This Day in History
February 7

What happened in history on this day: February 7? On February 7 in ... 590 - Pelagius II Gothic Pope (579-90), dies from plague. 1238 - Mongols attack and burn Vladimir in Russia. 1301 - Edward of Caernarion (later Edward II) becomes first prince of Wales. 1478 - Birth of Sir Thomas More lawyer/lord chancellor of England/saint (Utopia). 1522 - Treaty of Brussels Habsburgers split into Spanish/Austrian Branches. 1550 - Giovanni Maria del Monte elected Pope Julius III. 1556 - Birth of Maria van Nassau Dutch countess of Buren. 1569 - King Philip II forms inquistion in South America. 1589 - Birth of Jacob de Witt Dutch mayor (Dordrecht)/mathematician. 1593 - Jacques Amyot French humanist/abbot of Bellozanne, dies at age 79. 1609 - Ferdinand I cardinal/ruler of Toscane, dies. 1612 - Birth of Thomas Killigrew English humorist/playwright/leader (King's Men). 1613 - Michail Romanov (16) becomes czar of Russia. 1639 - Académie Française begins the Dictionary of the French Language. 1649 - English House of Commons votes to abolish the office of king. 1653 - Nicolas Fouquet appointed superintendent of Finance of France. 1655 - Birth of Jean-François Regnard French comedy writer (Slave in Algeria). 1668 - Dutch Prince William III dances in premiere of "Ballet of Peace". 1688 - Birth of Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel [Marijke Meu], princess of Orange. 1693 - Birth of Anna Ivanova Romanova empress of Russia (1730-40). 1700 - Birth of Philippe Buache French geographer/cartographer (Contourlijnen). 1707 - Birth of Carl August Thielo composer. 1710 - Birth of William Boyce English organist/composer of Cathedral music. 1739 - Birth of Joseph Pouteau composer. 1740 - Birth of Adam-Philippe Custine French earl/General/Member of Parliament. 1743 - Lodovico Giustini composer, dies at age 57. 1749 - Andre Cardinal Destouches composer, dies at age 76. 1753 - Birth of Rhijnvis Feith Dutch mayor/writer (Zwolle/Thirsa). 1758 - Birth of Benedikt Emanuel Schack composer. 1764 - Birth of Ann Radcliffe London, Gothic novelist (Mysteries of Udolpho). 1779 - William Boyce composer, dies at age 67. 1792 - Austria and Prussia sign anti-French covenant. 1792 - D Cimarosa's opera "Il Matrimonio Segreto" premieres in Vienna. 1795 - 11th Amendment to US Constitution ratified, affirms power of states. 1795 - Dutch Prince William V accepts British occupation of Dutch Indies. 1801 - Birth of John Rylands England, merchant/philanthropist. 1803 - Birth of Edgar Quinet French writer/historian (Ahasvérus). 1804 - Birth of John Deere pioneer manufacturer of agricultural implements. 1809 - Birth of Frederik Paludan-Müller Danish Romantic poet (Danserinden). 1812 - In New Madrid, Missouri, a magnitude 7.4 - 8.2 earthquake occurs, the largest historical earthquake in Missouri. The town of New Madrid is destroyed. 1812 - Birth of Charles Dickens England, novelist (Oliver Twist, Tale of Two Cities). 1812 - Lord Byron makes his maiden speech in House of Lords. 1817 - Birth of Frederick Douglass Maryland, first high ranking black in US government. 1817 - Birth of Leroy Pope Walker US lawyer/Confederate minister of War (1861). 1818 - First successful US educational magazine "Academician" begins (New York City, New York). 1820 - Samuel Adams Holyoke composer, dies at age 57. 1822 - Birth of Joaquin y Garbayo Gaztambide composer. 1823 - Ann Radcliffe (Ward) English poet/author of horror novels, dies at age 58. 1823 - Birth of Richard Genee composer. 1824 - Birth of William Higgins discovered nature of spiral "nebulae". 1825 - Birth of Crystobal Oudrid y Segura composer. 1827 - Ballet (Deserter) introduced to US at Bowery Theater (New York City, New York). 1827 - Franz Anton Dimmler composer, dies at age 73. 1830 - Marcus Antonio da Fonseca Portugal Portuguese composer, dies at age 67. 1831 - Belgium adopts its Constitution. 1833 - Birth of Ricardo Palma Peru, writer/poet (Tradiciones Peruanas). 1834 - Birth of Dmitri I Mendelejev Russian chemist (devised Periodic Table). 