This Day in History
February 12

What happened in history on this day: February 12? On February 12 in ... 1049 - Bruno count of Egesheim and Dagsburg crowned Pope Leo IX. 1111 - German King Hendry V arrives at Saint Peter, Rome. 1128 - Toghtekin slave/atabek of Damascus, dies. 1130 - Pope Innocent II elected. 1211 - Birth of Henry VII Roman catholic German king (1220-35). 1242 - Hendrik VII Roman Catholics German king (1220-35), commits suicide. 1438 - Birth of Adolf van Egmond duke of Gelre/earl of Zutphen. 1474 - Birth of Lorenzo Campeggi(o) archbishop of Bologna/diplomat. 1502 - Granada Muslims forced to convert to Catholicism. 1528 - Treaty of Dordrecht between emperor and ecclesiastical power. 1538 - Albrecht Altdorfer German painter, dies at about age 57. 1554 - Lord Guildford Dudley Jane Grey's husband, beheaded. 1567 - Birth of Thomas Campion England, composer/poet/physician. 1577 - Spanish land guardian Don Juan of Habsburg signs "Eternal Edict". 1584 - Birth of Casparus Barleaus Flemish theologist/poet (Muiderkring). 1585 - Birth of Caspar Bartholin Malmö, physician, theologian, writer on anatomy. 1588 - Birth of John Winthrop English attorney/puritan/first Governor of Massachusetts. 1590 - François Hotman/Hotomanus French lawyer/diplomat, dies at age 65. 1616 - John Drusius of Driesschen, Flemish Hebraist, dies at age 65. 1624 - English parliament comes together. 1636 - Birth of Herman Witsius [Wits], Dutch reformed theologist. 1637 - Birth of John Swammerdam Dutch anatomist/entomologist (Bible of Nature). 1663 - Birth of Dr Cotton Mather witchcraft authority. 1665 - Birth of Rudolph J Camerarius German botanist/physician (sexuality plant). 1684 - Pietro Andrea Ziani composer, dies at age 67. 1706 - Birth of Josef Christian German sculptor. 1728 - Agostino Steffani Italian/German diplomat/composer, dies at age 73. 1733 - Georgia founded by James Oglethorpe, at site of Savannah. 1736 - Maria Theresa Habsburg marries French Stefanus (emperor François I). 1738 - James Sherard composer, dies at age 71. 1740 - Birth of Matej Sojka composer. 1751 - Birth of Joseph Waast Aubert Nonot composer. 1753 - Birth of Lambert-François Godecharle composer. 1758 - Birth of Christian Ignatius Latrobe composer. 1760 - Birth of Jan Ladislav Dussek Bohemia, pianist/composer. 1762 - English fleet occupies Martinique. 1762 - Laurent Belissen composer, dies at age 68. 1763 - John Casteret appointed British minister of foreign affairs. 1768 - Birth of Francis II Florence Italy, last Holy Roman emperor (1792-1806). 1771 - King Adolf Frederick of Sweden dies. His son Prince Gustav becomes King Gustav III. 1772 - Yves de Kerguelen of France discovers Kerguelen Archipelago, India. 1775 - Birth of Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams wife of John Quincy Adams. 1778 - Birth of Franz Joseph Volkert composer. 1787 - Ruggiero Boscovich Italian physicist/astronomer/philosopher, dies at age 75. 1791 - Birth of Jan D Zocher Jr Dutch garden architect (Vondelpark Amsterdam). 1791 - Birth of Peter Cooper industrialist/philanthropist (Cooper Union). 1792 - Birth of Ferdinand de Braekeleer Belgian painter. 1793 - First US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves. 1797 - Haydn's song "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" premieres in Vienna. 1799 - Frantisek Xaver Dusek composer, dies at age 67. 1804 - Immanuel Kant German philosopher (Zum ewigen Frieden), dies in Königsberg, Prussia at age 79. 1809 - Birth of Abraham Lincoln in Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA; (Republican) 16th President (1861-65) (dies 1865). 1809 - Birth of Charles Darwin in Shrewsbury, England; discovered evolution (Origin of species). 1818 - Birth of Otto Ludwig German writer (Die Heiterethei). 1818 - Chile gains independence from Spain. 1820 - Guillaume Albert Teniers composer, dies at age 71. 1821 - Mercantile Library of the City of New York opens. 1824 - Birth of Arya Samaj Maha Rishi Dayanand Sarsvati Indian Hindu leader. 1825 - Creek Indian treaty signed; Tribal chiefs agree to turn over all their land in Georgia to the government and migrate west by Sept 1, 1826. 1828 - Birth of George Meredith England, poet/novelist (Shaving of Shagpat). 