Golf Tournament.
  • 1991 - Johann Koss skates world record 10 km (13:43.54).
  • 1991 - Birth of Emma Roberts, American actress.
  • 1992 - Dangerous Women final episode on WWOR-TV.
  • 1992 - Alex Haley, American author (Autobiography of Malcolm X, Roots), dies at age 70 (born 1921).
  • 1992 - Tom Harkin wins the Iowa Democratic Caucus.
  • 1992 - Bonnie Blair wins 1992 Olympics first gold medal for the USA.
  • 1992 - Florence Tarlow dies of cancer at age 70.
  • 1992 - Mau Kopuit, Dutch editor-in-chief (New Israeli Weekly Newspaper), dies.
  • 1992 - Meade Roberts, screenwriter, dies of congestive heart failure at age 61.
  • 1992 - Thomas Graftdijk, Dutch writer (Dr Faustus), dies.
  • 1992 - Wim Ramaker, Dutch director/writer (On Death Track), dies.
  • 1993 - Michael Jackson Talks To Oprah Winfrey airs on ABC and draws an astounding 39.3 rating/56 share, 90 million people.
  • 1993 - Jani Sievinen swims world record 200 metre backstroke (1:55.59).
  • 1993 - John Grossman, Czechoslovakian director (Process, Revisor), dies.
  • 1993 - Maurice Bourges-Maunoury, Prime Minister of France (1957), dies.
  • 1993 - US officially backs peace plan in Bosnia.
  • 1994 - Birth of Makenzie Vega, American actress.
  • 1995 - Chelsi Smith, 21, Miss Texas, crowned 44th Miss USA.
  • 1995 - Kenton Kilmer, poet/translator, dies at age 85.
  • 1995 - Louis Sen A Kaw, Suriname's great dam builder, dies at age 75.
  • 1995 - Paul Monette, writer, dies at age 49.
  • 1995 - S van der Linde, church historian, dies at age 89.
  • 1995 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Nicole Bobek.
  • 1996 - Hugh Francis Lamprey, ecologist, dies at age 67.
  • 1996 - IBM's chess computer "Deep Blue" defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov for the first time.
  • 1997 - 13th Soap Opera Digest Awards.
  • 1997 - 5th annual ESPY Awards presented.
  • 1997 - Brian McManus Connolly, musician, dies at age 47.
  • 1997 - Comet Shoemaker-Holt 2 Closest Approach to Earth (1.9245 AU).
  • 1997 - Lemrick Nelson found guilty in the fatal stabbing on Hasidic Jew Yankel Rosenbaum in Crown Heights Brooklyn in 1991.
  • 1997 - Milton Cato, Prime Minister of San Vincent and Grenadines (1979-84), dies.
  • 1997 - O J Simpson jury reaches decision on $25 million in punitive damages.
  • 1997 - Soyuz TM-25 launches to the MIR.
  • 1997 - Nintendo releases the Mario Kart 64 game for the Nintendo 64 in the US.
  • 1997 - Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of Papua New Guinea has brought mercenaries onto Bougainville Island.
  • 1997 - Birth of Chloe Moretz, American actress.
  • 1998 - AOL raises monthly flat rate Internet access from $19.95 to $21.95.
  • 1998 - Buddy the Wonder Dog dog (Air Bud), dies of cancer at age 9.
  • 1998 - Maurice Schumann, French foreign minister (1969-73), dies.
  • 1998 - Olympics figure skater Peggy Fleming undergoes breast cancer surgery.
  • 1998 - A college dropout becomes the first person to be convicted of a hate crime committed in cyberspace.
  • 1998 - Voters in Maine repeal a gay rights law passed in 1997, becoming the first U.S. state to abandon such a law.
  • 1999 - Avalanches in the French Alps near Geneva kill at least 10.
  • 2000 - Death of Jim Varney, American actor noted for his character, Ernest P. Worrell. (born 1949).
  • 2001 - Death of Abraham Beame, mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977 (born 1906).
  • 2002 - In the 52nd NBA All Star Game the West defeated the East in Philadelphia at the Wachovia Center.
  • 2002 - Death of Traudl Junge, German private secretary of Adolf Hitler (born 1920).
  • 2003 - Death of Edgar de Evia, American photographer (born 1910).
  • 2003 - Death of Ron Ziegler, Richard Nixon's White House Press Secretary (born 1939).
  • 2003 - Death of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, professional wrestler (born 1958).
  • 2004 - At least 50 people are killed in a car bomb attack on a police recruitment centre south of Baghdad.
  • 2004 - The French National Assembly votes to pass a law banning religious items and clothing from schools.
  • 2005 - North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons as a protection against the hostility it feels from the United States.
  • 2005 - Roy Oswalt and the Houston Astros agree to a two-year, US$16.9 million deal.
  • 2005 - Saudi Arabia holds its first ever municipal elections, in which only male citizens are allowed to vote.
  • 2005 - Death of Arthur Miller, American playwright (born 1915).
  • 2006 - (to February 26) The 2006 Winter Olympics take place in Turin, Italy.
  • 2006 - Alfonso Soriano sets a record for the highest salary ever awarded in baseball arbitration: he will receive US$10 million to play outfield for the Washington Nationals.
  • 2006 - Death of J Dilla, American music producer (born 1974).
  • 2007 - U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois announces a presidential bid in Springfield, Illinois, USA.
  • 2007 - Death of Jung Da Bin, Korean actress (born 1980).
  • 2008 - In Honolulu, Hawaii, the NFL Pro Bowl game is held. NFC beats AFC 42 to 30. Most Valuable Player award goes to Adrian Peterson.
  • 2008 - In London, England, the Grammy Awards show is held.
    • Album of the Year: River: The Joni Letters, by Herbie Hancock.
    • Record of the Year: Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
    • Song of the Year: "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse.
    • Best New Artist: Amy Winehouse.
    • Best Contemporary Jazz Album: River: The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock.
    • Best Female Pop Vocal Solo Performance: Amy Winehouse for "Rehab".
    • Best Pop Vocal Album: Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
    • Best Rap Album: Graduation by Kanye West.
    • Best Rap Solo Performance: Kanye West for "Stronger".
    • Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: Kanye West for "Southside".
    • Best Rap Song: "Good Life" by Kanye West.
    • Country Album of the Year: These Days by Vince Gill.

  • 2008 - In Zurich, Switzerland, masked robbers steal four 19th century paintings valued at US$164 million from a museum, the biggest robbery in Swiss history. The four paintings stolen are Cezanne's The Boy in the Red Vest, Degas' Viscount Lepic and His Daughters, Monet's Poppies Near Vetheuil, Van Gogh's Blossoming Chestnut Branches.

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
  • Copyright © 2006-2008 Ken Polsson (email: kpolsson@islandnet.com).
    URL=http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/thisday/
    Link to Ken P's home page.


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