Ken P's Today in History
February 19

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

What happened in history on this day: February 19?

Since 1995, I have been collecting information on a variety of topics, creating several timelines of history. Here you will find specific events from those databases for this day, on the topics of personal computers, video games, the Walt Disney Company, Chevrolet Corvettes, A&W Root Beer, Sweden, and Canadian coins.

On February 19 in ...

Personal computer history:

  • 1981 - At the International Solid State Circuits Conference Intel introduces the iAPX432 processor, and begins shipping evaluation sets. The processor comes in three chips, incorporating over 200,000 transistors. Performance is claimed as 2 MIPS.
  • 1986 - Activision makes a deal to acquire Infocom for US$7.5 million in cash and stock.
  • 1996 - Apple Computer announces that Motorola's Computer Group has licensed the Mac OS. Motorola can also sub-license the Mac OS to other manufacturers who purchase PowerPC motherboards from Motorola.
  • 2001 - Apple Computer begins shipping the 733 MHz Power Mac with CD/DVD writer.

Walt Disney Company history:

  • 1941 - The film Fantasia opens in Chicago, Illinois.
  • 1943 - The Pluto film Pluto and the Armadillo is released to theaters. Mickey Mouse also appears.
  • 1956 - The Keller's Jungle Killers show begins performances at Disneyland.
  • 1960 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, featuring the 11th "Tales of Texas John Slaughter" episode, Apache Friendship.
  • 1961 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, featuring the film Westward Ho the Wagons, part one.
  • 1967 - The NBC TV network airs the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color show, entitled The Boy Who Flew with Condors.
  • 1968 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the song "The Bare Necessities" in the film The Jungle Book for an Oscar Award in the category Music, Song.
  • 1968 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the film The Happiest Millionaire for an Oscar Award in the category Costume Design.
  • 1974 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the song "Love" from the film Robin Hood for an Oscar Award in the category Music, Song.
  • 1986 - Saul Steinberg files a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company, seeking to invalidate Disney's buyback of his stock in 1984.
  • 1988 - Disney releases the film Night on the Town to theaters in the UK. The film was called Adventures in Babysitting in the US.
  • 1990 - The Tokyo Disneyland TeacherCenter opens.
  • 1999 - Buena Vista releases the Touchstone Pictures live-action feature film Holy Man to theaters in Great Britain.
  • 2008 - At Walt Disney World, Epcot's Spaceship Earth officially re-opens after a major makeover, with new sponsor Siemens.

Chevrolet Corvette history:

  • 1994 - Reeves Callaway decides to produce a modified Corvette to race at Le Mans, the first time for a Corvette in almost 20 years.
  • 1999 - TriStar Pictures releases the film Jawbreaker to theaters in the USA. A woman gets out of a red Corvette.
  • 2005 - At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, the Hershey's Take 5 300 race is held. A 2005 Corvette silver coupe is the pace car.

World War II history:

  • 1940 - Finns defeat and disperse the Soviet 18th Division northeast of Lake Ladoga.
  • 1942 - Over 100 Japanese planes attack Darwin, Australia, to destroy its usefulness as a reinforcement base for the East Indies.
  • 1942 - US President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, giving the Secretary of War authority to exclude any persons from areas to provide security against sabotage and espionage.
  • 1943 - British General Sir Harold Alexander takes over command of the whole Tunisian front.
  • 1944 - (evening) 823 British bombers attack Leipzig, Germany. 78 planes are shot down.
  • 1945 - (0830 hours) 450 ships with 30,000 men of the US 4th and 5th Marine divisions begin landing on Iwo Jima to attack Japanese forces. By the end of the day, 30,000 have landed, with 500 dead and and 1500 wounded.
  • 1946 - In Canada, a surplus Landing Ship loaded with $2 million worth of liquid mustard gas is intentionally sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, off Nova Scotia. The gas had been acquired from the United States in 1942.
  • 1992 - Australia issues five postage stamps depicting Australian battles in World War II.
  • 1995 - Marshall Islands issues a postage stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the American Marines landing on Iwo Jima.
  • 2004 - Canadian Defence Minister David Pratt and Veterans Affairs minister John McCallum announces a CDN$50 million compensation package of CDN$24,000 per person for veterans who had volunteered in top-secret missions experimenting in exposure to chemical weapons in World War II.

Video game history:

  • 1982 - Mattel Electronics introduces several of its Intellivision video games modified to play on the Atari VCS game system.
  • 1983 - In Washington, D.C., the Corcoran Gallery of Art exhibits 200 video arcade games. US$35 tours include limited free plays, competitions, prizes, etc.
  • 1991 - American Video Entertainment accuses Nintendo of making secret technical changes to its Nintendo Entertainment System to make competitors' cartridges unplayable. Nintendo responds saying that changes are part of an ongoing effort to stop worldwide game counterfeiting.
  • 2003 - Agetec releases the Disaster Report video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US.

