This Day in History
February 13

What happened in history on this day: February 13? On February 13 in ... 1130 - Gregorio de' Papareschi elected as Pope Innocent II. 1130 - Honorius II [Lamberto], Pope (1124-30), dies. 1199 - Stefanus Nemanja (Symeon) monk, dies. 1237 - Jordanus of Saxon second general of Dominicans, drowns. 1315 - Jean I of Chalon-Arlay mayor of Neuchâtel, dies. 1332 - Andronicus II Paleologus Byzantine emperor (1282-1328)/monk, dies. 1349 - Jews are expelled from Burgsordf Switzerland. 1440 - Birth of Hartmann Schedel German physician/humanist/historian. 1469 - Birth of Elijah Levita in Neustadt an der Aisch (Germany); scholar of the Hebrew language, dictionaries and grammars (died in 1549 in Venice, Italy). 1480 - Birth of Hieronymus Aleander [Girólamo Aleandro], Italian diplomat/cardinal. 1510 - Charles of Gelre conquerors Oldenzaal. 1542 - Catherine Howard queen of England/5th wife of Henry VIII, is beheaded. 1545 - Willem of Nassau becomes prince of Orange. 1599 - Birth of Alexander VII [Fabio Chigi], Siena Italy, pope (1655-67). 1601 - John Lancaster leads first East India Company voyage from London. 1602 - Alexander Nowell English churchman, dean of Saint Paul's, dies. 1610 - Birth of Jean de la Badie French divine, founder of the Lagardists. 1622 - Birth of Adam Pijnacker landscape painter/etcher, baptized. 1629 - Girolamo Giacobbi composer, dies at age 61. 1633 - Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for trial before Inquisition for professing belief that earth revolves around the Sun. 1635 - Georg R Weckerlin German poet, dies at age 50. 1635 - Oldest US public institution, Boston Latin School founded. 1651 - Flemish missionary Joris van Geel departs to Congo. 1658 - Birth of Jan B Wellekens Dutch poet/painter. 1660 - Birth of Johann Sigismund Kusser composer. 1660 - Sweden's King Karl X Gustav dies of a stroke in Göteborg. 1662 - Elisabeth Stuart English daughter of James I, dies at age 65. 1668 - Treaty of Lisbon Spain recognizes Portugal. 1678 - Tycho Brahe first sketches "Tychonic system" of solar system. 1682 - Birth of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Venice, painter (Fortune Teller). 1689 - British Parliament adopts Bill of Rights. 1689 - William, Prince of Orange, is offered the crown of England. 1692 - MacDonald clan murdered on orders of King William III. 1693 - College of William and Mary opens. 1693 - Johann Kaspar von Kerll German composer, dies at age 65. 1706 - Battle at Fraustadt Swedish army beats Russia/Saksen. 1713 - Birth of Domingo Miguel Bernaube Terradellas composer. 1721 - Birth of John Reid composer. 1724 - Francisco Jose Coutinho composer, dies at age 43. 1741 - Andrew Bedford publishes first American magazine (The American Magazine). 1741 - Johann Joseph Fux Austrian composer/music theorist, dies at about age 80. 1755 - Birth of François Alexander Sallantin composer. 1755 - Rebel leader Mangkubuni signs Treaty of Gianti Java. 1756 - Birth of Joannes van der Linden lawyer/judge (Ware Pleiter). 1757 - Birth of John C Hespe Dutch journalist/politician. 1766 - Birth of Thomas Malthus Rookery in Surrey, Great Britain, economist/demographer/population expert (Law of Malthus). 1768 - Birth of Édouard Mortier French general, duke, prime minister (1834-35). 1777 - Marquis de Sade arrested without charge, imprisoned in Vincennes fortress. 1778 - Birth of Fernando Sor composer. 1782 - French fleet occupies Saint Christopher. 1784 - Charles Gravier French earl of Vergennes/Minister of Foreign Affairs, dies. 1786 - Abraham Baldwin selected president of University of Georgia. 1787 - Birth of James P Carrell composer. 1795 - First state university in US opens, University of North Carolina. 1798 - Wilhelm H Wackenroder German writer (Fantasies of Art), dies at age 24. 1799 - First US law regulating insurance passed, by Massachusetts. 1805 - Birth of David Dudley Field lawyer/law codifier. 1805 - Birth of Peter G L Dirichlet Germany, number theorist/analyst. 1807 - Birth of Bartolommea Capitanio Italian monastery founder (Liefdezusters). 1809 - French take Saragossa, Spain after a long siege. 1813 - Birth of Charles Pierre Schimpf Governor of Suriname (1855-59). 