1828 - Birth of Robert Ransom Jr Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1892. 1831 - Birth of John Morrissey boxer/developer of Saratoga Springs horse race track. 1832 - Ecuador annexes Galápagos Islands. 1834 - Friedrich Schleiermacher German theologist/philosopher, dies at age 65. 1837 - Ludwig Börne writer, dies at age 50. 1838 - Birth of Charles Carroll Walcott Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1898. 1839 - Boundary dispute between Maine and New Brunswick leads to Aroostook. 1840 - Housatonic Railroad opens. 1841 - Birth of Gijsbert van Tienhoven Dutch mayor (Amsterdam)/foreign minister. 1848 - Ballet "Faust" premieres, Milan. 1850 - Birth of Amaat Vyncke Flemish missionary (Flemish Flag). 1850 - Original Washington's Farewell Address manuscript sells for $2,300. 1852 - Birth of Hendrik Blink geographer (Van de Eems tot de Schelde). 1853 - Birth of Bertram Luard-Selby composer. 1857 - Birth of Bobby Peel cricketer (great English lefty 1884-96). 1861 - Birth of Lou [Andreas-]Salomé Russian/German author (Im Kampf um Gott). 1861 - Hippolyte-Andre-Baptiste Chelard composer, dies at age 72. 1861 - State troops seize US munitions in Napoleon, Arkansas. 1865 - Birth of Kazimierz P Tetmajer Polish writer/poet (Young Poland). 1865 - Henry Highland Garnet, is first black to speak in US House of Representatives. 1867 - Birth of Hedwig Courths-Mahler German author (Warbride). 1867 - Birth of Joe Howard New York City, New York, singer (Gay Nineties Revue). 1868 - Birth of Johan H A Schaper Dutch Member of Parliament/founder (SDAP). 1869 - Birth of Hendrik P Marchant Dutch minister of Education/Arts (VVD). 1870 - Official proclamation sets April 15 as last day of grace for US silver coins to circulate in Canada. 1873 - Birth of Jón Trausti [Gudmundur Magnússon], Icelandic writer (Heidarbylid). 1873 - US Congress abolishes bimetallism and authorizes $1 and $3 gold coins. 1874 - King David Kalakaua of Sandwich Island Hawaii, is first king to visit US. 1876 - Al Spalding opens his sporting good shop. 1877 - First news dispatch by telephone, between Boston and Salem Massachusetts. 1877 - US railroad builders strike against wage reduction. 1878 - Frederick Thayer patents the catcher's mask (pat # 200,358). 1879 - At New York City's Madison Square Garden, the first artificial ice rink in North America opens. 1879 - News about slaughtering of Isandlwana reaches London. 1880 - Birth of John Llewellyn Lewis union leader (United Mine Workers, 1920-60). 1880 - National Croquet League organizes (Philadelphia). 1882 - Birth of Walter Vaes Flemish painter/etcher. 1882 - Social-Democratic Union forms in Amsterdam. 1883 - Birth of Ludwig Stossel Austria; actor (Man With a Camera). 1884 - Birth of Max Beckmann German painter/graphic artist. 1885 - Birth of Julius Streicher German district leader (Stürmer). 1885 - Birth of Licinio Refice composer. 1885 - Carl Peters founds German East-Africa Society. 1886 - Second British government of Salisbury forms. 1886 - Birth of Gustaf Lazarus Nordqvist composer. 1886 - Birth of Michel Brusselmans composer. 1886 - P J Edvard Backström Swedish writer, dies at age 44. 1889 - Andrew Greenwood cricketer (batted in England's first two Tests 1877), dies. 1889 - César Francks Symphony in D, premieres. 1889 - Henrik Ibsen's "Fruen fra Haven" premieres in Oslo. 1891 - Birth of Cecil Dixon cricket off-spinner (one Test for South Africa, 3-118, pair). 1891 - Birth of Maurice Yvain composer. 1891 - Birth of Max Terhune actor (Arizona Stagecoach, Hit the Saddle, Range Justice). 1893 - Birth of Marcel G J Minnaert Dutch astronomer. 1893 - Birth of Omar Bradley General of Army WWII "The GI General". 1894 - Birth of Hans Guido von Bülow German conductor. 1896 - Charles Louis Ambrose Thomas French composer (Mignon), dies at age 84. 1896 - Isaac Murphy jockey, 628 win on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), dies at age 35. 1898 - Birth of Leroy "Roy" Harris Oklahoma, composer (When Johnny Comes Marching Home). 1898 - Birth of Wallace Ford [Samuel Jones Grundy], Batton England; actor (The Deputy). 1898 - Birth of [Le]Roy Harris Oklahoma, composer (When Johnny Comes Marching Home). 