1836 - "Sketches by Boz" (essays) published by Charles Dickens. 1837 - Birth of Sir James Augustus Henry Murray Scotland, created Oxford Dictionary. 1839 - Birth of Nicolaas G Pierson Dutch banker/Suriname premier (1897-1901). 1839 - Henry Clay declares in Senate "I had rather be right than president". 1842 - Birth of Alexandre Ribit premier (France). 1847 - Birth of Ernst Franck German composer/conductor. 1857 - Félix PBOG Earl of Merode, Belgian minister of War, dies at age 65. 1862 - Birth of Bernard Maybeck US architect (Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco). 1862 - Frantisek Jan Skroup composer, dies at age 61. 1862 - Federal fleet attack on Roanoke Island, North Carolina. 1863 - Birth of Mieczyslaw Soltys composer. 1864 - Birth of Arthur Collins singer/comedian (Peerless Quartet). 1864 - Birth of Ricardo Castro Herrera composer. 1864 - Federal troops occupy Jacksonville, Florida. 1865 - John Henry Winder, US Confederate Brigadier-General/provost marshal, dies at age 64. 1866 - Birth of Raf[ael] Verhulst [Koen Ravestein], Flemish writer (Jesus of Nazarus). 1867 - Birth of Laura Ingalls Wilder Wisconsin, children's book author (Little House on the Prairie). 1869 - Birth of Jindrich S Baar Czechoslovakia pastor/writer (Jan Cimbura). 1870 - Birth of Alfred Adler Austria, psychiatrist (Inferiority Complex). 1871 - Birth of Karl Wilhelm Eugen Stenhammer composer. 1872 - Alcorn A and M College opens. 1872 - Birth of Nikolaos "Sokrates" Politis Greek lawyer/diplomat/foreign minister. 1875 - Birth of Erkki Gustav Melartin composer. 1875 - Birth of Walter Courvoisier composer. 1876 - President Grant's private-secretary Orville acquitted in Whiskey Ring. 1877 - First Guernsey Cattle Club organizes (New York City, New York). 1877 - Birth of Feliks Nowowiejski composer. 1877 - Birth of Godfrey H Hardy England, number theorist. 1877 - Birth of Julius Curtius German minister of Foreign affairs (1929-). 1878 - Birth of Ossip Gabrilovich composer. 1878 - Pius IX "Pio Nono", [Giovanni Ferretti], Pope (1846-78), dies at age 85. 1881 - Battle at Ingogo, Transvaal Boers beat superior British forces. 1881 - Fredrik Cygnaeus Finnish poet/literature critic, dies at age 73. 1882 - Last bare knuckle champion John L Sullivan knocks out Paddy Ryan in Mississippi. 1883 - Birth of Eubie Blake ragtime composer/pianist (I'm Just Wild About Harry, Memories of You). 1883 - Birth of Paul de Backer Belgian radiologist. 1883 - Lieutenant-Colonel Borgnis-Desbordes founds Fort Bamako Niger. 1884 - Canadian Rugby Football Union forms. 1885 - Birth of Sinclair Lewis novelist/social critic (Main Street, Nobel Prize 1930). 1889 - Astronomical Society of Pacific holds first meeting in San Francisco. 1891 - Birth of Joachim Stutschewsky composer. 1891 - Great Blizzard of 1891 begins. 1892 - In Verkhoyansk, Russia, an Asian record cold temperature of -90 degrees F is recorded. 1896 - Birth of Harold Hoffman South Amboy New Jersey, (Governor-New Jersey). 1896 - Birth of Jacob Paludan Danish pharmacist/writer (Jørgen Stein). 1897 - Birth of Quincy Porter New Haven Connecticut, composer. 1897 - Galileo Ferraris Italian physicist (Ferrari), dies at age 49. 1899 - Birth of Arvid Pelshe Latvian Communist leader, CPSU Politburo member. 1900 - British troops vacate Vaal Krantz, Natal. 1900 - Labour Party forms in England. 1901 - Benjamin Edward Woolf composer, dies at age 64. 1901 - Birth of Bob den Doolaard [Cornelis Spoelstra], Dutch writer (Grape Pickers). 1901 - Queen Wilhelmina marries Prince Heinrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 1902 - Birth of Ethelda Blebtrey Waterford New York, 100 metre swimmer (Olympics-gold-1920). 1903 - VVV '03 Soccer team forms in Venlo. 1904 - Baltimore catches fire (1500 buildings destroyed in 80 blocks). 1904 - Birth of Milton Krims writer (Speed). 1905 - Birth of Olf S von Euler-Chelpin Swedish physiologist. 1905 - Birth of Paul Nizan French journalist/writer (L'Humanité, La Conspiration). 1905 - Birth of Ulf Svante von Euler Sweden, physiologist (Nobel Prize 1970). 