1814 - Augustin Holler composer, dies at age 69. 1816 - Teatro San Carlo in Naples destroyed by fire. 1818 - George Rogers Clark frontier military leader in Revolutionary War, dies. 1820 - Birth of Bela Albrecht Pal Keler composer. 1822 - Birth of Lev A Mej Russian nobleman/poet. 1826 - American Temperance Society, forms in Boston. 1829 - Birth of Gerard Keller writer (Netherlands Spectator). 1831 - Birth of John Aaron Rawlins Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1869. 1832 - First appearance of cholera at London. 1833 - Birth of William Whedbee Kirkland Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1915. 1837 - Birth of Valentin de Zubiaurre y Unionbarrenechea composer. 1837 - Riot in New York over high price of flour. 1840 - Birth of Georg Jacobi composer. 1841 - Thomas Ainsworth English/Dutch industrialist, dies at age 45. 1849 - Birth of Lord Randolph Churchill England, politician, Winston's father. 1849 - Christian Rummel composer, dies at age 61. 1852 - Birth of Johan L E Dreyer Danish astronomer (New generation catalogue of nebulae). 1858 - Sir Richard Burton and John Speake explore Lake Tanganyika, Africa. 1859 - Birth of Frank van de Goes Dutch writer/marxist theorist. 1859 - Birth of William Strang Scottish painter/engraver. 1860 - King Basse Kajuara departs Boni South-Celebes. 1861 - Abraham Lincoln declared President. 1861 - Birth of Uchimura Kanzo Tokyo, religious writer (How I Became a Christian). 1861 - Colonel Bernard Irwin attacks and defeats hostile Chiricahua Indians. 1861 - First military action to result in Congressional Medal of Honor, Arizona. 1862 - Birth of Karel Weis composer. 1862 - Siege of Fort Donelson, Tennessee. 1864 - Meridian Campaign fighting at Chunky Creek and Wyatt, Mississippi. 1866 - Jesse James and his gang commit the first armed bank robbery (Liberty Missouri: US$15,000) in United States history during peacetime. 1867 - Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" waltz premieres in Vienna. 1870 - Birth of Leopold Godowsky Lithuania, virtuoso pianist/composer. 1873 - Petrus AS van Limburg Brouwer [Abraham van Luik], literary, dies. 1874 - Birth of Hendrik Spiekman Dutch politician (social-democratic). 1875 - Birth of Kanouse quintuplets Watertown Wisconsin, first quintuplets in US, born to Edna Kanouse. 1877 - Birth of Jazeps Medins composer. 1880 - Thomas Edison observed the Edison effect, leading to the first U.S. patent for an electronic device (U.S. Patent 307,031). 1881 - Birth of Eleanor Farjeon English writer (Martin Pippin). 1882 - Henry Highland Garnet diplomat, dies in Monrovia Liberia at age 66. 1883 - Birth of Bainbridge Crist composer. 1883 - Birth of Harold "Hal" Chase baseball player/manager. 1883 - Pavel Melnikov [Petsjerski], Russian historian, dies at age 64. 1883 - Wilhelm Richard Wagner German composer (Die Walküre), dies in Venice at age 69. 1885 - Birth of Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman first lady (1945-53). 1886 - Birth of Ricardo Güiraldes Argentina, novelist/poet (Don Segundo Sombra). 1886 - Painter Thomas Eakins resigns from Philadelphia Academy of Art after controversy over use of male nudes in a coed art class. 1887 - Birth of Alvin York famed US soldier with 25 kills in WWI. 1888 - Birth of Georgios Papandreou Greek prefect of Lesbos/minister/premier. 1888 - Birth of Heintje Davids [Hendrika], Dutch revue star. 1891 - David Dixon Porter US Rear Admiral (Union Army-Civil War), dies at age 77. 1892 - Birth of Grant Wood US, painter (American Gothic). 1892 - Birth of Robert Houghwout Jackson 84th Supreme Court justice (1941-54). 1893 - Birth of Ana Pauker-Rabensohn Romania, communist/foreign minister (1945-52). 1893 - Ignacio M Altamirano Mexican author (El Zarco), dies at age 58. 1894 - Auguste and Louis Lumière patent the Cinematographe, a combination movie camera and projector. 1894 - Franjo Racki Croatian historian/politician, dies at age 65. 1895 - Birth of Fred Essler Austria; actor (Unsinkable Molly Brown, Saratoga Trunk). 1895 - Moving picture projector patented. 1896 - Karl Reinthaler composer, dies at age 73. 1898 - Birth of Neville Pearson English publisher. 