1899 - -47 degrees F (-44 degrees C), Camp Clarke NB (state record). 1899 - First two-man team six-day bicycle race in US begins, Madison Square Garden, New York City. 1899 - Birth of Albert Huybrechts composer. 1900 - Birth of Ferenc Körmendy Hungarian/US author (Budapest Kaland). 1900 - Birth of Fred Emney London England; actor (Let the People Sing, Lilac Domino). 1901 - Dutch Penitentiary children's law proclaimed. 1901 - Ramón de Campoamor bon Campoosorio Spanish poet (Colón), dies at age 83. 1902 - Birth of William D Revelli Spring Gulch Colorado, band leader. 1904 - Birth of Ted Mack Denver Colorado, TV host (Original Amateur Hour). 1905 - Birth of Harry Bellaver actor (Sergeant Arcaro-Naked City). 1905 - Marcel Schwob French writer/journalist (Coeur double), dies. 1906 - George M Cohans musical "George Washington" premieres in New York City, New York. 1908 - Anna Jeanes bequeathes $1,000,000 to Swarthmore to become all female. 1908 - New York to Paris auto race (via Alaska and Siberia) begins in New York NY; George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel. 1909 - Birth of Barry Wood New Haven Connecticut, singer (Your Hit Parade). 1909 - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. 1909 - Netherlands' SDAP suspends Marxist Tribune group (Gorter and Wijnkoop). 1909 - Robert Fowler runs world record marathon (2:46:52.6). 1910 - Birth of Forsyth Hardy documentary film pioneer. 1910 - Birth of Lee Byung Chull Korean industrialist/founder (Samsung Business). 1911 - Birth of Charles Mathiesen Norway, 1500 metre speed skater (Olympics-gold-1936). 1911 - Birth of Frank Hercules writer. 1911 - Birth of Sylvstre A Guzman Fernandez President (Dominican Republic). 1912 - Birth of Eddie J Bush golf professional. 1912 - Birth of Ernest Clark London England; actor (Doctor in the House). 1912 - The Republic of China adopts the Gregorian calendar. 1912 - Last Ch'ing (Manchu) emperor of China, Henry P'u-i, abdicates. 1913 - Birth of Pedro Gastao de Orleans e Bragança grandson of emperor Pedro I. 1914 - Birth of Gordon Tex Beneke saxophonist/bandleader/vocalist (Glenn Miller Orchestra). 1914 - Birth of Nello Celio Swiss President. 1915 - Birth of Andrew J Goodpaster US, General/Supreme Commander (NATO-Europe). 1915 - Birth of Lorne Greene in Ottawa, Canada; actor (Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica). 1915 - Charles Emile Waldteufel composer, dies at age 77. 1915 - Cornerstone laid for Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. 1916 - First edition of Joseph Patterson/Sidney Smith strip "Gumps". 1916 - Birth of Joseph L Alioto (Mayor-San Francisco). 1916 - Birth of Karl Hubert Rudolf Schiske Austrian composer (Vom Tode). 1916 - J W Richard Dedekind German mathematician, dies. 1917 - Birth of Thomas K Scherman New York City, New York, conductor (Little Orchestra Society 1947-75). 1918 - Birth of Dominic DiMaggio baseball outfielder (Boston Red Sox). 1918 - Birth of Julian S Schwinger US physicist. 1919 - Birth of Forrest Tucker Plainfield Indiana; actor (O'Rourke-F Troop, Dusty Trail). 1920 - 14,000 Rotterdam/Amsterdam harbor workers strike. 1920 - Emile Sauret composer, dies at age 67. 1920 - Jean Allemane French socialist/communard (allemanisten), dies at age 77. 1920 - National League votes 6-2 for one commissioner American League votes 6-2 to keep group commission. 1920 - Ottalee Baker Frank "Home Run" Baker's wife, dies at age 31. 1921 - Charles Leslie cricketer (4 Tests England vs Australia 1882-83), dies. 1921 - Soviet troops invade Georgia (theirs, not ours). 1921 - Winston Churchill becomes British, minister of Colonies. 1923 - Birth of Franco Zeffirelli Florence Italy, movie director (Romeo and Juliet). 1923 - Birth of James Abdnor (Senator-Republican-South Dakota, 1981-87). 1923 - Birth of Mel Powell composer. 1924 - Birth of Hans Berghuis Dutch author/poet (3 Women, Adam). 1924 - George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" premieres at Carnegie Hall (New York City, New York). 1924 - George Kaufman's "Beggar on Horseback" premieres in New York City, New York. 1924 - Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to deliver a political speech on radio. 1925 - First federal arbitration law approved byUS Congress. 