Swedish history:

  • 1946 - In New York, Prince Albert Carl Johan of Sweden marries Kirstin Wijkmark, becoming Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Bernadotte.

Canadian coin history:

  • 1908 - General striking of silver coins begins at the Ottawa branch mint.
  • 1996 - The Royal Canadian Mint officially launches the new $2 coin at a restaurant in Montreal, Quebec. Also, the Bank of Canada ceases production of $2 notes.
  • 2001 - A mint employee of the Winnipeg facility is charged with striking, stealing, and selling year 2000 Natural Legacy 25c coins on copper planchets. An estimated 20 were made.

Sports history:

  • 1892 - Monty Bowden cricket Captain (England versus South Africa 1889), dies at age 26.
  • 1928 - II Olympic Winter Games close at Saint Moritz, Switzerland.
  • 1928 - Canadian hockey team wins third consecutive gold medal.
  • 1941 - Alexander Josiah Webbe English cricket keeper (v Australia 1879), dies.
  • 1942 - Bill Longson beats Managoff and Sandor Szabo, to become wrestling champion.
  • 1942 - New York Yankees announce 5,000 uniformed soldiers will be admitted free at each of their upcoming home games.
  • 1946 - New York Giants' outfielder Danny Gardella is first major league player to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican League.
  • 1956 - Kathy Cornelius wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open.
  • 1961 - Henk van der Grift (Netherlands) becomes world champion all-around skater.
  • 1965 - NFL adds sixth official.
  • 1967 - Stien Kaiser becomes world champion lady's skater.
  • 1970 - American League Cy Young winner Denny McLain suspended for book-making.
  • 1971 - Walt Wesley becomes the first Cleveland Cavaliers' player to score 50 points in a game.
  • 1972 - Glenn Turner carries his bat for 223 versus West Indies at Kingston.
  • 1977 - Oakland Athletics sell pitcher Paul Lindblad to the Texas Rangers for $400,000.
  • 1977 - Doug Walters scores 250 versus New Zealand, 217 stand for 7th wicket with Gilmour.
  • 1978 - Brigitte Kraus runs world record 1000 metre indoor (2:34.8).
  • 1980 - Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1000 metre in 1:15.18.
  • 1980 - Botham a century and 13 wickets in Jubilee Test Cricket at Bombay.
  • 1982 - Sharie Langford, California, sets women's bowling series record of 853.
  • 1983 - Vladimir Salnikov (USSR) sets 400-metre freestyle swimming record.
  • 1983 - Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration of US$1 million.
  • 1984 - First brother combo to win Gold and Silver in same event at the Olympics (Phil and Steve Mahre-Slalom).
  • 1984 - XIV Olympic Winter Games close at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
  • 1987 - Less than a month after re-signing, Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue retires.
  • 1988 - Helga Arendt, Silke-Beate Knoll, Mechthild Kluth, and Gisela Kinzel walk indoor female world record 4x200 metre (1:32.55).
  • 1994 - Marta Figueras-Dotti, wins Cup o' Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open.
  • 1994 - Renske Vellinga, Dutch speed-skater, dies in auto-accident at age 19.
  • 1995 - Irina Privalova runs indoor woman's European record 200 metre (22.10 seconds).
  • 1995 - Linford Christie runs European record 60 metre indoor (6.47 seconds).
  • 1995 - Linford Christie runs world record 200 metre indoor (20.25 seconds).
  • 1996 - Charles O Finley, baseball owner (Oakland Athletics), dies at age 76.
  • 1997 - Stanley Pearson, footballer, dies at age 76.
  • 1998 - US hockey team destroys their rooms at Olympics village in Japan.

Space exploration history:

  • 1970 - USSR launches Sputnik 52 and Molniya 1-13 communications satellite.
  • 1977 - Space shuttle Enterprise makes first test flight atop a 747 jetliner.
  • 1986 - USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit.
  • 1990 - Soyuz TM-9 lands.
  • 1998 - Soyuz TM-26 lands.
  • 2002 - NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.

Extreme weather history:

  • 1884 - Tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana kill 800 people.
  • 1976 - In Cuba, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs.

Other history:

  • 1986 - USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit.
  • 2008 - Toshiba of Japan announces it is giving up on its HD DVD format.
  • 2008 - In Cuba, President and commander-in-chief Fidel Castro steps down, turning over power to brother Raul.

You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.

Bookmark this URL:   http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/today/   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
  • What's Notable About this Year?
  • Ken P's Coin/Stamp/Bill Novelties
  • Copyright © 2006-2008 Ken Polsson (email: kpolsson@islandnet.com).
    URL=http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/today/
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