1899 - -16 degrees F (-27 degrees C), Minden Louisiana (state record). 1899 - -1 degrees F (-18 degrees C) New Orleans Louisiana. 1899 - -2 degrees F (-19 degrees C) Tallahassee Florida (state record). 1902 - Birth of Blair Moody New Haven Connecticut, (Senator-Michigan). 1902 - Birth of Karl Menger Austria/US mathematician (theory of dimension). 1903 - Birth of Georges Simenon Belgium, mystery writer (Snow Was Black). 1905 - -29 degrees F (-34 degrees C) Pond Arkansas, USA, (state record). 1905 - -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C) Lebanon Kansas (state record). 1905 - -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C) Warsaw Missouri (state record). 1907 - English suffragettes storm British Parliament and 60 women are arrested. 1907 - Marcel Bertrand French mine engineer, dies at age 59. 1908 - Birth of Gerald Strang Claresholm Canada, composer. 1908 - Birth of Pauline Frederick journalist/correspondent (UN, NBC TV). 1908 - Birth of Sulo Nurmela Finland, 4 X 100K relay skier (Olympics-gold-1936). 1910 - Birth of William B Shockley London, US physicist (Nobel Prize 1956 - for research on semiconductors and discovery of the transistor effect along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain). 1911 - Birth of Jean Muir Fullarton actress. 1912 - Birth of French J Van den Brande Flemish actor. 1912 - Birth of Jose de Capriles US, fencer (Olympics-1936, 1948, 1952). 1912 - Birth of Margaretta Scott actress (Crescendo, Where's Charley, Counterblast). 1912 - England regains cricket's Ashes. 1913 - Birth of Arthur Carleton Hetherington public servant. 1913 - Birth of Guiseppe Dossetti politician/priest. 1914 - American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers-ASCAP forms in New York City, New York. 1914 - Birth of Earl Cadogan British large landowner (Military Cross). 1914 - Birth of George Kleinsinger San Bernardino California, composer (Tubby the Tuba). 1915 - Birth of Lyle Betther Philadelphia Pennsylvania; actor (Harry-Grand Jury, Lone Ranger). 1916 - Birth of James Griffith Los Angeles California; actor (Sheriff of Cochise). 1917 - Birth of Polly Rose actress (Myrtle-Love That Jill). 1917 - Joel Angel Russian musicologist/composer, dies at age 48. 1918 - Birth of Helen Stephens Fulton Missouri, 100 metre runner (Olympics-gold-1936). 1918 - Birth of Patty Berg Minneapolis Minnesota, LPGA golfer (1938 US Amateur, 1943, 1955 AP Sports Woman of the Year). 1919 - Birth of Eddie Robinson winningest college football coach (Grambling). 1919 - Birth of Joan Edwards New York City, New York, singer (Joan Edwards Show). 1919 - Birth of Tennessee Ernie Ford Bristol Tennessee, country singer/actor (pea picker). 1920 - Birth of Bryant Boudleaux Shellman Georgia, rock writer (Bye Bye Love). 1920 - Birth of Eileen Farrell Willimantic Connecticut, opera soprano (Interrupted Melody). 1920 - League of Nations recognizes perpetual neutrality of Switzerland. 1920 - National Negro Baseball League organized. 1920 - Switzerland rejoins League of Nations. 1921 - Birth of Henk van Galen Last Dutch journalist. 1921 - Birth of Zao-Wou-Ki Chinese/French painter/graphic artist. 1921 - Willem P C Knuttel Dutch bibliography/librarian, dies at age 67. 1922 - Birth of Lord Pym of Sandy British minister of foreign affairs. 1923 - First Black pro Basketball team, "Renaissance", organizes. 1923 - Birth of Chuck Yeager; American test pilot (first man to break sound barrier). 1924 - Birth of Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber French economist/politician. 1924 - King Tut's tomb opened. 1925 - Birth of Gene Ames singer. 1925 - Birth of Jan Arends Dutch poet/author. 1925 - US Congress makes Surpreme Court appeal more difficult. 1926 - Birth of Barney Childs composer. 1927 - Birth of Harry Wich Dutch set designer. 1927 - Brooks Adams US philosopher (New Empire), dies at age 78. 1927 - Uprising against Portuguese regime of General Carmona defeated. 1929 - Birth of Omar Torrijos Herrera President of Panamá. 1929 - Cruiser Act OKs construction of 19 new cruisers and an aircraft carrier. 1929 - Vladimir Mayakofsky's "Klop" premieres in Moscow. 1930 - Birth of Dotty McGuire Middletown Ohio, singer (McGuire Sisters). 