1925 - E Thieffry departs with Handley Page for the Belgian Congo. 1925 - Estonia forbids Communist Party. 1926 - Barendrecht soccer team forms. 1926 - Birth of Joe Garagiola Saint Louis Missouri, sportscaster/host (Today Show). 1926 - Birth of Paul Hamlyn English publisher/multi-millionaire (Octopus). 1927 - Birth of Anne Gillis Little Rock Arkansas, actress (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Men). 1927 - British expeditionary army lands in Shanghai. 1929 - Birth of Agustin Gonzalez Acilu composer. 1929 - Freiherr Albert von Schrenk-Notzing German para-psychologist, dies at age 66. 1929 - Karst Leemburg wins Dutch 11 cities skate (11:30). 1930 - Birth of Arlen Specter (Senator-Republican-Pennsylvania, 1981-). 1930 - Birth of Gerhard Rühm writer. 1931 - Birth of Constance A Morella (Representative-Republican-Maryland). 1932 - Birth of Lincoln Kilpatrick Saint Louis Missouri; actor (BJ-Leslie Uggams Show). 1932 - Communist Party of Holland forms Unemployed Combat Committees. 1933 - Birth of Costa-Gavras director. 1933 - Birth of Ivan Nikolayevich Anikeyev cosmonaut. 1933 - Birth of Juanita [Ruth] Coulson sci-fi author (Web of Wizardry, Space Trap). 1933 - German vice-chancellor von Papen demands Catholic aid for Nazis. 1933 - Henri Duparc French composer, dies at age 85. 1934 - Birth of Annette Crosbie Edinburgh Scotland, actress (Six Wives of Henry VIII, One Foot in the Grave). 1934 - Birth of Bill Russell in Monroe, Louisiana; NBA star (Boston Celtics, Olympics-gold-1956). 1934 - Export-Import Bank incorporates. 1934 - France hit by a general strike against fascists and royalists. 1935 - Birth of Gene McDaniels US vocalist/bandleader/actor (Young Swingers). 1935 - Birth of Ken Still golfer. 1935 - Birth of Ray Manzarek keyboardist (The Doors-Light My Fire, Unknown Soldier). 1935 - Great airship, USS Macon, crashes into Pacific Ocean. 1936 - Birth of Arnost Parsch composer. 1936 - Birth of Fang Lizhi Chinese astrophysicist/dissident. 1936 - Birth of Joe Don Baker in Groesback, Texas; actor (Eischied, Walking Tall, Fletch). 1936 - Birth of Paul Shenar Milwaukee Wisconsin; actor (Carrington-Roots). 1936 - Adolf Hitler decides the time is right for Germany to re-occupy the Rhineland. 1937 - Birth of Charles Everett Dumas Tulsa Oklahoma, high jumper (Olympics-gold-1956). 1937 - Cleveland Rams granted an NFL franchise. 1938 - Birth of Johnny Rutherford auto racer. 1938 - Birth of Judy Blume in Elizabeth, New Jersey; author (Wifey, Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Blubber, Forever). 1938 - German troops entered Austria. 1939 - Birth of John D Hancock actor/director (Black Marble, Traxx, Houston Knights). 1940 - Birth of Hank Brown (Representative-Republican-Colorado, 1981-88). 1941 - Birth of Naomi Uemura mountain climber (first Japanese to scale Everest). 1941 - Birth of Ross Morgan cricketer (New Zealand batsman in 20 Tests 1965-72). 1941 - Jewish Council for Amsterdam forms, under Ascher/Cohen. 1941 - Occupation Police arrest "Jewish Foursome". 1942 - Three German battle cruisers escape via Channel to Brest N Germany. 1942 - Birth of Chananjit Vohra Kenyan/British hotel magnate/multi-millionaire. 1942 - Birth of Lionel Grigson professor of jazz. 1942 - Birth of Rick Frank rocker. 1942 - Grant Wood US painter (American Gothic), dies at age 49. 1943 - General Eisenhower departs Algiers to Tebessa. 1944 - Birth of Charles Pasarell tennis pro. 1944 - Birth of Desmond Nuttall English educator. 1944 - Birth of Jackie Torrence story teller/artist. 1944 - Birth of Moe Bandy Meridian Mississippi, country vocalist (Just Good Ol' Boys). 1944 - Wendell Wilkie (Republican) enters presidential race. 1945 - de Jong Dutch vicar/resistance fighter, executed. 1945 - Birth of Cliff De Young Los Angeles California; actor (F/X, Hunger, Shock Treatment). 1945 - Birth of Joe Schermie Madison Wisconsin, bassist (3 Dog Night-Joy to the World). 1945 - Birth of Maud Adams in Lulea, Sweden; actress (Octopussy, Rollerball, Tattoo). 1945 - Henrietta Szold founder (Hadassah, Youth Aliyah), dies. 1945 - San Francisco selected for site of United Nations Conference. 1945 - Walraven [Wally] van Hall Dutch banker/resisted Nazis, executed at age 39. 