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Historical Events on this Day in History

Events in History for Saturday 21st February 2015

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Today's Significant Events

1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury
1431 - Joan of Arc's first day of interrogation during her trial for heresy
1613 - Michael Romanov, son of Patriarch of Moscow, elected first Russian Tsar of the house of Romanov
1916 - Battle of Verdun in WW I begins (1 million casualties)
1922 - Great Britain grants Egypt independence
1953 - Francis Crick and James Watson discover structure of DNA-molecule

Today's Historical Events

Events 1 - 186 of 186

362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria.
1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas BecketArchbishop of Canterbury
1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery.
1431 - Joan of Arc's first day of interrogation during her trial for heresy
1440 - The Prussian Confederation is formed.
1564 - Philip II routes cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comte
1574 - Spanish garrison of Middelburg, Netherlands, surrenders
1583 - Groningen, Netherlands, begins using Gregorian calendar
1598 - Boris Godunov crowned tsar

French Soldier and National Heroine Joan of Arc1613 - Michael Romanov, son of Patriarch of Moscow, elected first Russian Tsar of the house of Romanov
1673 - Michiel A de Ruyter appointed lt-admiral-general of Dutch fleet
1675 - Prince Willem III appointed viceroy of Gelderland
1764 - John Wilkes thrown out of English House of Commons for "Essay on Women"
1777 - British ambassador Joseph Yorke demands dismissal of Governor John de Graaff for saluting US flag
1782 - US Congress resolves establishment of a US mint
1792 - US Congress passes Presidential Succession Act
1795 - Freedom of worship established in France under constitution
1797 - Trinidad, West Indies, surrenders to British
1804 - 1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for 1st time, in Wales
1828 - 1st American Indian newspaper in US, "Cherokee Phoenix", published
1842 - 1st known sewing machine patented in US, John Greenough, Wash DC
1846 - 1st US woman telegrapher, Sarah G Bagley, Lowell, Mass

Father of U.S. History George Bancroft1852 - George Bancroft becomes the American Geographical Society's first president
1853 - US authorizes minting of $3 gold pieces
1857 - Congress outlaws foreign currency as legal tender in US
1857 - US issues flying eagle cents
1858 - Edwin T Holmes installs 1st electric burglar alarm (Boston, Mass)
1861 - Steeple of Chichester Cathedral collapses despite the desperate efforts of 70 workmen
1861 - Navaho indians elect Herrero Grande as chief
1862 - Confederate Constitution & presidency are declared permanent
1862 - Texas Rangers win Confederate victory at Battle of Val Verde, NM
1864 - -22] Battle at Okolona, Mississippi
1864 - 1st US Catholic parish church for blacks dedicated, Baltimore
1866 - Lucy B Hobbs (Taylor) becomes 1st US woman to earn a DDS degree

British Prime Minister William Gladstone1874 - Benjamin Disraeli succeeds William Gladstone as British premier
1874 - Oakland Daily Tribune begins publication
1878 - World's 1st telephone directory issued, 50 subscribers (New Harbor, Connecticut)
1882 - NYC's 24 hour race begins, winner with most mileage in 24 hours
1883 - 2nd French government of Ferry begins
1885 - Washington Monument dedicated (Washington, DC)
1887 - 1st US bacteriology laboratory opens (Brooklyn)
1887 - Oregon becomes 1st US state to make Labor Day a holiday
1895 - NC Legislature, adjourns for day to mark death of Frederick Douglass
1901 - In Cuba, the constitutional delegates adopt a constitution much like that of the USA
1902 - Dr Harvey Cushing, 1st US brain surgeon, performs his 1st brain operation

