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What happened in history on this day: February 20?
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 20 in ...
- 1997 - Borland International announces it will lay off 30 percent of its workforce, and will refocus products on software tools to create custom applications.
- 1997 - Compaq Computer introduces the Presario 2100 computer. It features 132 MHz Cyrix MediaGX processor, 15-in monitor, 24 MB RAM, 2 GB hard drive, 33.6 kbps modem, 8X CD-ROM drive. Price is US$999.
- 2002 - Apple Computer releases the Mac OS 10.1.3 operating system. New additions include support for several digital cameras and CD burners.
- 2003 - Lindows announces the Lindows Mobile PC portable computer. It features 12.1-inch screen, 933 MHz Via Technologies C3 processor, LindowsOS Linux operating system, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive, CompactFlash port, USB port, Ethernet, and FireWire ports. Price is US$799.
- 1927 - The Paramount Theater in New York City premieres the Alice Comedy film Alice at the Carnival.
- 1928 - Universal Pictures releases the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit film Africa Before Dark to theaters.
- 1937 - The Mickey Mouse film Moose Hunters is released to theaters. Donald Duck and Goofy also appear.
- 1959 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, featuring the sixth "Elfego Baca" episode, The Griswold Murder.
- 1961 - Disney releases the Goofy film Aquamania to theaters.
- 1966 - The NBC TV network airs the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color show, featuring The Legend of Young Dick Turpin, part two.
- 1972 - The NBC TV network airs The Wonderful World of Disney show, entitled The City Fox.
- 1977 - The NBC TV network airs The Wonderful World of Disney show, entitled Go West, Young Dog.
- 1982 - The CBS TV network airs the Walt Disney show, entitled Beyond Witch Mountain. It is a pilot for a proposed series, based on the film Escape to Witch Mountain.
- 1984 - Anguilla issues ten postage stamps depicting Mickey Mouse participating in Olympic decathlon events.
- 1985 - Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck for over 50 years, dies of leukemia.
- 1996 - Disney releases the animated film compilation The Best of Roger Rabbit on laserdisc in the US, for US$20. It includes Tummy Trouble, Roller Coaster Rabbit, Trail Mix-Up.
- 2004 - The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. The title of the episode is "Pixies, Inc.", a reference to the Disney-Pixar film Monsters, Inc..
- 2005 - At the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, the Daytona 500 race is held. A 2005 Corvette Millenium Yellow coupe is the pace car.
- 1938 - Adolf Hitler makes a speech in which he demands self-determination for Germans of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
- 1943 - (1700 hours) Near Tunisia, German forces capture Kasserine pass from the Americans.
- 1944 - About 200 American bombers from England attack Leipzig, Germany. Much damage is done to five of ten targets.
- 1944 - Over the day, the US 8th Air Force launches over 1000 bombers on various attacks.
- 1944 - (evening) British bombers make a massive assault on Stuttgart, Germany. Heavy damage is inflicted.
- 1945 - The Soviet 6th Army launches an all-out attack on the southern sector of German town of Breslau.
- 1946 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules that part of the government's orders-in-council on deporting Japanese Canadians is invalid, but parts of the orders were made under the War Measures Act, making them legal.
- 1946 - In Justice Court in Paris, Marcel Bucard, leader of the French Blueshirt Fascists, is condemned to death.
- 1994 - Marshall Islands issues a postage stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the "Big Week", the American bombing of Germany.
- 1992 - Nintendo asks a United States trade representative to cite Taiwan for failing to stop piracy of video game cartridges, wohich would lead to Taiwan being assessed punitive duties to their exports to the US.
- 2000 - Fox Network airs the Malcolm in the Middle TV show in the USA. A scene briefly takes place in a video game arcade.
- 2004 - The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. One character hands another a handheld video game system looking like a Nintendo Game Boy Color, saying "I want you to relax and play mindless video games..."
- 1629 - King Gustav Adolf and King Kristian IV of Denmark meet at Ulfbäck, and have a heated debate.
- 2002 - Guinea issues 28 postage stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prizes.
- 1851 - The British Treasury replies to Francis Hincks' memorandum of November 1850, refusing to budge on the subject of Canadian currency.
- 1911 - Dies for sovereigns of the current year arrive at the mint.
- 1979 - A proclamation amends the Currency and Exchange Act, authorizing the issue of $50 gold bullion coins, with diameter of 30mm, weight of 481.25 grains, and fineness 999.5, effective March 1, 1979.
- 1877 - International Association (minor baseball league) organizes.
- 1887 - First minor league baseball association organizes (Pittsburgh).
- 1903 - Birth of Pierre Charles Belgian heavyweight boxer.