1931 - Birth of Marjorie Jackson Austria, 100 metre/200 metre dash (Olympics-gold-1952). 1931 - Phil Tobin introduces Assembly Bill 98 in Nevada legislature to allow licensed gambling on a variety of games. 1932 - "Free Eats" introduces George "Spanky" McFarland to "Our Gang". 1933 - Birth of Caroline Blakiston actress (At Bertram's Hotel). 1933 - Birth of Emanuel Ungaro France, fashion designer (Neiman-Marcus Award-1969). 1933 - Birth of Kim Novak [Marilyn] in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Vertigo, Of Human Bondage). 1933 - Birth of Paul Biya President of Cameroon (1982-). 1934 - Austrian Dollfuss government bans socialistic party. 1934 - Birth of George Segal; actor/banjo player (Carbon Copy, Fun with Dick and Jane). 1935 - First US surgical operation for relief of angina pectoris, Cleveland Ohio. 1935 - Birth of Tommy Jacobs golfer. 1935 - Bruno Hauptmann found guilty of kidnap and murder of Lindbergh's infant. 1935 - Violet Paget British author (Gospels of Anarchy), dies at age 78. 1936 - Birth of John Harris British cricket player. 1936 - Birth of Leamon King Tulare California, 4X100 metre relayer (Olympics-gold-1956). 1937 - "Prince Valiant" comic strip appears; known for historical detail. 1937 - Birth of Sigmund Jähn German Democratic Republic, cosmonaut (Soyuz 31/29). 1937 - Birth of Susan Oliver New York City, New York, actress (Ann-Peyton Place, Star Trek-Cage). 1937 - Bradman scores 123 South Africa versus Queensland, 165 minutes, 10-4 1-6 in cricket. 1937 - C A Bernoulli writer, dies. 1937 - Maribel Vinson wins her 9th US figure skating championship. 1937 - NFL Boston Redskins move to Washington DC. 1937 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Maribel Vinson. 1937 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee. 1938 - Birth of Oliver Reed London England; actor (Big Sleep). 1939 - Birth of Valery Illych Rozhdestvensky USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 23). 1940 - Bradman scores 209 in 161 minutes for South Australia at the WACA. 1941 - Birth of Bo Svenson Göteborg Sweden; actor (North Dallas 40, Walking Tall). 1941 - Naomi Uemura Japanese mountain climber, dies on Mount McKinley. 1941 - Nazi leaders attack Dutch Jewish Council. 1942 - Birth of Carol Lynley New York City, New York, actress (Night Stalker, Fantasy Island, Immortal). 1942 - Birth of Donald E Williams Lafayette Indiana, Captain US Navy/astronaut (STS 51D, STS 34). 1942 - Birth of Peter Tork [Peter Halsten Thorkelson] Washington DC, singer/actor (Monkees-Last Train to Clarksville). 1942 - Hitler's Operation Seelöwe (invasion of England) cancelled. 1943 - Birth of F C Delius writer. 1943 - Birth of Geoff Edwards Westfield New Jersey; actor (Jeff-Petticoat Junction, Jackpot). 1943 - Birth of Leo Frankowski US, sci-fi author (High Tech Knight, Flying Warlord). 1943 - German assault on Sidi Bou Zid Tunisia, General Eisenhower visits front. 1943 - William Walraven journalist/writer (Neglected Grouser), dies at age 55. 1943 - Women's Marine Corps created. 1944 - Birth of Jerry Springer in London, England; talk show host (Jerry Springer Show). 1944 - Birth of Sal Bando baseball player (Oakland Athletics). 1944 - Birth of Stockard Channing New York City, New York, actress (Grease, The Big Bus, Without a Trace). 1945 - British bombers attack Dresden, Germany. This is Operation Thunderclap, a directive of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, to destroy German cities. About 800 Lancaster bombers bomb the centre of the town with 1600 tons of incendiaries and high explosives, starting a firestorm. Over 1680 acres are destroyed in the city centre, over 86,000 houses destroyed or damaged, 20,000 to 25,000 killed. 1945 - Birth of Keith Nichols; jazz pianist. 1945 - Birth of King Floyd; rocker. 1945 - Birth of Roy Dyke in Liverpool, Engldna; rock drummer (Ashton, Gardner and Dyke). 1945 - George Studd, cricketer (4 Tests with brother versus Australia 1882-83), dies. 1945 - USSR captures Budapest, after 49-day battle with Germany; 159,000 dead. 1946 - Birth of Rainer Werner Fassbinder; German director/actor (Ehe der Maria Braun). 