1946 - Birth of Ever Meulen [Eddy Vermeulen], Dutch designer (children stamps 1992). 1947 - Birth of Guus Willemse Dutch bassist/singer (Solution). 1947 - Daytime fireball and meteorite fall seen in eastern Siberia. 1947 - Record 100.5-kg sailfish caught, C W Stewart, Galapagos Islands. 1947 - Sidney Toler actor (Charlie Chan, Dark Alibi), dies at age 72. 1948 - First Lieutenant Nancy Leftenant becomes first black in army nursing corps. 1948 - Birth of Cindy Hill LPGA golfer. 1949 - "Annie Get Your Gun" closes at Imperial Theater New York City after 1147 performances. 1949 - Birth of Gundappa Viswanath cricketer (prolific Indian batsman of 70s). 1949 - Birth of Len Randle baseball player (New York Mets). 1949 - Birth of Stanley Knight country artist (Black Oak Arkansas-High on the Hog). 1949 - Panic in Quito Ecuador, after "War of the World" played on radio. 1949 - Team Canada beats Denmark 47-0 in hockey. 1949 - Unidentified aircraft bomb Jerusalem. 1950 - Albert Einstein warns against hydrogen bomb. 1950 - Birth of Michael Ironside actor, (Starship Troopers). 1950 - Birth of Steve Hackett rock guitarist (Genesis-Against All Odds/GTR). 1950 - Senator Joe McCarthy claims to have list of 205 communist government employees. 1951 - Birth of Gil "The Bird" Moore rocker (Triumph). 1952 - Birth of Dr Salvador Pineda Mexico City, doctor. 1952 - Birth of Simon MacCorkindale Cambridge England; actor (Counterstrike, Falcon Crest, Manimal, Jaws 3D). 1953 - Birth of Joanna Kerns [de Varona], San Francisco California, actress (Maggie-Growing Pains). 1953 - USSR breaks relations with Israel. 1954 - Dziga Vertov [Kaufman], Russian director (3 Songs of Lenin), dies at age 58. 1955 - Birth of Daniele Masala Italy, pentathlete (Olympics-1976). 1955 - McGuire Sisters' "Sincerely" single goes to #1 and stays #1 for 10 weeks. 1955 - President Eisenhower sends first US advisors to South Vietnam. 1955 - Soviets dedicate space center built in Baikonur, Kazachstan. 1955 - Tom Moore actor (Ladies be Seated, Majority Rules), dies at age 71. 1956 - Birth of Ad P Melkert Dutch minister of Social Affairs (1994-). 1956 - Birth of Paula Zahn Omaha Nebraska, news anchor (ABC, CBS This Morning). 1956 - Fay Crocker wins LPGA Miami Beach Golf Open. 1957 - Johannes Anker Larsen Danish writer (Martha og Maria), dies at age 82. 1957 - Researchers announce Borazan (harder than diamonds) been developed. 1958 - Birth of Arsenio Hall; comedian (Alan Thicke, Arsenio, Coming to America). 1958 - Birth of Ingrid Klich in Whittier, California, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1958 - Boston Celtics' Bill Russell grabs 41 rebounds to beat Syracuse Nationals 119-101. 1958 - General Miguel Ydegoras Fuentes elected President of Guatemala. 1958 - Marcel Cachin, first communist French senator, dies at age 88. 1959 - Birth of Nancy Remy; reporter (New York City's Shadow Traffic). 1959 - Birth of Omar Hakim; drummer (Dire Straits, Weather Report). 1959 - Birth of Per Gessle; rocker (Roxette - "Joy Ride"). 1959 - Birth of Sigrid Thornton in Australia; actress (Amelia Lawson - Guns of Paradise). 1959 - George Antheil, US pianist/composer (Ballet Mécanique), dies at age 58. 1960 - Bobby Clark, vaudevillian (World's funniest circus clown), dies at age 71. 1960 - Chinese army kills 12 Indian soldiers. 1961 - Birth of Chris Heyne in Offenbach, Germany; WLAF General Manager (Frankfurt Galaxy). 1961 - Boston Celtics' player Bill Russell grabs 40 rebounds to beat Philadelphia Warriors 136-125. 1961 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. 1961 - Mushtaq Mohammad scores first Test Cricket century at age 17 years 82 days. 1961 - USSR launches Venera 1 toward Venus. 1962 - Bus boycott starts in Macon, Georgia, USA. 1963 - Argentina asks for extradition of ex-president Peron. 1963 - Birth of Brent Jones; NFL tight end (San Francisco 49ers). 1964 - Birth of Maurice Douglass; NFL safety (New York Giants). 1964 - Birth of Michel Petit in Saint Malo, France; NHL defenseman (Tampa Bay Lightning). 1964 - Birth of Milton Small; cricket pace bowler (West Indies vs Australia 1984). 1964 - Birth of Raphael Sbarge; actor (Glenn - Risky Business, Sherman - My Science Project, Brian - Better Days). 