This Day in History
February 17

What happened in history on this day: February 17? On February 17 in ... 364 - Flavius Jovianus, Christian emperor of Rome (363-64), dies at about age 32. 956 - Hugo the Great earl of Paris/duke of Francia, dies at about age 55. 1370 - Battle at Rudau: Germany beats Lithuania. 1444 - Birth of Rudolf Agricola [Roelof Huysman], Dutch humanist/organist. 1490 - Birth of Charles de Bourbon officer/governor (Lombardy). 1519 - Birth of François de Guise [Balafré], French general strategist (Calais). 1568 - Holy Roman Emperor agrees to pay annual tribute to Sultan for peace. 1583 - Birth of J Henry Alting Dutch theologist. 1598 - Boris Godunov chosen tsar of Russia. 1600 - Giordano Bruno advocate of Copernican theory and plurality of worlds, burned at stake by the Inquisition in Rome. 1612 - Ernst of Bayern prince/bishop of Luik/archbishop of Cologne, dies at age 57. 1612 - Jodocus Hondius Flemish cartoonist/mathematician, dies at age 48. 1621 - Miles Standish appointed first commander of Plymouth colony. 1634 - William Prynne tried in Star Chamber for publishing "Histriomastix". 1652 - Gregorio Allegri Italian singer/composer (Miserere), dies at about age 67. 1653 - Birth of Arcangelo Corelli Fusignano Italy, violinist/composer (Concerto Grosso). 1654 - Michael Lohr composer, dies at age 62. 1667 - Birth of Georg Bronner composer. 1670 - France and Bavaria sign military assistance treaty. 1673 - Jean Baptiste Poquelin, French author and dramatist, dies in Paris at age 51. 1675 - Birth of Johann Melchior Conradi composer. 1676 - Kings Charles II and Louis XIV sign secret treaty. 1688 - Reverend James Renwick hanged in Scotland for being a Presbyterian. 1691 - Thomas Neale granted British patent for American postal service. 1696 - Birth of Baron Ernst Gottlieb composer. 1697 - Birth of Louis-Maurice de La Pierre composer. 1699 - Birth of Hans Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff German architect (Sanssouci). 1714 - Parliament of Paris accepts Pope Clemens XI's "Unigenitus" degree. 1715 - Antoine Galland French interpreter, dies at age 68. 1723 - Birth of Tobias Mayer "method of lunars" for longitude determination. 1732 - Louis Marchand composer, dies at age 63. 1740 - Birth of Horace B de Saussure Swiss physicist/geologist. 1747 - Birth of Narciso Casanovas composer. 1752 - Birth of Friedrich M Klinger German playwright (Wirrwarr). 1754 - Birth of Jan Jachym Kopriva composer. 1758 - Birth of John Pinkerton Scottish historian. 1772 - First partition of Poland-Russia and Prussia, joined later by Austria. 1774 - Birth of Raphaelle Peale US, painter (After the Rain-1823). 1776 - First volume of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" published. 1781 - Birth of René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laënnec France, inventor (stethoscope). 1791 - Messier catalogs M83 (spiral galaxy in Hydra). 1795 - Thomas Seddal harvests 8.3-kg potato from his garden Chester, England. 1796 - Birth of Giovanni Pacini composer. 1796 - James Macpherson poet, dies. 1801 - House breaks electoral college tie, chooses Jefferson President over Burr. 1803 - Louis R E prince de Rohan-Guémené archbishop of Straatsburg, dies at age 68. 1804 - Birth of Samuel Read Anderson Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1883. 1804 - Christian Ernst Graf composer, dies at age 80. 1815 - Franz Gotz composer, dies at age 59. 1816 - Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Markull composer. 1817 - First US city lit by gas (Baltimore). 1818 - Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun patents "draisine" (early bicycle). 1820 - Birth of Henri Vieuxtemps Verviers Belgium, composer/teacher (Brussels Cons). 1824 - Birth of William Farrar "Baldy" Smith Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903. 1827 - Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Swiss educator, dies at age 81. 1831 - Birth of Francisco Salvador Daniel composer. 1837 - Birth of Francis Jay Herron Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1902. 1837 - Birth of Sam[uel] van Houten Dutch (Liberal) minister (child labor laws). 1841 - Dutch ex-king Willem I marries Henriette d'Oultremont de Wégimont. 1841 - Ferdinando Carulli composer, dies at age 70. 1844 - Birth of A Montgomery Ward founded mail-order business (Montgomery Ward). 