1905 - Dominican Republic signs treaty turning over customs collection to US. 1905 - Oklahoma admitted to statehood. 1906 - Birth of Henry P'u-i last emperor of China, puppet emperor of Manchukuo. 1907 - Birth of Arthur George Bottomley politician. 1908 - Birth of Clarence Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe Oakland California, swimmer (Olympics-gold-1932)/actor (Tarzan the Fearless, Flash Gordon). 1908 - Connie Mack sells hurler Rube Waddell to Saint Louis Browns for $5,000. 1909 - Birth of Joseph "Poeske" Scherens Flemish cyclist (champion sprinter 1932-37). 1910 - Edmond Rostand's "Chantecler" premieres in Paris. 1911 - Harry Graham cricketer (6 Test for Australia 1893-96, 301 runs), dies. 1912 - Second Dutch 11 city skate (Coen de Koenig wins (11:40)). 1912 - Birth of Derek Farr London; actor (8 O'Clock Walk, Doctor at Large). 1912 - Birth of Jane Ross Spokane Washington, actress (Audrey-Phyllis, Coed Fever). 1914 - Birth of David Ignatow US poet (Tread the Dark, Rescue the Dead). 1914 - Birth of Jacques Mornard [Ramón Mercader], murderer (Trotsky). 1914 - Birth of Ralph Whitlock writer. 1914 - Charlie Chaplin debuts "The Tramp" in "Kid Auto Races at Venice". 1914 - Steel work completed on Exposition (Civic) Auditorium, San Francisco. 1915 - First wireless message sent from a moving train to a station received. 1915 - Second Battle of Masurian Lakes German armies surrounded a Russian army. 1915 - Wladyslaw Gorski composer, dies at age 68. 1917 - Birth of Dick Emery London England; actor/comedian (Yellow Submarine, Loot, Baby Love). 1918 - Alexander Sergeyevich Taneyev composer, dies at age 68. 1919 - Birth of Dom Hélder Câmara Brazilian bishop. 1919 - Birth of Ilse Pausin Austria, figure skating pairs (Olympics-silver-1936). 1919 - Birth of Jock Mahoney actor (Range Rider, Yancy Derringer, Day of Fury). 1920 - Alexander Koltsjak Admiral/leader Russian counter-revolutionary, executed. 1920 - Birth of Eddie Bracken Astoria New York City, New York; actor (Summer Stock, Young and Willing). 1920 - Birth of Oscar Brand Winnipeg Canada, folk singer (Draw Me a Laugh). 1921 - Birth of Athol Rowan cricketer (brother of Eric, South African off-spinner). 1921 - Birth of Bryan Woods soldier/clerk. 1922 - John Willard's "Cat and the Canary" premieres in New York City, New York. 1923 - Birth of George H H Lascelles English earl of Harewood/leader (Covent Garden). 1923 - Birth of Keefe Brasselle Elyria Ohio; actor (Be Our Guest). 1924 - Birth of Cathy Long (Representative-Democrat-Louisiana, 1985-86). 1924 - Birth of Dora Bryan [Broadhurst], Southport England, actress (Taste of Honey). 1924 - Birth of Hattie Jacques Kent England, actress (Carry on Doctor). 1924 - Birth of Johnny Jordaan [Jan van Musscher], Amsterdam folk vocalist. 1924 - Mussolini government exchanges diplomats with USSR. 1925 - Birth of Arthur Berry artist. 1925 - Birth of H Eisenreich writer. 1925 - Birth of Marius Constant Rumania, Dutch composer/conductor (Paradise Lost). 1925 - Birth of Romolo Valli actor (Bobby Deerfield, Fistful of Dynamite, La Viaccia). 1926 - Birth of Konstantin Petrovich Feokistov USSR, cosmonaut (Voskhod I). 1927 - Birth of John Buller composer. 1928 - First solo England to Australia flight takes off (Bert Hinkler). 1928 - Birth of Al "Fuzzy" Smith baseball player. 1931 - Ion Vidu composer, dies at age 67. 1931 - US opera, "Peter Ibbetson", by Deems Taylor premieres at Metropolitan Opera New York City. 1932 - Birth of Alfred M Worden Jackson Michigan, Colonel US Air Force/astronaut (Apollo 15). 1932 - Birth of Gay Talese author (Honor Thy Father). 1933 - Albert György Earl Apponyi Hung minister of Education, dies at age 86. 1933 - Colonial troops in Suriname kill two demonstrators. 1933 - Social-Democrat meeting in Berlin "As thousands cheer" Marxism is dead. 1934 - First contract for TVA power, Tupelo Mississippi. 1934 - Birth of Earl King [Solomon Johnson], rocker. 1934 - Birth of King Curtis [Curtis Ousley], Forth Worth Texas, US saxophonist (Memphis Soul Stew). 