1946 - The first general-purpose electronic computer, ENIAC is announced to the public. The 30-ton computer is eighty feet long, eight feet high, and consists of 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, and 1500 relays, to provide twenty words of memory. It is programmed by 6000 dials and switches. ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. The project was initiated in 1943, to improve calculations of artillery shell trajectories. It was built at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Engineering in Philadelphia. It cost about US$400,000 to build. 1947 - Birth of Mike Krzyzewski; basketball coach. 1947 - Birth of Tony Butler; rock bassist (Big Country - "It's a Big Country", "Wonderland"). 1948 - Andy Ganteaume scores 112 for West Indies in only Test Cricket innings. 1948 - Ice Pairs Championship at Davos, Switzerland, won by Lannoy and Baugniet of Belgium. 1948 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Davos, Switzerland, won by Richard Button of USA. 1948 - Wright Flyer, first plane to fly, returns to US from England. 1950 - Birth of Leonard Pascoe; cricketer (dynamic Aussie quick 1977-82). 1950 - Birth of Peter Gabriel in Surrey, England; rock vocalist (Genesis - "In Your Eyes"). 1951 - Birth of David Naughton in Hartford, Connecticut, USA; actor (My Sister Sam, Seperate Vacations). 1952 - Alfred Einstein, German/US musicologist, dies at age 71. 1952 - Birth of Ed Gagliardi in New York City, New York, USA; rock bassist (Foreigner - "Cold As Ice"). 1952 - Rocky Marciano defeats Lee Savold for his 39th straight win. 1953 - Oakland Athletics change name of Shibe Park to Connie Mack Stadium. 1953 - Birth of Sharon Wyatt in Lebanon, Tennessee, USA; actress (Tiffany - General Hospital). 1953 - Birth of Suleiman Nyambui; Tanzanian runner (world record 5k indoor). 1954 - Frank Selvey scores 100 points (basketball) for Furman beating Newberry 149-95. 1955 - Birth of Jan de Ligt; Dutch saxophonist ("I've Got the Bullets"). 1955 - Birth of Scott Smith; rock bassist (Loverboy - "Get Lucky"). 1955 - Israel acquires four of seven Dead Sea scrolls. 1955 - Patty Berg wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. 1956 - Birth of Liam Brady; British soccer player. 1956 - Birth of Peter Hook; English rock bassist (New Order - Round and Round, Run). 1956 - Birth of Richard Eden; actor (Brick - Santa Barbara, Solar Crisis, Robocop). 1957 - Birth of Doris King in Nashville, Tennessee, USA; vocalist (Girls Next Door - "Don't Be Cruel"). 1957 - Birth of Thelston Payne; cricket wicket-keeper (West Indies 1986). 1957 - Southern Christian Leadership Conference organizes in New Orleans, Louisiana. 1958 - Birth of Mark Fox; congas/percussionist (Haircut 100 - "Nobody's Fool"). 1958 - Georges Rouault, French painter (Christ aux outrages), dies at age 86. 1959 - Miro Cardon, premier of Cuba, resigns. 1959 - William L Axt, composer, dies at age 70. 1960 - Birth of Kelly McCormick in Anaheim, California, USA; diver (Olympics-silver-1984). 1960 - Birth of Matt Salinger in Windsor, Vermont, USA; actor (Captain America, Deadly Deception). 1960 - Delmar G Roos, designer of the jeep, dies at age 79. 1960 - France performs first nuclear test at Reggane Proving Grounds, Algeria. 1961 - Birth of Henry Rollins; US vocalist/poet (Black Flagg, Rollins Band). 1961 - Birth of Kyi Hla Han in Yangon, Burma; Australasia golfer. 1961 - Birth of Les Warner; rocker (Cult - "Fire Woman"). 1961 - Frank Sinatra launches Reprise label under Warner Brothers Records. 1962 - Birth of Jackie Silva in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; volleyballer (Pan Am-bronze). 1963 - Birth of Penelope Ann Miller; actress (Awakenings, Chaplin, Freshman). 1963 - Harry Steers, bowling hall of famer, dies. 1964 - Birth of Evi Strasser in Bavaria, Germany; equestrian (Olympics-1996). 1965 - Birth of Kenny Harrison in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; triple jumper. 1965 - Birth of Stephen Manley in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Donny - Married the First Year). 1965 - Jerry Burke, pianist (Lawrence Welk Show), dies. 1965 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming. 1965 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gary Visconti. 