- 1903 - Nick Young remains as National League president as AG Spalding ends challenge.
- 1912 - Argentina beat the MCC in their inaugural cricket first-class fixture.
- 1926 - Birth of Edgar Meuli cricketer (opened New Zealand batting in Test vs South Africa 1953).
- 1926 - Birth of Robert Eugene Richards Illinois, pole vaulter (Olympics-gold-48, 52, 56).
- 1927 - Golfers in South Carolina arrested for violating Sabbath.
- 1928 - Birth of Elroy Face baseball pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates).
- 1929 - Boston Red Sox announce they will play Sunday games at Braves Field.
- 1930 - Capelle soccer team forms.
- 1934 - Birth of Bobby Unser auto racer (1968, 75, 81 Indianapolis 500).
- 1937 - "Barlow" Carkeek Australia cricket wicketkeeper (1912 series), dies.
- 1938 - Birth of Jack Bicknell WLAF head coach (Barcelona Dragons).
- 1940 - Birth of Jimmy Greaves British broadcaster/soccer player.
- 1942 - Birth of Phil Esposito NHL player/coach/GM (Boston Bruins, New York Rangers).
- 1943 - Birth of Antonio Inoki [Kanji Rikidozan], wrestler (NJPW/JWA).
- 1943 - Phil Wrigley and B Rickey charter All-American Girls Softball League.
- 1944 - Birth of Willem van Hanegem Dutch soccer champion/coach (Feyenoord).
- 1948 - Birth of Gerda Boykin LPGA golfer.
- 1949 - Birth of Eddie Hemmings cricket off-spinner (immense England).
- 1951 - Birth of Bonnie Lauer LPGA golfer.
- 1951 - Birth of Phil Neal English soccer player.
- 1952 - First black umpire in organized baseball certified (Emmett Ashford).
- 1953 - August A Busch buys the Saint Louis Cardinals for $3.75 million.
- 1953 - US Court of Appeals rules that Organized Baseball is a sport and not a business, affirming the 25-year-old Supreme Court ruling.
- 1954 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open.
- 1955 - Fay Crocker wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open.
- 1957 - Hughie Tayfield takes 9-113 vs England, 13 wickets for match.
- 1958 - Jockey Eddie Arcaro rides his 4,000th winner.
- 1958 - Los Angeles Coliseum Committee approves two-year pact allows Los Angeles Dodgers to use facility.
- 1959 - Birth of Bill Gullickson US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers).
- 1961 - Birth of Steve Lundquist US swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1984).
- 1962 - Birth of Adam Schreiber NFL center/guard (Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants).
- 1963 - Birth of Charles Barkley Leads Alabama, NBA forward (Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Olympics-gold-1996, All Star 1987-90).
- 1963 - End of the Test Cricket careers of Neil Harvey and Alan Davidson.
- 1963 - Willie Mays (San Francisco Giants) signs a record $100,000 per year contract.
- 1964 - Birth of Christian Ruuttu Lappeenranta Finland, hockey forward (Team Finland).
- 1964 - Birth of Jeffrey Allan Maggert Columbia Missouri, PGA golfer (1993 Walt Disney).
- 1964 - R T Stanyforth English cricket wicketkeeper (South Africa 1927-28), dies.
- 1966 - Birth of Britt Hager NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos, Saint Louis Rams).
- 1966 - Birth of Dennis Allen Mitchell Cherry Point North Carolina, 100 metre/200 metre (Olympics-silver-1996).
- 1966 - Birth of Derek Lilliquist US baseball pitcher (Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves).
- 1967 - Birth of Broderick Thomas NFL linebacker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys).
- 1967 - Birth of Chris Singleton NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins).
- 1967 - Birth of Kurt Knudsen US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers).
- 1967 - Birth of Theresa Luke Vancouver British Columbia, rower (Olympics-1996).
- 1967 - Birth of Tom Waddle NFL player (Chicago Bears/Cincinnati Bengals).
- 1968 - Birth of Bennie Goods Canadian Football League defensive tackle (Edmonton Eskimos).
- 1969 - Birth of [Touchdown] Tommy Vardell NFL running back (Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions).
- 1970 - Birth of Jeff Robinson NFL defensive end (Denver Broncos, Saint Louis Rams).
- 1970 - Birth of Leo Stefan Chelyabinsk Russia, hockey forward (Team Germany).
- 1971 - Birth of Jari Litmanen soccer player (Ajax).
- 1971 - Bruin Phil Esposito is NHL's quickest to score 50 goals in a season.
- 1972 - First time Cleveland Cavaliers beat New York Knicks (111-109).
- 1972 - Ard Schenk becomes world champion skater.