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass1903 - Cornerstone laid for US army war college, Washington, DC
1904 - National Ski Association forms in Ishpeming Mich
1907 - SS Berlin sinks off Hoek van Holland Neth (142 dead)
1909 - John Galsworthy's "Strife" premieres in London
1910 - John Galsworthy's "Justice" premieres in London
1911 - Gustav Mahler conducts his last concerto (Berceuse élégique)
1914 - White Wolf troops attack Zhanjiang China
1914 - In a secret meeting of civil and military leaders, Russian Foreign Minister Sazonov convinces them to support a plan for seizing the straits, controlled by Turkey, that block access to the Mediterranean
1915 - 20th Russian Army corps surrenders
1915 - World's Fair in SF opens
1916 - Battle of Verdun in WW I begins (1 million casualties)
1917 - British Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 627 die
1917 - Train near Chirurcha, Romania, catches fire & explodes; hundreds die
1918 - Australians chase Turkish troop out of Jericho, Dutch Palestine
1918 - The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.
1919 - German National Meeting accepts Anschluss: incorporation of Austria
1919 - Revolutionary strike in Barcelona
1920 - Darius Milhaud & Jean Cocteau's ballet, premieres in Paris
1921 - Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country's first constitution
1921 - The London Conference on the Near East begins: the issue is the Allies' 1920 Treaty of Sevres, which had given part of Turkish Asia Minor to Greece
1922 - Airship "Rome" explodes at Hampton Roads, Virginia; 34 die
1922 - Great Britain grants Egypt independence
1922 - WHK-AM in Cleveland OH begins radio transmissions
1922 - Irish Nationalist Eamon De Valera calls a convention of the Sinn Fein, declaring the Republican Government the only legitimate one in all Ireland
1923 - Andre Charlot's musical "Rats" premieres in London
1925 - 1st issue of "New Yorker" magazine published
1925 - Mass meeting of SPD's Reichsbanner Black-Red-Gold in Magdeburg
1927 - Franz Lehr's opera "Der Zarewitsch" premieres
1930 - Marc Connelly's "Green Pastures" premieres in NYC
1931 - Alka Seltzer introduced
1931 - Chicago White Sox & NY Giants play 1st exhibition night game
1932 - Andre Tardieu becomes premier of France
1932 - Camera exposure meter patented, WN Goodwin
1934 - Nicaraguan patriot Augusto Cesar Sandino assassinated by Natl Guard
1937 - Initial flight of the first successful flying car, Waldo Waterman's Arrowbile.
1937 - The League of Nations bans foreign national "volunteers" in the Spanish Civil War.
1939 - Belgian government of Pierlot forms
1941 - Omar Bradley is promoted to the rank of brigadier general
1942 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Jane Vaughn
1942 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Bobby Specht
1943 - Dutch RC bishops protest against persecution of Jews
1943 - German offensive at Western Dorsalgebergte Tunisia
1944 - "War As It Happens" news show premieres on NBC TV (NYC only)
1945 - Archbishop De Jong calls for help with war casualties
1945 - British Army captures Goch
1945 - US 10th Armour division overthrows Orscholz line
1946 - Anti-British demonstrations in Egypt
1947 - 1st broadcast of 1st US TV soap opera "A Woman to Remember"
1947 - 1st instant developing camera demonstrated in NYC, by E H Land
1947 - Whipper Billy Watson beats Bill Longson, to become wrestling champ
1948 - NASCAR is incorporated.
1950 - WOI TV channel 5 in Ames-Des Moines, IA (ABC/PBS) begins broadcasting
1951 - SC House urges "Shoeless Joe" Jackson be reinstated
1952 - Bangladesh Martyrs Day (martyrs of Bengali Language Movement)
1952 - Dick Button performs 1st figure skating triple jump in competition
1953 - "Maggie" closes at National Theater NYC after 5 performances