1965 - William H Kilpatrick, US mathematician/philosopher, dies at age 93. 1966 - Birth of Freedom Williams; rock vocalist (C&C Music Factory - "Everybody Dance Now"). 1966 - Birth of Tally Chanel in Tel Aviv, Israel; actress (Warrior Queen). 1966 - Elio Vittorini, writer, dies. 1966 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. 1967 - Birth of Bas Roorda; soccer player (FC Groningen). 1967 - Birth of Eddie Pye; US baseball infielder (Los Angeles Dodgers). 1967 - Birth of Melanie Denise Bridges in Derry, New Hampshire, USA; Miss New Hampshire-America (1990). 1968 - Birth of Matt Mieske; US baseball outfielder (Milwaukee Brewers). 1968 - Ildebrando Pizzetti, Italian composer, dies at age 87. 1968 - Mae Marsh, actress (Birth of a Nation, Intolerance), dies at age 72. 1968 - US sends 10,500 additional soldiers to Vietnam. 1969 - Birth of Subroto Banerjee; cricketer (Indian quickie and Dennis Lillee protégé). 1969 - Suriname government of Pengel resigns. 1970 - Birth of Kevin Stocker; US baseball infielder (Philadelphia Phillies). 1970 - Birth of Ruben Brown; NFL guard (Buffalo Bills). 1970 - Birth of Vernon Patao; 141 pounds (64 kg) US weightlifter (alternate-Olympics-1996). 1970 - Herbert Strudwick, cricketer (28 Tests for England, ct 60 stp 12), dies. 1970 - Man-eating tiger is reported to have killed 48, 80 km from New Delhi, India. 1970 - National League offices begin move from Cincinnati to San Francisco (completed February 23). 1971 - 12,000 South Vietnamese troops cross into Laos. 1971 - Birth of Jim Reid; NFL tackle (Houston Oilers). 1971 - Birth of Mats Sundin in Bromma, Sweden; NHL center (Team Sweden, Toronto Maple Leafs). 1971 - Birth of Shelly Hammonds; NFL safety (Minnesota Vikings). 1971 - Birth of Todd Williams; US baseball pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers). 1971 - Golfing US Vice President Spiro Agnew hits two tee shots into the crowd, injuring two. 1972 - 1776 closes at 46th Steet Theater in New York City after 1,217 performances. 1972 - Grease opens on Broadway. 1972 - XI Olympic Winter Games close at Sapporo, Japan. 1972 - Birth of Charlie Garner; NFL running back (Philadelphia Eagles). 1972 - Birth of Juha Ylonen in Helsinki, Finland; NHL forward (Olympics-bronze-1998, Phoenix Coyotes). 1973 - Birth of Willie Smith; NFL linebacker (Detroit Lions). 1973 - US dollar devalued by 10 percent. 1974 - Birth of Anthony Mortas; hockey forward (Team France 1998). 1974 - Dissident Nobel Prize writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn expelled from USSR. 1974 - James "Cool Papa" Bell is named to baseball's Hall of Fame. 1975 - Birth of Mark Gerald Keddell in Christchurch, New Zealand; 200 metre (Olympics-1996). 1975 - Cyprus premier Denktash proclaims Turkish-Cypriot Federation. 1975 - Dagmar Godowsky, actress (Common Law, Red Lights), dies at age 78. 1975 - Eric Harding Thiman, composer, dies at age 74. 1975 - Henry P Van Dusen, US protestant theologist, dies at age 77. 1976 - Dorothy Hamill wins Olympics figure-skating gold, Innsbruck, Austria. 1976 - General Murtala Mohammed, head of Nigeria, killed during a coup. 1976 - Lily Pons, French/US soprano/opera diva (Metropolitan Opera), dies at age 71. 1976 - Peter Casserly of New Zealand hand-sheers record 353 lambs in 9 holes. 1977 - Guys and Dolls closes at Broadway Theater in New York City after 239 performances. 1977 - Eric Heiden is first American to win world speed skating championship. 1977 - Jack Gardner, actor (Wild Bill Hickok, Three Russian Girls), dies at age 77. 1977 - Pam Higgins wins LPGA American Cancer Society Golf Classic. 1978 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1979 - Birth of Julie Nagle; Miss North Dakota Teen-USA (1997). 1979 - Jean Renoir, actor/director (Rules of the Game), dies at age 84. 1979 - Washington State's Hood Canal Bridge breaks up in windstorm. 1980 - Birth of Kristy Powell in Florida, gymnast (Olympics-1996). 1980 - David Janssen [Meyer], American actor (Fugitive, Harry O), dies at age 49 (born 1931). 1980 - New Zealand beats West Indies by one wicket in cricket at Dunedin. 1980 - Apollo Computer is incorporated. 