- 1972 - Birth of Tom Gough 200.5 pounds (91 kg) US weightlifter (Olympics-14th-1996).
- 1973 - 10th time New York Islanders shut-out-4-0 vs Pittsburgh Penguins.
- 1973 - Birth of Vladimir Iiic WLAF defensive end (Barcelona Dragons, Rhein Fire).
- 1974 - Birth of Katerina Kroupova Olomouc Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1994 Futures-Sofia-Bulgaria).
- 1975 - Birth of Brendan Witt Humboldt, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals).
- 1975 - Leonard Baichan scores 105 on Test Cricket debut, vs Pakistan Lahore.
- 1976 - Birth of Dave Scatchard Hinton Alberta Canada, NHL center (New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks).
- 1976 - Muhammad Ali knocks out Jan Pierre Coopman in five for heavyweight boxing title.
- 1977 - Birth of Sarah Ryan Adelaide Australia, swimmer (Olympics-1996).
- 1977 - Birth of Stephon Marbury NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves).
- 1977 - Judy Rankin wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic.
- 1978 - Birth of Andrea Moody Abbotsford British Columbia, 4X100 swimmer (Olympics-1996).
- 1978 - Bob Backland beats Billy Graham in New York, to become WWF wrestling champion.
- 1978 - Jane Blalock wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic.
- 1981 - James Sanford equals 50 metre indoor world record (5.61 seconds).
- 1982 - New York Islanders win record 15th straight NHL game.
- 1983 - Roland Liboton becomes world champion cross-country cycling.
- 1985 - After defending his WBC flyweight championship, Sot Chitalada's check for US$104,000 is stolen by a ringside pickpocket.
- 1986 - Los Angeles Dodgers' Orel Hershiser is first to win a US$1 million salary by arbitration.
- 1988 - André Hoffmann skates world record 1500 metre (1:52.06).
- 1988 - Brian Boitano wins Olympics gold medal in figure skating.
- 1988 - Cornelia Oschkenat hurdles indoor world record 50 metre (6.58 seconds).
- 1988 - Kelly Hrudy's 5th New York Islanders shut-out win against Hartford Whalers, 3-0.
- 1988 - Rob Druppers runs world record indoor 1000 metre (2:16.2).
- 1988 - Stefka Kostadinova high jumps indoor world record (2.06 metres).
- 1989 - Members of 1949 Oklahoma football team cancel an April reunion because of the deplorable conduct of Oklahoma players.
- 1992 - The English FA Premier League is officially formed.
- 1993 - Florida Marlins open their first spring training camp.
- 1993 - Lisa Walters wins LPGA Itoki Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open.
- 1993 - New York Islanders retire Billy Smith's number 31.
- 1994 - Johann Olav Koss skates world record 10 km (13:30.55).
- 1994 - Manuel F "Garincha" dos Santos, soccer player (Brazil), dies at 49.
- 1997 - San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds signs record $22.9 million two year contract.
- 1998 - Tara Lipinski wins Olympics figure skating gold medal.
- 2002 - Death of Willie Thrower, American football player (born 1930).
- 1962 - John Glenn is first American to orbit Earth (Friendship 7).
- 1965 - Ranger 8 makes hard landing on the Moon, returns photos, other data.
- 1983 - Japan launches Tenma satellite to study x-rays (450/570 km).
- 1989 - Total eclipse of the Moon.
- 2008 - A U.S. Navy warship neat Hawaii fires a missile at a defunct spy satellite 153 miles up in the atmosphere, to destroy the fuel tank of hydrazine fuel, to prevent it from being released as a toxic gas if it had fallen to Earth.
- 1835 - In Chile, a magnitude 8.5 earthquake occurs. Extreme damage to Concepción.
- 1861 - Steeple of Chichester Cathedral blown down during a storm.
- 1871 - In Molokai, Hawaii, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. This earthquake caused severe damage on the islands of Lanai, Molokai, and Maui, and minor damage on Hawaii and Oahu.
- 1943 - New volcano Paracutin erupts in farmer's corn patch (México).
- 1988 - 500 die in heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 1998 - In Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs. One person killed and 11 injured. An earthquake-induced avalanche destroyed 35 houses and a mosque, and left 300 people homeless. Felt in much of northern Pakistan and in northeastern Afghanistan and in parts of Tajikistan.
Other history:
- 2005 - Early legislative elections in Portugal result in a landslide victory for José Sócrates and the Socialist Party.
- 2008 - A U.S. Navy warship neat Hawaii fires a missile at a defunct spy satellite 153 miles up in the atmosphere, to destroy the fuel tank of hydrazine fuel, to prevent it from being released as a toxic gas if it had fallen to Earth.
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
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