1934 - Birth of Piet Bukman Dutch minister for Development Aid (CDA). 1935 - Birth of Herb Kohl (Senator-Democrat Wisconsin). 1935 - Monopoly invented by Charles Darrow symbol Rich Uncle Pennybags. 1936 - A flag is authorized for the Vice President. 1936 - Felix the Cat, Cartoon Character, by Van Beuren from Otto Messmer. 1937 - Elihu Root US Minister of War/Foreign affairs (Nobel Prize 1912), dies at age 91. 1938 - Birth of Juan Pizarro baseball player. 1938 - Birth of Robert Frank Baksa composer. 1940 - Birth of Gary Bond England; actor (Outback, Zulu, Anne of Thousand Days). 1940 - British railroads nationalized. 1940 - Francis Ford cricketer (5 Tests for England versus Australia 1894-95), dies. 1940 - RKO Radio Pictures world premieres Disney's second animated feature film, Pinocchio, at the Central Theatre in New York City, USA. 1941 - Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra record "Everything Happens to Me". 1942 - First indoor 15' pole vault (Cornelius Warmerdam 15' 3/8"). 1942 - Birth of Ton [ACHM] de Kok Dutch Member of Parliament (CDA). 1942 - Dorando di Desiderio Pietri marathoner (Olympics-gold-1908), dies at age 56. 1943 - Shoe rationing begins in US (may purchase up to three more pairs in 1942). 1943 - Japanese forces evacuate Gualcanal. 1944 - Bing Crosby records "Swinging on a Star" for Decca Records. 1944 - Birth of Berend baron van Voorst tot Voorst Dutch foreign state secretary (CDA). 1944 - Birth of Berry [AH] Esselink Dutch Member of Parliament (CDA). 1944 - Birth of Michael A Andrews (Representative-Democrat-Texas, 1983-). 1944 - Germans launch counter-offensive at Anzio Italy. 1945 - Birth of Gerald Davies; British rugby player. 1945 - Birth of Pete Postlethwaite; actor (The Boxer). 1945 - General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila, Philippines. 1945 - US President Harry Truman appoints Irwin C Mollison judge of US Customs Court. 1945 - US 76th/5th Infantry divisions begin crossing Sauer. 1946 - Birth of Hector Babenco; director (Ironweed, Kiss of the Spider Woman). 1946 - Birth of Lawrence Ascott; rocker (Isotope). 1946 - Birth of Sammy Johns; rocker (Politics, Religion and Her). 1946 - Filibuster in US Senate kills FEPC bill. 1947 - Arabs and Jews reject British proposal to split Palestine. 1948 - "Red" McKenzie blues-jazz singer (played comb-with-tissue-paper), dies. 1948 - Birth of Jimmy Greenspoon in Los Angeles, California, USA; rock organist (Three Dog Night - "Joy to the World"). 1948 - Omar Bradley succeeds Dwight Eisenhower as US Army Chief of Staff. 1949 - Birth of Alan Lancaster; bassist (Status Quo - "Down Down", "On the Level"). 1949 - Birth of Sunil Wettimuny; cricket (Sri Lanka open batsman 1975-79 World Cups). 1949 - Joe DiMaggio becomes first US$100,000 per year baseball player (New York Yankees). 1950 - Birth of Burt Hooton; baseball player. 1950 - Birth of Dan Quisenberry; baseball pitcher (Kansas City Royals). 1950 - Birth of Marilyn Cochran in Burlington, Vermont, USA; skier (Olympics-1972). 1950 - Georges Bidault forms French government. 1950 - Senator Joe McCarthy finds "communists" in US Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1950 - US and Great Britain recognize Bao Dai Vietnamese regime. 1951 - Birth of Benny Ayala; baseball player. 1951 - Birth of Manfred Schumann in the German Federal Republic; bobsled (Olympics-silver/bronze-1976). 1953 - Birth of Robert Brazile; NFL player. 1954 - Birth of Miguel Ferrer in Santa Monica, California, USA; actor (Robocop). 1954 - Jan Adam Maklakiewicz, composer, dies at age 54. 1955 - Birth of Charlie Puleo; baseball player. 1955 - Birth of Rolf Benirschke in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; NFL place kicker / Wheel of Fortune host. 1957 - Birth of Carney Lansford; baseball player. 1957 - Birth of Damaso Garcia; baseball player. 1957 - Rudolph Reti, composer, dies at age 71. 1958 - Birth of Manuel Mijares in Mexico; Spanish vocalist (Maria Bonita). 1958 - Brooklyn Dodgers officially become the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc. 1958 - Dutch auto-transmission car DAF 600 introduced. 