1964 - End of Richie Benaud's 63-Test cricket career. 1964 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming. 1964 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Allen. 1965 - Birth of Ruben Amaro; US baseball outfielder (Cleveland Indians). 1965 - Henry Kulky, actor (Otto - Life of Riley), dies at age 53. 1965 - Nuclear test at Pacific Ocean. 1966 - Birth of Boty Goodwin; artist. 1967 - Birth of Andrew Dunkley in Kent, England; golfer (1991-93 Co-Captain University of West Florida). 1967 - Birth of Stephen Baldwin; actor (William Cody - The Young Riders). 1967 - Kees Verkerk becomes world champion all-round skater. 1968 - Birth of Chynna Phillips in Los Angeles, California, USA; singer (Wilson Philips - "Hold On"). 1968 - Birth of Josh Brolin; actor (Johnny - Private Eye, Jimmy Hickok - Young Riders). 1968 - Birth of Todd Fanning in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; golfer (Manitoba Amateur-1984, 1990, 1991, 1992). 1969 - Birth of Colin Keely in Buffalo, New York, USA; water polo driver (Olympics-1996). 1969 - Birth of Josh Brolin; actor (Johnny-Private Eye, Jimmy Hickok-Young Riders). 1969 - Birth of Shauna Lyn Searles; Miss California-USA (1996). 1969 - Johanna EFG Tourniaire, actress (Potasch and Perlemoer), dies at age 80. 1970 - Andre Souris, composer, dies at age 79. 1970 - Birth of Bryan Roy; Surinam/Dutch soccer star (Ajax). 1970 - Birth of Dell Demps; NBA guard (San Antonio Spurs). 1970 - Birth of Lamar Thomas; NFL wide receiver (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins). 1971 - Birth of Lincoln Kennedy; tackle (Oakland Raiders). 1971 - Birth of Romeo Bandison; NFL defensive tackle (Cleveland Browns). 1971 - Birth of Shane Tonkin; Australian baseball pitcher (Olympics-1996). 1971 - Birth of Shante Carver; NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys). 1971 - Birth of Tracy Kennick; Miss Utah-USA (1996). 1971 - George Shelton, actor (It Pays to be Ignorant), dies at age 86. 1971 - James Cash Penney, US founder (J C Penney), dies at age 95. 1971 - Only Test Cricket for Ken Eastwood, who scored 5 and 0 Australia vs England. 1972 - Birth of Andrew Cassesse; actor (Wormser - Revenge of Nerds, TV 101). 1972 - Birth of Dulip Samaraweera; cricketer (Sri Lankan Test opening batsman 1993-). 1973 - First US POWs in North Vietnam released; 116 of 456 flown to Philippines. 1973 - Benjamin Frankel, composer, dies at age 67. 1973 - Birth of Brendon Mark Cameron in Pirongia, New Zealand; 4k pursuit cyclist (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Ohio becomes the first US state to post distances on signs in System International (Metric) units. 1974 - Birth of Ian Mcintyre in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; NHL left wing (Vancouver Canucks). 1975 - Birth of Chris Szarka; Canadian Football League full back (Saskatchewan Roughriders). 1975 - Birth of Matt Finkes; linebacker (New York Jets). 1975 - Birth of Scot Pollard; NBA center (Detroit Pistons). 1975 - Birth of Seth Payne; defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars). 1976 - Birth of Christopher Pettiet in Los Angeles, California; actor (Young Riders). 1976 - James Clifton Williams, composer/band master (Sinfonians), dies at age 52. 1976 - Sal Mineo, actor (Exodus, Rebel Without a Cause), stabbed at age 37. 1976 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1977 - Toronto Maple Leafs shutout Washington Capitals 10-0. 1978 - Jesus Christ Superstar closes at Longacre Theater in New York City after 96 performances. 1978 - Debbie Austin wins LPGA American Cancer Society Golf Classic. 1978 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne. 1978 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner. 1979 - Jean Renoir, French writer/director (Human Beast), dies at age 84. 1979 - Kosmos 1076, first Soviet oceanographic satellite, launched. 1980 - Birth of Christina Ricci; American actress (Wednesday - Addams Family, Mermaids, Casper). 1980 - Birth of Sarah Lancaster in Kansas City, Kansas; actress (Rachel - Saved By the Bell: New Class). 1980 - Floyd Taliaferro Alderson, actor (Crossing Trails), dies. 1980 - New York Islanders second scoreless tie, vs Winnipeg Jets. 1980 - Richard Hadlee becomes New Zealand's top wicket-taker with 117. 