1847 - William Collins landscape painter, dies. 1848 - Toscane gets liberal Constitution. 1849 - Birth of Selwyn Image Bodiam Sussex, painter. 1850 - Birth of Anton Urspruch composer. 1850 - Birth of Ludwig Bonvin composer. 1852 - Micha Joseph Levenson Hebrew poet, dies. 1853 - Birth of Jaroslav Vrchlicky [Emil Frída], Czechoslovakian poet (One night on Karlstein). 1854 - Birth of Friedrich A Krupp German arms manufacturer. 1854 - British recognize independence of Orange Free State (South Africa). 1854 - Hugues F R de Lamennais French priest/writer, dies at age 71. 1855 - Birth of Otto Liman von Sanders German general in Turkey (WWI). 1856 - Heinrich Heine German poet, dies at age 58 in Paris. 1856 - John Braham singer/composer, dies at age 81. 1857 - Birth of Samuel Sidney McClure Irish-American newspaper editor/publisher. 1858 - Birth of Ernest Ford composer. 1859 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Un Ballo in maschera" premieres at the Apollo Theatre in Rome. 1862 - Birth of Edward German (Jones) Whitchurch Shropshire, British composer. 1862 - Birth of Mori Ogai [Mori Rintarô) Japanese author (Maihime/Gan). 1864 - Birth of Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson New South Wales Australia, poet (Waltzing Matilda). 1864 - Confederate submarine "HL Hunley" sinks Union ship "Housatonic" (first submarine to sink an enemy ship). 1865 - Battle of Charleston, South Carolina. 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina, burns down. 1867 - First ship passes through Suez Canal. 1867 - Birth of William Cadbury England, chocolate manufacturer (Cadbury). 1867 - Gyula Andressy becomes premier of Hungary. 1870 - Birth of Louis de Raet Belgian economist/founder (Flemish People's Party). 1870 - Esther Morris appointed first female judge. 1870 - Mississippi becomes ninth state re-admitted to US after Civil War. 1874 - Birth of Thomas J Watson Sr US, representative/founder (IBM). 1874 - [Lambert] Adolphe J Quetelet Belgian astronomer/sociologist, dies at age 77. 1875 - Luís Varela Brazilian romantic poet, dies at age 33. 1876 - Sardines first canned (Julius Wolff-Eastport ME). 1877 - Birth of Henri Vandeputte Belgian author/poet (L'homme Jeune). 1878 - First telephone exchange in San Francisco opens with 18 phones. 1878 - José Amador de los Ríos Spanish historian/poet, dies at age 59. 1879 - Birth of Dorothy Canfield Fisher US, novelist (Book-of-the Month-Club). 1880 - Birth of Alvaro Obregon General/President of Mexico (1920-24). 1880 - Tsar Alexander II of Russia survives an assassination attempt. 1882 - First Test Cricket match played at Sydney Cricket Ground. 1882 - Birth of Kurt Schindler composer. 1882 - Birth of Noah Beery Smithville Arkansas; actor (Story of Esther, Mark of Zorro). 1883 - A Ashwell patents free-toilet in London. 1883 - Napoleon Coste composer, dies at age 76. 1884 - Birth of Arthur Vanderpoorten Flemish minister of Internal affairs (1940). 1885 - Bismarck gives Carl Peters' firm management of East-Africa. 1887 - Birth of Leevi Antti Madetoja composer. 1888 - Birth of Henrietta P "Hetty" Beck actress (Bouwmeester Award). 1888 - Birth of Otto Stern German/US physicist (Stern-Gerlach-experiment, Nobel Prize 1943). 1888 - Birth of Ronald Aburthnott Knox English priest/writer (Viaduct Murder). 1889 - Birth of H[aroldson] L Hunt Texas oil multi-millionaire. 1891 - Birth of Georg Britting writer. 1892 - Birth of Theodor Plievier German writer (Des Kaisers Kulis, Stalingrad). 1895 - Birth of Anita Stewart New York, actress (South of Hell Mountain). 1895 - Birth of Edna Park Edwards Pennsylvania. 1896 - London Country Councils' Muzzling Order becomes effective. 1897 - Birth of Johan[nes A] Kaart Dutch actor/stage manager (My Fair Lady). 1897 - National Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA) organizes (Washington DC). 1898 - Birth of Tom Lowry cricket player (New Zealand batsman in seven Tests and their first Test captain). 1902 - Birth of Marian Anderson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; operatic contralto (banned by D A R). 1904 - Birth of Albert Kuyle [Louis Kuitenbrouwer]; Dutch writer (Jesus' Robe). 1904 - Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly premieres at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy. 1905 - Serge Alexandrovich, Governor-General of Moscow, is murdered. 