1958 - Walter Kingsford, actor (My Favorite Blonde, Fly by Night), dies at age 76. 1959 - Birth of Brian Travers; rock saxophonist (UB40 - "Red Red Wine"). 1959 - Birth of Sammy Lee; British soccer player. 1959 - Castro proclaims new Cuban constitution. 1959 - Cessna jet lands in Las Vegas after 65 days without landing (refuels in air). 1959 - Daniel F Malan, premier of South Africa (1948-54), dies at age 84. 1959 - Dorothy Rigney sells Chicago White Sox to Bill Veeck for a reported US$27 million. 1959 - Napoleon Lajoie, baseball player, dies at age 83. 1959 - Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones, rocker, dies at age 32. 1960 - Birth of James Spader in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Endless Love, Wall Street, Mannequin). 1960 - Birth of Steve Bronski; rock synthesizer (Bronski Beat - "Smalltown Boy"). 1960 - Igor V Kurtshatov, Russian nuclear physicist, dies at age 57. 1960 - Old handwriting found in at Qumran, near the Dead Sea. 1961 - Jane Fonda makes her acting debut in the NBC drama A String of Beads. 1961 - Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician/author/anti-Semite, dies at age 67. 1962 - Arthur Carr, cricketer (11 Tests for England 22-29), dies shovelling snow. 1962 - Birth of Alan Sippy; cricketer (dashing Bombay lefty batsman of 1980s). 1962 - Birth of David Bryan; rock keyboardist (Bon Jovi - "You Give Love a Bad Name"). 1962 - Birth of Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; country singer ("No Fences", "Ropin' the Wind"). 1962 - Gas explosion in Luisanthal coal mine in Voelklingen, Germany, kills 298. 1962 - US President John Kennedy begins blockade of Cuba. 1963 - Birth of Heidemarie M Stefanyshyn-Piper in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Lieutenant Commander US Navy/astronaut. 1963 - Birth of Jason Adams in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Ryan's Hope, A Nightmare on Elm Street). 1963 - Birth of Roland Lefebvre; cricket pace bowler (Glamorgan and Holland). 1964 - Baskin-Robbins introduces Beatle Nut ice cream. 1964 - First visit to the United States by the Beatles. 1964 - Birth of Cynthia "Sippy" Woodhead in Riverside, California, USA; swimmer (Olympics-silver-1984). 1964 - Boxer Cassius Clay becomes a Muslim and adopts the name Muhammad Ali. 1964 - Hermann A J Kees, German Egyptologist, dies at age 77. 1964 - Lillian Copeland, US discus thrower (Olympics-gold-32), dies at age 59. 1964 - Roger Sessions' 5th Symphony premieres. 1965 - Birth of Jason Gedrick in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Heavenly Kid, Class of '96). 1965 - Birth of Kristal Parker-Gregory in Columbus, Ohio, USA; LPGA golfer (1995 Hawaiian-20th). 1965 - Birth of Reginald Thal; soccer player (MVV). 1965 - Nance O'Neil, actor (Cimarron, Royal Bed, Rogue Song), dies at age 90. 1965 - Operations begin at Grupo Folklorico Antiyano on Curaçao. 1965 - US begins regular bombing and strafing of North Vietnam. 1966 - Birth of Chris Rock; comedian (Saturday Night Live, CB4, Boomerang). 1967 - Birth of Joseph Tilford Leigh Greene in Dayton, Ohio, USA; long jumper (Olympics-bronze-1992, 1996). 1967 - Henry Morgenthau, US minister of Finance (devaluated dollar), dies at age 74. 1968 - Belgium government of Vanden Boeynants falls. 1968 - Birth of Martin Sinner in Koblenz, Germany; tennis star (1990 Pretoria). 1968 - Birth of Michael Stich; German Federal Republic, tennis star. 1968 - Birth of Peter Bondra in Lutsk, Ukraine; NHL right wing (Washington Capitals). 1968 - Nick [Aloysius Adamschock] Adams, actor (Interns, Pillow Talk, FBI Story, Johnny Yuma-The Rebel), dies of drug overdose at age 36. 1968 - Stuart Foster, singer (Galen Drake Show), dies at age 49. 1969 - This Is Tom Jones debuts on ABC TV. 1969 - Al-Fatah-leader Yasser Arafat becomes president of Palestinian Liberation Organization. 1969 - Bainbridge Crist, composer, dies at age 85. 1969 - Birth of Bucky Richardson; US football quarterback (Houston Oilers). 