1980 - (to February 24) The XIII Olympic Winter Games are held in Lake Placid, New York, USA. 1981 - Rupert Murdoch buys The Times and The Sunday Times for £12 million. 1981 - Longest sentence published by New York Times - 1286 words. 1982 - New York Islanders' Bryan Trottier scores five goals against the Philadelphia Flyers. 1982 - Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album is on the charts for 402nd week. 1982 - Zeng Jinlian, of Hunan, China, grew to 8 feet 1 inch (tallest woman), dies at age 17. 1983 - Donna White wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic. 1983 - E Bernstein, Levinson and Link's musical Merlin premieres in New York City, New York. 1983 - Marian Nixon, actress (Dr Bull, Sweepstakes), dies of cancer at age 78. 1983 - World Boxing Council becomes first to cut boxing from 15 to 12 rounds. 1983 - A cinema fire in Turin, Italy kills 64. 1983 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan proclaims 1983 "The Year of the Bible". 1983 - 33rd NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 132-123 at Los Angeles, California. 1983 - Australia beats New Zealand 2-0 to win World Series Cup. 1984 - Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 1984 - Six-year-old Texan Stormie Jones gets first heart and liver transplant. 1985 - Polish police arrest seven Solidarity leaders. 1986 - Birth of Stephen Colletti; American reality television star. 1987 - M L "Curly" Page, cricketer (New Zealand Test captain 1933), dies. 1987 - Detroit Tigers' pitcher Jack Morris awarded US$1.85 million salary by arbitrator, the highest arbitration award to date. 1988 - (to February 28) The XV Olympic Winter Games are held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 1988 - Christine Wachtel runs world record 800 metre indoor (1 minute 56.40 seconds). 1988 - European Community plans removal of inner boundaries on January 1, 1992. 1988 - Heike Dreschler long jumps world record indoor (7.37 metres). 1988 - Ronald Weigel runs unofficial world record speed walking (18 minutes 11.41 seconds). 1989 - Birth of Carly McKillip, Canadian actress. 1989 - Kidnapped Belgian Premier Vanden Boeynants is freed. 1989 - Oklahoma football player Charles Thompson is charged with selling cocaine; he is later sentenced to two years in prison. 1990 - 50 killed at Inkatha-UDF battle in Natal, South Africa. 1990 - Ken Lynch, actor (Paratroop Command, Legend of Tom Dooley), dies at age 79. 1990 - Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) ends NBA free throw streak of 71 games. 1990 - Birth of Erdini Qoigyijabu, eleventh Panchen Lama. 1990 - US, France, and England give consent to German reunification. 1991 - Bernard Sauer, Yiddish actor, dies of heart attack at age 67. 1991 - Eddie Bartell, actor (Every Night at Eight), dies at age 83. 1991 - Syria tells Germany they are ready to recognize Israel. 1991 - Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy an underground bunker or bomb shelter in Baghdad, killing hundreds of Iraqis. 1992 - "Most Happy Fella" opens at Booth Theater New York City for 229 performances. 1992 - Bob den Uyl, Dutch journalist/writer (Restless Travel), dies at age 61. 1992 - West beats East 14 to 9 in Major Soccer League all star game. 1993 - Agatha Hagtingius-Seger, Dutch author (Sparkles Chain), dies at age 91. 1993 - Ljubow Kremljowa runs world record 1000 metre indoor (2:34.84). 1993 - Merlene Ottey runs world record 200 metre indoor (21.87 seconds). 1993 - Sergei Bubka pole vaults indoor record (6.14 metres). 1994 - 44th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 127-118 at Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1994 - Inna Lassovskaya jumps world record 14.9m. 1994 - Johann Olav Koss skates world record 5000 metre 6 34,96. 1994 - Michael Francis Morris Lindsay, orientalist, dies at age 84. 1994 - Ship disaster near Ranong, Thailand, kills 200. 1994 - Theo Bitter, Dutch painter/set designer, dies at age 79. 1995 - Abdelhafid Said, Algerian student leader, murdered. 1995 - A United Nations tribunal on human rights violations in the Balkans charges 21 Bosnian Serb commanders with genocide and crimes against humanity. 1995 - Azeddine Medjoubi, head of Algerian national theater, murdered at age 49. 