1980 - Birth of Juan Carlos Ferrero; Spanish tennis player. 1980 - Death of Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (born 1913). 1981 - Cape Verde amends its constitution. 1981 - Jean Dixon, actress (Joy of Living, You Only Live Once), dies. 1981 - Pete Squires sets record for 1575 steps of Empire State Building, 10 minutes. 1981 - Admiral Bobby R Inman, US Navy, becomes deputy director of US Central Intelligence Agency. 1981 - Arbitrator Goetz declares Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk a free agent. 1982 - Hal Hooker, cricket (307 partners with Kippax for last wicket), dies. 1982 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1982 - Victor Jory of Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada, actor (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, first Lady, Jigsaw), dies at age 79 (born 1902). 1982 - Wayne Gretzky scores 153rd point of season, tying NHL record. 1982 - Birth of Onil Joseph; American baseball player. 1982 - Cornelis Rijnsdorp, Dutch writer (Culprit), dies at age 87. 1983 - Death of Eubie Blake, American musician and songwriter (born 1887). 1983 - Eubie Blake, ragtime-composer/pianist (Memories of You), dies at age 100. 1984 - Cale Yarborough becomes first Daytona 500 qualifier above 200 MPH. 1984 - Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (Final del Juego), dies at age 69. 1984 - West Indies beat Australia 2-0-1 to win cricket World Series Cup. 1984 - Death of Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (born 1914). 1984 - Alice Miller wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic. 1984 - Anna Anderson Manahan [claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia] dies in Virginia. 1985 - 37th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 6-4 at Calgary. 1985 - Nicholas Colssanto, actor (Coach - Cheers), dies at age 61. 1985 - West Indies beats Australia 2-1 to win cricket World Series Cup. 1986 - First-class cricket debut of Curtly Ambrose, Leeward Island vs Guyana. 1986 - Guy Douglas Hamilton Warrack, composer, dies at age 86. 1986 - Sid Stone, comedian (Milton Berle Show), dies at age 82. 1987 - Lang Jeffries, Canadian actor (Skip - Rescue 8), dies at age 55. 1987 - Survivors of a black man murdered by KKK members awarded US$7 million damages. 1988 - Anthony M. Kennedy is appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. 1988 - Birth of Nicoleta Daniela Sofronie, Romanian gymnast. 1989 - 39th NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 143-134 at Houston, Texas. 1989 - Five Pakistani Muslim rioters killed protesting Satanic Verses novel. 1989 - 50th PGA Seniors Golf Championship: Larry Mowry. 1989 - Wayne Gretzky sets two records, his 45th hat trick and 10th 40+ goal season. 1989 - Mauritius Balfoort, French/Flemish director, dies at age 83. 1989 - Thomas Bernhard, Dutch/Austrian writer (Heldenplatz), dies at age 58. 1989 - Thursday's Child sets sailing record, New York-Cape Horn-San Francisco, 80 days 20 hours. 1989 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Christopher Bowman. 1991 - Edward A Blatt, director (Between Two Worlds), dies at age 88. 1991 - Iceland recognizes Lithuania's independence. 1991 - North and South Korea form a joint team for table tennis competition. 1991 - Robert Wagner, mayor (New York City-Democrat-1954-65), dies. 1992 - Bep [Lambertus] van Klaveren, boxing champion (Olympics-gold-1928), dies (born 1907). 1992 - Dorothy Tree, actress (Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Nazi Agent), dies. 1992 - Ton Brandsteder, CEO (Sony Netherlands BV), dies at age 74. 1993 - James Bulger, age 2, disappears from the Strand Shopping Centre in Liverpool - his body is found on a disused railway in Liverpool two days later. 1993 - Buena Vista generally releases the film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey to theaters in the USA. 1993 - Disney releases the film The Cemetery Club to theaters in the US in the USA. 1994 - (to February 27) 17th Olympic Winter games are held in Lillehammer, Norway. 1994 - 20th century premiere of six restored Haydn-sonatas in Boston. 