1906 - Birth of Galo Plaza Lasso; President of Ecuador (1948-52), head of Organization of American States (1968-75). 1907 - Birth of Alec Wilder in Rochester, New York, USA; composer (1973 ASCAP award). 1907 - Birth of Charles B Timmer; Dutch translator/writer (Russia Black on White). 1907 - Henry Steel Olcott, US co-founder (Theosophist Society-Madras), dies at age 74. 1908 - Birth of Staats Cotsworth in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; actor (Peyton Place). 1908 - Birth of Walter L "Red" Barber in Mississippi, USA; sports announcer (Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees). 1908 - Geronimo, Apache chief, dies at about age 79. 1909 - Birth of Joseph "Poeske" Scherens; Belgian cyclist (champion sprinter 1932-37). 1909 - Birth of Marjorie Lawrence in Australia; soprano (Venus - Tannhäuser). 1910 - Birth of Marc Lawrence in New York City, New York, USA; actor (The Man With the Golden Gun). 1911 - First amphibian flight to and from a ship, by Glenn Curtiss, San Diego, California. 1911 - Birth of Arthur Hunnicutt in Gravelly, Arkansas, USA; actor (Big Sky, Apache Uprising). 1912 - Aloys von Aerenthal, foreign minister (Austria-Hungary), dies at age 57. 1912 - Birth of Andre [Alice Mary] Norton in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; science fiction writer (Beast Master, Stand and Deliver). 1912 - L Oates, British explorer (Antarctica), dies. 1913 - First minimum wage law in US takes effect (Oregon). 1913 - New York Armory Show introduces painters Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp to US public. 1914 - Birth of Arthur Kennedy in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Fantastic Voyage, Peyton Place). 1914 - Birth of [Bert de] Wayne Morris in Los Angeles, California, USA; WWII-pilot/actor (Paths of Glory). 1916 - Birth of Don Tallon; cricket player (perhaps Australia's greatest wicket-keeper). 1916 - Birth of Raf Vallone in Tropea, Italy; actor (El Cid, Two Women, Greek Tycoon). 1917 - Edmund Bishop, English Secretary of Thomas Carlyle, dies at age 70. 1918 - Birth of Charles A Hayes; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Illinois, 1983-). 1918 - Wilfrid Laurier, Canadian Prime Minister (1896-1911), dies. 1919 - Birth of Jock Mahoney in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Dallas, Yancy Derringer, Day of Fury). 1919 - Birth of Joseph R Hunt; tennis champion (US Open-1943). 1919 - Birth of Kathleen Freeman in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Beverly Hillbillies). 1922 - Birth of Tommy Edwards; rock vocalist ("It's All in the Game"). 1923 - Birth of Alden Winship Clausen in Hamilton, Illinois, USA; banker (President of World Bank). 1923 - Ottawa Senators' Cy Denneny becomes NHL's all-time high scorer (143 goals). 1924 - Birth of Margaret Truman in Missouri, USA; president's daughter, writer (Murder at FBI), pianist. 1924 - Johnny Weissmuller sets 100-yard freestyle record (52.4 seconds). 1925 - Birth of Fritz Behrendt; German/Dutch cartoon character (The Slogan). 1925 - Birth of Hal Holbrook in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; actor (All the President's Men, Mark Twain). 1926 - Avalanche buries 75 people in Sap Gulch in Bingham, Utah, USA; 40 die. 1926 - Birth of Lee Hoiby in Madison, Wisconsin, USA; composer (1957 Arts and Letters). 1926 - Tennis star Suzanne Lenglen beats Helen Wills in their only match, at Cannes, France. 1929 - Birth of Chaim Potok in New York City, New York, USA; novelist (The Promise). 1929 - Birth of Yasser Arafat; Palestinian Liberation Organization-leader (Achille Lauro, Nobel Prize 1994). 1929 - John Read, cricket player (batted in 17 Tests for England for 463 runs), dies. 1930 - French government of André Tardieu falls. 1931 - First telecast of a sporting event in Japan (baseball). 1931 - Hockey's Hershey Bears (now with AHL) play first game. 1932 - Birth of Buck Trent in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA; banjoist/singer (Hee Haw). 1932 - Frans Gailliard, Belgian painter/graphic artist (Egina), dies at age 70. 1933 - First issue of Newsweek magazine published. 1933 - Birth of Bobby Lewis; rocker ("Tossin' and Turnin'"). 1933 - Birth of Craig Thomas; American politician (Representative-Republican-Wyoming). 