1969 - Birth of Fiona Robinson in Collie, Western Australia; basketball player (Olympics-bronze-1996). 1969 - Diane Crump becomes first woman jockey at a major US racetrack (Hialeah, Florida). 1970 - Hollywood Palace last airs on ABC TV. 1970 - Birth of Chris Gardocki; NFL punter (Indianapolis Colts). 1970 - Birth of Denis Chasse in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; NHL right wing (Winnipeg Jets). 1970 - Birth of Stanley Roberts; NBA center (Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves). 1970 - LSU's "Pistol" Pete Marovich scores 69 points in losing cause. 1970 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn. 1970 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Tim Wood. 1971 - Birth of Andrew Currey; Australian javelin thrower (Olympics-1996). 1971 - Birth of Marvin Graves; Canadian Football League quarterback (Montreal Alouettes). 1971 - Women win the right to vote in Switzerland. 1972 - Birth of Aftab Habib; cricketer (Leicestershire right-handed batsman 1996). 1972 - Birth of John Slaney in Saint John's, Newfoundland, Canada; NHL defenseman (Los Angeles Kings). 1973 - First time New York Rangers shut-out New York Islanders 6-0. 1973 - Birth of Billy Baumhoff in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; soccer midfielder/forward (Olympics-gold-1996). 1973 - Birth of Juwan Howard; NBA forward/center (Washington Bullets/Wizards). 1973 - Birth of Kristin Godridge in Traralgon, Australia; tennis star (1993 Futures-Singapore). 1973 - Birth of Leanne Schuster in Mesa, Arizona, USA; WPVA volleyballer (National-9th-1995). 1973 - Birth of Sonia Paquette in St-Janvier, Québec, Canada; hurdler (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Birth of Tim Bowens; NFL defensive tackle (Miami Dolphins). 1973 - US Senate creates Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. 1974 - Arline Judge, actress (Age of Consent), dies at age 61. 1974 - Birth of Ryan Phillips; linebacker (New York Giants). 1974 - Birth of Steve Nash; NBA guard (Phoenix Suns). 1974 - Grenada gains independence from Britain (National Day). 1974 - Mel Brooks' film Blazing Saddles opens in movie theaters. 1975 - Birth of Alexandre Daigle in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; NHL center (Ottawa Senators). 1975 - Birth of Marika Lehtimaki; ice hockey center (Finland, Olympics-1998). 1975 - Brendan Fay, actor (Hustler, Man on a Swing), dies at age 54. 1975 - NBA New Orleans Jazz end a 28-game road losing streak. 1976 - Birth of Hrafnhildur Hafsteinsdottir; Miss Iceland-Universe (1996). 1976 - Birth of Terry Battle; running back (Detroit Lions). 1976 - Darryl Sittler, Toronto Maple Leafs, sets NHL record with ten points in a game. 1976 - World's largest telescope (600 cm) begins operation (USSR). 1977 - Birth of Christine Scheels in New Berlin, Wisconsin; speed skater (Olympics-1994). 1977 - Birth of Hillary Wolf in Chicago, Illinois; extra lightweight judoka (Olympics-1996). 1977 - Herman Dooyeweerd, Dutch philosopher/lawyer, dies at age 82. 1977 - Soyuz 24 launches with two cosmonauts. 1978 - Ethiopian offensive in Ogaden desert. 1979 - Birth of Cerina Vincent; Miss Nevada Teen-USA (1996). 1979 - Colonel Benjedid Chadli succeeds President Boumédienne in Algeria. 1979 - Faoud Bacchus scores 250 for West Indies versus India at Kanpur. 1979 - Death of Josef Mengele near Sao Paulo, Brazil (attributed in 1985); Nazi experimental doctor, the Angel of Death, conducted inhuman medical experiments at the concentration camp at Auschwitz. 1979 - Neptune becomes farthest planet from the sun in our solar system (will remain that way for 20 years). 1979 - Toronto Maple Leafs' Darryl Sittler scores NHL record ten points (6 goals). 1980 - Birth of Dionne Quan; Chinese-American voice actress. 1980 - Ernst Kunz, composer, dies at age 88. 1980 - Katherine Emery, actress (Maze, Isle of the Dead), dies at age 73. 1982 - Luis A Monge elected President of Costa Rica. 1982 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic. 1983 - Birth of Elin Grindemyr; Swedish model. 