1994 - Donald Judd, US furniture maker/architect/artist, dies at age 65. 1994 - Edvard Munch's painting The Scream is stolen in a 50-second robbery of a museum in Oslo, Norway. 1995 - 45th NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 139-112 at Phoenix, Arizona. 1995 - Death of Robert Bolt, English writer (born 1924). 1995 - L Jansma Fries, publisher (Friese stamp), dies. 1995 - Earring George Mayweather, blues harmonica player, dies at age 66. 1995 - Jeff Rouse swims world record 50 metre backstroke (24.37 seconds). 1995 - Angela Kennedy swims woman's world record 50 metre butterfly. 1995 - Dieter Baumann runs European record 3k indoor (7 minutes 37.51 seconds). 1995 - Moses Kiptanui runs world record 3k indoor (7 minutes 35.15 seconds). 1995 - PRI loses/PAN wins Mexican regional elections. 1995 - Rachid Mimouni, Algerian author (L'Honneur de la Tribu), dies at age 49. 1995 - Sun Cayun pole vaults indoor female world record (4.12 metres). 1995 - Susan Auch skates female world record 500 metre (38.94 seconds). 1995 - Bonnie Blair skates female world record 500 metre (38.69 seconds). 1995 - Terence Beckles, pianist/teacher, dies at age 82. 1995 - Tony Secunda, rock band manager, dies at age 54. 1996 - Bob Shaw, Irish science fiction writer, dies of cancer at age 64 (born 1931). 1996 - Roger Omond, journalist, dies at age 51. 1997 - Fred Goldman says he will settle for a signed murder confession from O J Simpson in lieu of his $20.5 million judgement. 1997 - Nora Beloff, journalist, dies at age 78. 1997 - Walter Ritchie, sculptor, dies at age 77. 1998 - "Freak" opens at Cort Theater New York City. 1998 - 250-car Italy pile-up due to fog, four die and 50 hurt. 1998 - Dallas Cowboys sign Chan Gailey as their fourth head coach. 1998 - Intel unveils its first graphics chip, the i740. 1998 - US district judge T Hogan declares the presidential line-item veto law is unconstitutional. 1999 - Buena Vista Pictures releases the Walt Disney Pictures live-action feature film My Favorite Martian to theaters in the USA. 2000 - Death of Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, American musician (born 1929). 2000 - Death of Tom Landry, American football coach (born 1924). 2000 - Death of Charles M. Schulz, American comic strip artist (Peanuts) (born 1922). 2001 - Death of Kristina Söderbaum, German actress and photographer (born 1912). 2001 - The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. 2002 - The trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. 2002 - The U.S. Secretary of Energy makes the decision that Yucca Mountain is suitable to be the United States' nuclear waste repository. 2002 - For the first time in its history, Major League Baseball owns a team after acquiring the Expos from Jeffrey Loria for $120 million. 2004 - San Francisco, California begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as an act of civil disobedience. 2005 - Fire devastates the Windsor Building, a 32 story office block, in Madrid, Spain. 2006 - Death of Ken Hart, American composer, journalist, and playwright (born 1917). 2007 - An armed gunman shoots and kills five people at the Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, before being killed by the police, bringing the evening's rampage death toll to six. 2007 - Death of Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist (born 1905). 2008 - At the International Space Station, the Columbus laboratory module built by the Europe Space Agency is installed and opened for the first time. 2008 - In the USA, General Motors reports a fiscal 2007 year loss of US$39 billion. 2008 - In the USA, CBS airs the premiere of the reality TV show Big Brother 9. 2008 - In Los Angeles and New York, film and television writers vote to lift their 100-day-old strike against major studios and return to work. Writers Guild of America members voted 92.5 percent in favor of ending the strike, with a new three-year contract approved in principle. 2008 - In Damascus, Syria, Hezbollah leader Imad Moughniyah is killed by a car bomb attack. Moughniyah was an elusive international terrorist of 25 years, accused or convicted of many high-profile bombings in the 1980s. 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