1933 - Henri[cus A] Viotta, Dutch composer (Handbook of Music), dies at age 84. 1933 - US Senate accepts Blaine Act ending prohibition. 1934 - First high school auto driving course offered (State College, Pennsylvania). 1934 - Albert I LCMM von Saksen-Coburg, King of Belgium (1909-34), dies at age 58. 1934 - Birth of Alan Bates in Allestree, England; actor (Zorba the Greek, Unmarried Woman). 1934 - Birth of Barry Humphries; Australian TV host (Dame Edna Everage). 1934 - Birth of Buddy Ryan; NFL coach (Philadelphia Eagles, Phoenix Cardinals). 1936 - The Phantom cartoon strip by Lee Falk debuts. 1936 - -58 degrees F (-50 degrees C) in McIntosh, South Dakota (state record). 1936 - Birth of Barry Jarman; cricket player (Australian wicket-keeper in 1960s). 1936 - Birth of Jim Brown in Georgia, USA; NFL full back (Cleveland Browns), actor (The Dirty Dozen). 1936 - Birth of Peter Walker; cricket all-rounder (Glamorgan did little for England 1960). 1936 - Erich Schaeder, German theologist (Theozentrische), dies at age 74. 1937 - Birth of Mickey McGill; American vocalist (Dells - "Love is Blue"). 1938 - First public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV (London, England). 1938 - Birth of Mary Frances Berry; educator/head (US Commission on Civil Rights). 1939 - Birth of Mary Ann Mobley in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA; Miss America-1959/actress (Diff'rent Strokes). 1939 - Katwijk soccer team forms. 1940 - Birth of Dennis Gamsy; cricket player (South African bat in two Tests versus Australia 1970). 1940 - Donald Bradman scores 135 in a non-Shield match for South Africa versus West Australia. 1940 - British destroyers board German ship Altmark off Norway. 1941 - Birth of Gene Pitney in Hartford, Connecticut, USA; singer/songwriter ("Town Without Pity"). 1941 - Birth of Heidi Biebi in Germany; downhill skier (Olympics-gold-1960). 1941 - Joe Louis knocks out Gus Dorazio in two rounds for heavyweight boxing title. 1942 - US Army General Douglas MacArthur reaches Australia and takes command of Allied forces. 1942 - Birth of Huey Newton; Black Panther leader. 1943 - Dutch churches protest at Seyss-Inquart against persecution of Jews. 1944 - Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins; US victory on February 22. 1944 - Birth of Bernie Grant; British politician (Labour). 1944 - Fausto Agnelli, Swiss painter, dies at age 64. 1944 - US begins night bombing of Truk. 1945 - Birth of Brenda Fricker in Dublin, Ireland; actress (My Left Foot). 1945 - Birth of Patricia Morrow; actress (Rita - Peyton Place). 1945 - Birth of Willie J L Swildens-Rozendal; Dutch Member of Parliament (PvdA). 1946 - Birth of André Dussollier in Annecy, France; actor (Three Men and a Cradle). 1946 - Birth of Valdemar Bandolowski in Denmark; yachting (Olympics-gold-1976, 1980). 1946 - Birth of Zina Bethune in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Nurses, Who's That Knocking at My Door). 1946 - Humanistic Covenant forms in Amsterdam. 1947 - Birth of Ben Cramer; Dutch vocalist (Clown). 1947 - Birth of Dallas Adams; British actor/painter/writer (Terror From Within). 1947 - Birth of Dodie Stevens [Geraldine Ann Pasquale] in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Mary Hartman!). 1947 - Dutch Roman Catholic bishops publish manifest against "godless communism". 1947 - Voice of America begins broadcasting to USSR. 1949 - Birth of Fred Frith; English guitarist/violinist/bassist (Skeleton Crew). 1949 - Chaim Weizman declared President of Israel. 1949 - Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Andrea Kékessy/Ede Király of Hungary. 1949 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Alena Vrzanova of Czechoslovakia. 1949 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Richard Button of USA. 1950 - 31 die in a train crash in Rockville Center, New York. 1950 - Birth of Rick Medlocke; rock guitarist/vocalist (Blackfoot). 1952 - Birth of Guillermo Vilas; tennis player (1977 US Open). 1952 - Birth of Insook Bhushan in Seoul, Korea; American table tennis player (Olympics-1992). 1954 - Birth of Rene Russo; actress (Ransom). 1954 - Evert Gorter, children's artist (Kindergeneeskunde), dies at age 72. 