1984 - Michael Jackson awarded a 4-foot-high platinum disc by CBS. 1984 - Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk. 1984 - Brooks West, actor (Richard - My Friend Irma), dies at age 67. 1985 - Birth of Tina Majorino; American actress. 1985 - "New York, New York" becomes the official anthem of New York City, New York. 1985 - Albert Dondeyne, Belgian philosopher/theologist, dies at age 83. 1985 - Birth of [Alber]Tina Marie Majorino; actress, (Waterworld, When a Man Loves a Woman). 1985 - New Jersey Devils' Don Lever becomes 57th NHL player to score 300 goals. 1985 - Uday Merchant, cricketer (brother of Vijay, prolific scorer), dies. 1986 - Birth of Deanna Casaluce; Canadian actress (Degrassi). 1986 - Armand Preud'homme, Flemish organist/lyricist, dies at age 81. 1986 - Haiti's President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier flees to France, ending 28 years of family rule; Henri Namphy becomes leader of Haiti. 1986 - Philippine Corazon Aquino defeats incumbent dictator Ferdinand Marcos but fraudulent returns give the election to Marcos. 1986 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Debi Thomas. 1987 - David Savoy Jr, rock manager (Hüsker Du), commits suicide at age 24. 1987 - Madonna's "Open Your Heart" single goes #1. 1987 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano. 1987 - For only the second time, a Major League Baseball player is forced to take a pay cut due to salary arbitration. Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Orel Hershiser signs for US$800,000 which is a twenty percent reduction. 1988 - 38th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 138-133 at Chicago, Illinois. 1988 - Heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson marries actress Robin Givens. 1988 - Lin[wood V] Carter, American science-fiction writer (Lost World of Time), dies at age 57. 1988 - NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 15-6. 1988 - Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Mazda Golf Classic. 1988 - Birth of Ai Kago, Japanese singer. 1989 - 40th NHL All-Star Game: Campbell beat Wales 9-5 at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 1989 - The Los Angeles, California, City Council bans the sale or possession of semiautomatic weapons. 1989 - Birth of Louisa Lytton, English actress. 1990 - Dom Heider Camara, nonviolent/human rights Bishop of Brazil, dies. 1990 - Jimmy Van Heusen, American composer (Call Me Irresponsible), dies at age 77 (born 1913). 1990 - Karachi police kill 22 anti-nationalistic demonstrators. 1990 - Nathan Wartels, publisher (Crown), dies from pneumonia at age 88. 1990 - The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly of power. 1990 - Birth of Steven Stamkos, Canadian ice hockey player. 1991 - Bob Knight, Larry O'Brien, Tiny Archibald, Dave Cowens, Harry Gallatin, and Larry Fleisher elected to NBA Hall of Fame. 1991 - Dick Winslow, actor (Tom Sawyer, Mutiny on the Bounty), dies at age 75. 1991 - Gladys LaVerne dies of heart problems at age 87. 1991 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide sworn in as Haiti's first elected president. 1991 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting. 1991 - Death of Amos Yarkoni, legendary Israeli soldier (born 1920). 1992 - Birth of Maimi Yajima, Japanese singer. 1992 - Disney releases the Hollywood Pictures live-action feature film Medicine Man to theatres in the USA. 1992 - Jeanne Gerson dies of cancer and pneumonia at age 87. 1992 - Shannon Rhea Marketic, 22, (California), crowned 41st Miss USA. 1992 - The Maastricht Treaty is signed, founding the European Union. 1993 - Arthur Ashe, tennis star (Wimbledon 1975), dies of AIDS at age 49 (born 1943). 1993 - NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 23-20. 1993 - Birth of David Dorfman, American actor. 1993 - Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm Bamm Rubble wed. 1993 - Tammie Green wins LPGA Healthsouth Palm Beach Golf Classic. 1993 - W Sybout A Colenbrander, Dutch historian/journalist, dies at age 82. 