1995 - Howard Stern radio show premieres in San Diego California on KIOZ 105.3 FM. 1995 - Joan A C Ramsey nee Hamilton, lady Ramsey of Canterbury, dies at age 84. 1995 - West Indies beats New Zealand by innings and 332, Courtney Walsh 13-55. 1995 - Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair, saxophonist, dies at age 68. 1996 - Daniel K Womack, singer/guitarist, dies at age 91. 1996 - Howard Stern announces he will be making the film "Private Parts". 1996 - Martin Balsam, actor (Archie's Place), dies at age 76. 1996 - Rock musical "Rent", by Jonathan Larson, opens off-Broadway. 1997 - Three Sisters opens at Criterion Theater in New York City. 1997 - Tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope is started by astronauts from Space Shuttle Discovery. 1997 - The Washington Post reports that U.S. Justice Department investigators found evidence the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC may have coordinated financial contributions to the Democratic party in violation of U.S. law. 1997 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 for the first time, gaining 60.81 to 7,022.44. 1998 - Jo Clayton, author, (Cancer Died, Drums of Chaos), dies at age 58. 2000 - The final original Peanuts comic strip is published, following the death of its creator, Charles Schulz. 2001 - In El Salvador, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs, felt also in Guatemala and Honduras. At least 315 people killed, 3,399 injured and extensive damage. Landslides occurred in many areas of El Salvador. 2002 - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gives former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani an honorary knighthood. 2002 - Death of Waylon Jennings, country music singer (born 1937). 2003 - In Shanghai, China, a ground-breaking ceremony takes place for the Shanghai World Financial Centre, to be the worlds tallest building. 2003 - A small airplane crashes in southern Colombia. FARC guerillas kill one American and a Colombian army sergeant, and take three Americans hostage. FARC claims they are CIA agents; the US government claims they are defense contractors. 2003 - Death of Walt Whitman Rostow, at age 85. Rostow was national security advisor to US Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. 2004 - Athens, Greece, is hit by a major blizzard which blankets the entire city for days, causing widespread havoc. 2004 - Scientists in South Korea announce the cloning of 30 human embryos. 2004 - The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics discovers the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. 2005 - Death of Lucia dos Santos (born 1907). 2006 - Adam Dunn and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a US$18.5 million two-year deal. 2006 - Death of P. F. Strawson, English philosopher (born 1919). 2007 - North Korea agrees to shut down its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon by April 14 as a first step towards complete denuclearization, receiving in return energy aid equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil. 2007 - Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. 2007 - Death of Elizabeth Jolley, Australian writer (born 1923). 2007 - Death of Charles Norwood, American politician (born 1941). 2007 - Death of Eliana Ramos, Uruguayan model (born 1988). 2007 - Death of Johanna Sällström, Swedish actress (born 1974). 2008 - US President George Bush signs a law for individual tax rebates and temporary investment incentives worth US$168 billion. 2008 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia delivers a formal apology to the Stolen Generations. 2008 - Death of Kon Ichikawa, Japanese film director (born 1915). 2008 - Death of Henri Salvador, French singer (born 1917). 2009 - The U.S. House of Representatives approves (246-183) a US$787 billion package of spending (64 percent) and tax cuts (36 percent). 2009 - The U.S. House of Congress approves (60-38) the US$787 billion government spending package. You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://thisdayinhistoryinfo.info/   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 Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Coins