1954 - The Detroit Auto Show opens for press previews, in Michigan. The Ford Motor Company shows its new two-seat convertible, calling it a "personal car", with the name "Fairlane". 1955 - Ice Dance Championship at Vienna Austria won by J Westwood/Demmy of Great Britain. 1955 - Ice Pairs Championship at Vienna won by Frances Dafoe and Bowden of Canada. 1955 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Tenley Albright os the USA. 1955 - Mike Souchak sets PGA 72-hole record of 257. 1955 - Otto J Gombosi, Hungarian/American musicologist, dies at age 52. 1956 - Ice Dance Championship at Garmisch won by Pamela Weight/P Thomas of Great Britain. 1956 - Ice Pairs Championship at Garmisch won by Schwarz and Oppelt of Austria. 1956 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Garmisch won by Carol Heiss of the USA. 1956 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Garmisch won by H A Jenkins of the USA. 1957 - Fire in Warreton, Missouri, kills 72. 1957 - Mary Lena Faulk wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. 1958 - Birth of Heidi Hagman; actress (Linda - Archie Bunker's Place). 1958 - Birth of Karen Lende O'Connor in Concord, Massachusetts, USA; equestrian 3-day (Olympics-silver-1996). 1958 - Comic strip BC first appears. 1959 - First weather satellite launched, Vanguard 2, 9.8kg. 1959 - Birth of Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines; American 100 metre swimmer (Olympics-gold-1984). 1959 - Birth of Daniel Ray "Danny" Ainge; basketball and football star. 1959 - Birth of Richard Karn in Seattle, Washington, USA; actor (Al - Home Improvement). 1959 - Kathryn Adams, actress (Meet the Chump, 5th Avenue Girl), dies. 1959 - Tim Mara, co-founder of NFL's New York Giants, dies. 1961 - Birth of Deb[ra] Richardson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; beach volleyball player (Olympics-1996). 1961 - Birth of Guy McIntyre; NFL guard (Philadelphia Eagles). 1961 - Nita Naldi, actress (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde), dies of heart attack at age 63. 1962 - Beach Boys introduce a new musical style with their hit "Surfin". 1962 - Birth of David McComb in Australia; vocalist/songwriter (Triffids). 1962 - Birth of Hennie Meijer; soccer player (Cambuur L, FC Heerenveen). 1962 - Birth of Lou Diamond Phillips in the Philippines; actor (La Bamba, Stand and Deliver). 1962 - Birth of Tony Blain; cricket player (New Zealand Test wicket-keeper). 1962 - Bruno Walter, symphony conductor (New York Philharmonic), dies at age 85. 1962 - Joseph Kearns, actor (George - Dennis the Menace), dies at age 55. 1962 - Storm in Hamburg, Germany, kills 265. 1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points versus Saint Louis Hawks. 1963 - Birth of Dan Reed; rocker/actor (HOTS, Lake Consequence). 1963 - Birth of Michael "Air" Jordan in Brooklyn, New York, USA; NBA guard/forward (Chicago Bulls). 1963 - Toru Terasawa runs world record marathon (2:15:15.8). 1964 - 101st member elected to baseball's Hall of Fame (Luke Appling). 1964 - Birth of Mike Campbell in Seattle, Washington, USA; pitcher (Chicago Cubs). 1964 - US Supreme court rules - one man one vote (Westberry versus Sanders). 1965 - Birth of Clayton Prince in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Dark Justice, Reuben - Another World). 1965 - Birth of Jim Bowie; Japanese/US baseball infielder (Oakland Athletics). 1965 - US Ranger 8 launched; will transmit 7,137 lunar pictures. 1965 - US-Japan baseball relations suspended over Masanori Murakami dispute. 1966 - Birth of Luc Robitaille in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; NHL left wing (New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins). 1966 - Birth of Melissa Brooke-Belland; rocker (Voice of the Beehive-Let it Bee). 1966 - Frank Pettingell, actor (Becket, Up the Creek), dies at age 75. 1966 - French satellite Diapason D-1A launched into Earth orbit. 1966 - Gail Kane, actress (White Sister, Arizona), dies at age 81. 1966 - Hans Hofmann, German/US painter (Search for the Real), dies at age 85. 1967 - The Beatles release "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields". 1967 - Birth of Gary Shuchuk in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; NHL center (Los Angeles Kings). 1967 - Birth of Michelle Forbes in Austin, Texas, USA; actress (Ensign Ro - Star Trek: The Next Generation). 