1994 - 21st American Music Awards: Whitney Houston wins. 1994 - Howard Stern stops a would-be jumper on the George Washington Bridge. 1994 - Maarten Vrolijk, Dutch Social-Democrat minister (CRM 1965-66), dies at age 74. 1994 - Richard Bissell, US under director of US Central Intelligence Agency (Pig's Bay), dies at age 84. 1994 - Death of Witold Lutoslawski, Polish composer (born 1913). 1995 - Helen Wallis, cartographer/librarian, dies at age 70. 1995 - Last day of Test Cricket cricket for Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting. 1995 - Massimo Pallottino, Italian archaeologist (Etruscologia), dies at age 86. 1996 - George Lowthian Trevelyan, designer/visionary, dies at age 89. 1996 - Isian Kehinde I K Dairo musician/academic, dies at age 65. 1996 - Lillian Rambach, teacher violinist, dies at age 84. 1996 - Lydia Korneevna Chukovskaya, writer, dies at age 88. 1996 - Tiny Winters, musician, dies at age 87. 1996 - Death of Boris Alexandrovich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer (born 1925). 1996 - Birth of Mai Hagiwara, Japanese singer. 1997 - Danil Shafran, cellist, dies at age 74. 1998 - (to February 22) The XVIII Olympic Winter Games are held in Nagano, Japan. 1998 - NHL's Dallas Stars retire Neal Broten's #7. 1998 - Death of Lawrence Sanders, American author (born 1920). 1999 - King Hussein of Jordan dies from cancer (born 1935), and his son Abdullah II inherits the throne. 2000 - Stipe Mesic is elected president of Croatia. 2000 - Death of Big Pun, American rapper (born 1971). 2001 - Death of Dale Evans, American actress and singer (born 1912). 2001 - Death of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and aviator (born 1906). 2003 - In Bogotá, Colombia, a car bomb explodes in the parking garage of the El Nogal social club, killing 35, injuring 160. 2004 - Several leaders of Abnaa el-Balad are arrested in Israel. 2005 - The Detroit Tigers sign right fielder Magglio Ordonez for five-years for US$75 million. 2006 - An aging Egyptian passenger ferry carrying more than 1,400 people sinks in the Red Sea off the Saudi coast. 2006 - Venezuela's Caracas Lions wins its first Caribbean Series championship since 1989, defeating the Dominican Republic's Licey Tigers. 2007 - HSBC announces it is setting aside US$10 billion to cover bad loans in its US mortgage division. 2007 - Death of Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927). 2007 - Death of Helen Duncan, New Zealand politician (born 1941). 2008 - New lunar year 4705, Year of the Rat to the Chinese system of Earthly Branches. 2008 - In the USA, CBS airs the premiere of the reality TV show Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites. 2008 - STS-122: Space Shuttle Atlantis launches to deliver the European-built Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station. 2008 - Death of Andrew Bertie, British Grand Master of the Order of Malta (born 1929). 2009 - A rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante automobile, which sat in a Tyneside garage for 47 years, sells at auction for 3.4 million euros (US$4.4 million) in Paris, France. 2009 - Bolivia's President Evo Morales enacts a new constitution to empower the country's indigenous majority and allows for land reform. 2009 - At the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany, World Coin News presents awards to winners of its 26th annual Coin of the Year contest (for 2007-dated coins). Coin of the Year: 500-tugrik silver coin of Mongolia, portraying a gulo gulo with diamonds for eyes. 2009 - James Whitmore, actor of movies (The Last Frontier, Oklahoma!, Planet of the Apes, The Shawshank Redemption, Battleground, Golden Globe award), television (The Law and Mr. Jones, Temperatures Rising, The Practice, Emmy award), and theater (Give 'em Hell, Harry, Command Decision, Tony award), dies at age 87 in Malibu, California, of lung cancer. 2009 - The number of U.S. workers drawing unemployment aid reaches a record high of 4.99 million, the highest since records began in 1967. 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