1967 - Kosmos 140 (Soyuz test) launches into Earth orbit. 1968 - Birth of Bryan Cox; NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears). 1968 - Birth of Celita Schutz in Riverdale, New Jersey, USA; half-middleweight judoka (Olympics-1996). 1968 - Birth of Patrick Uterwijk; pop guitarist (Pestilence, Consuming Impulse). 1968 - Donald Wolfit, actor (Lawrence of Arabia), dies of heart ailment at age 65. 1968 - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. 1969 - Birth of David Klingler; NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals). 1969 - Birth of Joel Steed; NFL nose tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers). 1969 - Birth of Levon Kirkland; NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers). 1969 - Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash record an album (never released). 1969 - Golda Meir sworn in as Israel's prime minister. 1970 - Agnon [SJ Czaczkes], Hebrew writer (Nobel Prize 1966), dies at age 81. 1970 - Alfred Newman, US composer, dies at age 69. 1970 - Birth of Tommy Moe in Anchorage, Alaska, USA; nordic skier (Olympics-gold/silver-1994). 1970 - Schmuel J Agnon, novelist (Nobel Prize 1966), dies. 1970 - The Republic of Rhodesia replaces the pound with the dollar as currency. 1971 - England regains cricket Ashes with a 2-0 series win. 1971 - Teddy Hart, actor (Three Men on a Horse), dies at age 73. 1972 - Birth of Billie Joe Armstrong; singer/musician (Green Day). 1972 - Birth of Lloy Ball in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA; volleyball setter (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Richard MacQuire in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; canoeist (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Stephen Robinson in Arlington, Virginia, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Tony Lawson in NSA Australia; diver (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Vladimir Vujtek; NHL forward (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998, Tampa Bay Lightning). 1972 - Birth of William Floyd; full back (San Francisco 49ers). 1972 - British Parliament votes to join European Common Market. 1972 - Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, founder (San Francisco Zen Center), half ashes buried. 1973 - Birth of Chris Robinson; NBA guard (Vancouver Grizzlies). 1973 - Birth of Drew Barry; NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks). 1973 - Birth of Frank Sanders; NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals). 1973 - Birth of Raymond Jackson; NFL defensive back (Buffalo Bills). 1973 - Rodney Redmond scores 107 on debut versus Pakistan, his only Test Cricket. 1974 - 49 die in stampede for seats at soccer match, Cairo, Egypt. 1974 - Birth of Jerry O'Connell in New York City, New York; actor (Scream 2, Sliders, Andrew Clements - My Secret Identity). 1974 - Birth of Valeria Mazza in Rosario, Argentina; model (Cosmopolitan - July 1995). 1974 - Carol Mann wins LPGA Naples Lely Golf Classic. 1975 - Birth of Sung-Hee Park in Pusan, Korea; tennis star (1993 Futures-Seoul). 1975 - Birth of Todd Harvey Hamilton; NHL center (Dallas Stars). 1975 - Birth of Vaclav Prospal; NHL forward (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998, Philadelphia Flyers). 1976 - Jean Servais, Belgian actor (Every Man is My Enemy), dies at age 65. 1976 - Johan[nes A] Card, actor/stage manager (My Fair Lady), dies at age 78. 1976 - Macau adopts constitution (Organic Law of Macau). 1976 - New Zealand scores their first innings win in Test Cricket, versus India. 1976 - Richard Hadlee takes 7-23 versus India, his first match-winning spell. 1977 - Quincy Howe, newscaster (CBS Weekend News), dies at age 76. 1979 - Chinese troops invade Vietnam. 1979 - Eric Heiden equals skating world record 1000 metre (1:14.99). 1979 - William Gargan, actor (Rain, Bells of Saint Mary, New Adventures of Martin Kane), dies at age 73. 1980 - Dot Germain wins LPGA S&H Golf Classic. 1980 - Jerry Fielding, orchestra leader (Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, Lively Ones), dies at age 57. 1980 - Birth of Jason Ritter; American actor. 1980 - Birth of Shanyn MacEachern in Brampton, Ontario, Canada; gymnast (Olympics-1996). 1980 - Buddy Baker wins Daytona 500 (177.6 MPH/285.8 kph). 1981 - Birth of Donielle Thompson in Wheatridge, Colorado; gymnast (World-bronze-1995, Olympics-1996). 1981 - Birth of Lisa Skinner in Queensland, Australia; gymnast (Olympics-1996). 1981 - Chrysler Corp reports largest corporate loss in US history. 1981 - Birth of Joseph Gordon Levitt; American actor. 1981 - Birth of Paris Hilton; American model, heiress, and socialite. 1982 - Birth of Adriano Leite Ribeiro; Brazilian football player (soccer player). 1982 - Birth of Joseph Gordon-Levitt; actor (Tommy Solomon - Third Rock From the Sun). 1982 - Commencement of Sri Lanka's first Test Cricket match, versus England. 1982 - Lee [Israel] Strasberg, father of method acting/actor (And Justice for All), dies of a heart attack at age 80. 1982 - Theolonious S Monk, American jazz pianist/composer (Blue Monk), dies at age 64 (born 1917). 1982 - Death of Lee Strasberg, American actor (born 1901). 1982 - Birth of Lupe Fiasco; American rapper. 1983 - Netherlands adopts constitution. 1983 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1983 - Bob Bourne fails on 8th New York Islanders' penalty shot. 1984 - Lucille Benson, actress (Lilly - Bosom Buddies), dies at age 69. 1985 - First day/night game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia versus England. 1985 - Third person to receive an artificial heart (Murray Haydon). 1985 - Hein Vergeer becomes world champion skater. 1985 - Laffit Pincay Jr is third to ride 6,000th winners at Santa Anita. 1985 - Wanda Perry, actress (Roberta, Death of a Salesman), dies at age 67. 1986 - First Francophone Summit convenes at Versailles, France. 1986 - Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (Kingdom Happiness), dies at age 90. 1986 - Johnson and Johnson announces it no longer sells capsule drugs. 1986 - Libyan bombers attack N'djamena Airport in Chad. 1986 - Paul Stewart, actor (Opening Night, In Cold Blood, Window), dies. 1987 - New York Yankees' first baseman Don Mattingly wins his US$1.975 million arbitration case breaking the record for the largest amount ever awarded to a player set by Jack Morris just four days ago. 1987 - Hal K Dawson, actor (Another Language, Wells Fargo), dies. 1987 - Michelle Renee Royer, age 21, of Texas, crowned 36th Miss USA. 1987 - Verree Teasdale, actress (Skyscraper Souls), dies. 1988 - US Lieutenant Colonel William Higgins, serving with a United Nations group monitoring a truce in southern Lebanon, is kidnapped by Lebanese terrorists. 1989 - Birth of Stacey McClean, British singer. 1989 - Six-week study of Arctic atmosphere shows no ozone "hole". 1989 - Former baseball player/manager Leo Durocher injured in a car crash. 1989 - Lefty Gomez, New York Yankees pitching great, dies at age 80. 1989 - Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya form common market. 1989 - Orel Hershiser, Dodger pitcher signs record US$7.9 million, three-year contract. 1989 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. 1990 - Erik Rhodes, actor (Top Hat), dies of pneumonia at age 84. 1990 - Frans Kellendonk, Dutch writer (Good for Nothing), dies at age 39. 1990 - Marc Clement, actor (Career Opportunities, Sluggers Wife), dies. 1991 - Birth of Bonnie Wright, English actress. 1991 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge. 1992 - A court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin sentences serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to life in prison. 1993 - Alfredo de Leon, leader (Philippines Red Scorpio Gang), killed. 1993 - George E Wilburn, film editor, dies of emphysema at age 77. 1993 - Haitian ferry boat capsize in storm, killing approximately 1,215 out of 1,500 passengers. 1993 - Leslie Townsend, cricket all-rounder (England in four Tests 1930-34), dies. 1993 - Mark Foster swims world record 50 metre free style (21.60 seconds). 1994 - Randy Shilts, American journalist (And the band played on), dies of AIDS at age 41 (born 1951). 1995 - Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts of murder for the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+ year sentence. 1995 - Federal judge allows lawsuit claiming US tobacco makers knew nicotine was addictive and manipulated its levels to keep customers hooked. 1995 - Jan Bart Klaster, music editor (The Slogan), dies at age 50. 1995 - Detroit Tigers' manager Sparky Anderson takes unpaid leave due to baseball strike. 1995 - Timothy Hugh Brown, theatre critic, dies at age 52. 1995 - Uta Graf, singer/teacher, dies at age 80. 1996 - First full ODI for the Netherlands versus New Zealand, cricket World Cup Nolan Clarke makes ODI debut for Netherlands at age 47. 1996 - Bentley Bridgewater, British Museum secretary, dies at age 84. 1996 - Henry Guinness, missionary, dies at age 87. 1996 - Jean Writer-Pierre Herve Bazin dies at age 84. 1996 - Michael Raptis, writer/revolutionary, dies at age 84. 1996 - [Elsie] Evelyn Laye, actress/singer (Sun Child), dies at age 95. 1996 - Birth of Sasha Pieterse, South African actress. 1996 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Garry Kasparov beats IBM's "Deep Blue" computer in a second chess match. 1996 - In Irian Jaya Region, Indonesia, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurs. At least 164 people killed or missing, 423 injured, 5,043 houses destroyed or damaged. Extensive damage from the tsunami, which reached heights of 7 metres. 1997 - Death of Zein Isa, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter. 1998 - Ernst Juenger, German writer, dies at age 102 in Riedlingen, Germany. 1999 - Death of Sunshine Parker, American actor (born 1927). 2000 - In San Francisco, California, Microsoft unveils the Windows 2000 operating system. 1.5 million copies are sold in the first two months. 2001 - Death of Khalid Abdul Muhammad, an ex-felon and a controversial figure in the Black Nationalist, Pan Africanist movement. 2002 - The French franc expires as valid currency. 2003 - London, England, introduces a 5 pound (US$8) "congestion charge" to drive within an 8 square-mile patch of central London, to reduce traffic and fund public transport. 2003 - The Atlanta Braves and Greg Maddux agree the largest one-year contract in major league baseball history: US$14.75 million. 2003 - Death of 23-year old Steve Belcher of multi-organ failure, possibly linked to use of ephedra; Belcher was an American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles). 2004 - Death of José López Portillo, President of Mexico (born 1920). 2004 - (to February 20) A nor'easter blizzard devastates Atlantic Canada, dumping more than 95 centimetres on some areas. 2005 - Death of Nariman Sadeq, Queen of Egypt (born 1934). 2006 - As many as 1,800 people die when a mudslide occurs on Leyte Island in the Philippines. 2006 - A ball of fire is reported falling in the area of Stirling Castle in Scotland. 2007 - Death of Maurice Papon, French Vichy government official (born 1910). 2007 - Death of Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born musician (Ryan's Fancy) (born 1942). 2007 - Death of Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (born 1965). 2008 - In Daytona, Florida, the 50th NASCAR Daytona 500 race is held. Winner is Ryan Newman of Penske Racing. 2008 - Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company recalls 143 million pounds of beef, the USA's largest meat recall in California, due to the slaughter of cattle unfit for human consumption. 2008 - British central bank chancellor Alistair Darling announces the Northern Rock bank would be nationalized. 2008 - Kosovo Albanians declare independence from Serbia. 2008 - A suicide bombing by a Taliban member kills up to 80 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. 2009 - US President Barack Obama signs into law a US$787 billion economic stimulus plan. 2009 - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges Texas billionaire Allen Stanford and three of his companies with fraudulently selling US$8 billion in high-yield certificates of deposit. Stanford International Bank is based in Antigua with 30,000 clients in 131 countries and US$8.5 billion in assets. 2009 - Trump Entertainment Resorts casino operator files for bankruptcy protection in New Jersey, with assets of about US$2.1 billion and total debts of about $1.74 billion as of the end of 2008. 2009 - The JEM rebel group in Darfur, Sudan sign a pact with the Sudanese government, planning a ceasefire within the next three months.         Your Ad Here         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 Today in Sports History Today in USA History Today in Disney History Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Computers