Molecular biologist Francis Crick1953 - Francis Crick and James Watson discover structure of DNA-molecule
1953 - Longest collegiate basketball game (6 OTs) Niagara beats Siena 88-81
1957 - Dodgers (Fort Worth) & Cubs (LA) "trade" minor league franchises
1958 - "Portotino" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 3 performances
1958 - Egypt-Syria as United Arab Republic elect Nasser president (99.9% vote)
1960 - Fay Crocker wins LPGA Lake Worth Golf Open
1961 - Friedrich Durrenmatt's "Die Physiker" premieres in Zurich
1961 - Gabon adopts constitution
1961 - Mercury-Atlas 2 reentry Test reaches 172 km
1962 - Minister De Pous confirms natural gas reserves in Groningen, Netherlands
1963 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1964 - UK flies 24,000 rolls of Beatles wallpaper to US
1965 - Rights activist Malcolm X is shot dead by Nation of Islam followers at Audubon Ballroom in New York

African American Activist Malcolm X1966 - Indonesian president Sukarno dismisses General Nasution
1968 - 150,000 demonstrate against leftist students in West Berlin
1968 - Baseball announces a minimum annual salary of $10,000
1969 - 1st launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur Kazachstan (explodes)
1969 - Ted Williams signs 5-year contract to manage Wash Senators
1970 - Jackson 5 make TV debut on "American Bandstand"
1970 - Pathet Lao conquerors Xieng Khuang & Muong Suy
1971 - Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Sears Women's World Golf Classic
1971 - Series of tornadoes cuts through Miss & La killing 117
1971 - The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
1972 - Michael Weller's "Moonchildren" premieres in NYC
1972 - Richard Nixon becomes 1st US president to visit China
1972 - The first session of the Widgery Tribunal, investigating the events of 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972), is held in Coleraine, County Derry

37th US President Richard Nixon1973 - Chicago Black Hawks, record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out
1973 - Israeli fighters shoot Libyan aircraft down, killing 108
1974 - Israeli forces leave western Suez
1974 - Silver hits record $5.96½ an ounce in London
1974 - Yugoslavia adopts constitution
1975 - John Lennon releases "Rock 'n' Roll" album
1975 - John Mitchell, HR Haldeman & John D Ehrlichman sentenced to 2½-8 yrs
1976 - "Rockabye Hamlet" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 7 perfs
1976 - Cardinal Willebrands installed as Archbishop of Utrecht
1977 - 74 Unification Church couples wed in NYC
1979 - Japan launches Hakucho X-ray satellite & Corsa-B (550/580 km)
1979 - 2 Iowa girls HS basketball teams play 4 scoreless quarters game was won 4-2 in 4th overtime period
1980 - Eric Heiden skates Olympic record 1500m in 1:55.44

Musician and Beatle John Lennon1980 - Hanni Wenzel is 1st Liechtensteiner to win Olymp gold (giant slalom)
1981 - "Yorkshire Ripper" Peter Sutcliffe, murderer of 13 women, captured
1981 - Charles Rocket clearly says "fuck" on "Saturday Night Live"
1981 - Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares (580/640 k)
1981 - NASA launches Comstar D-4
1982 - "Ain't Misbehavin'" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 1604 perfs
1982 - "Little Me" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 36 performances
1982 - Beth Daniel wins LPGA Bent Tree Ladies Golf Classic
1983 - Donald Davis runs 1 mile backwards in 6 m 7.1 s
1983 - NBA San Diego Clippers begin a 29 game road losing streak
1985 - Evert van Benthem wins 13th Friese 11 city skateing race
1985 - Largest NBA crowd to date 44,970 (Atlanta at Detroit)
1985 - Tim Raines is awarded a $12 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator
1986 - AIDS patient Ryan White returns to classes at Western Middle School

Tennis Legend Jimmy Connors1986 - Tennis star Jimmy Connors fined $20,000 & suspended for 10 weeks
1987 - Cindy Rarick wins LPGA Tsumura Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open
1987 - Syrian army marches into Beirut
1988 - Gustafson skates world record 10km (13:48.20)
1988 - Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert confesses his sins to his congregation
1989 - Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Ueberroth to discuss his gambling
1989 - US bust Chinese ring, capture record 820 lbs heroin ($1B st value)
1989 - US capture record 820 lbs of heroin ($1 B street value)[dup]
1990 - 32nd Grammy Awards: Wind Beneath My Wings, Nick of Time wins
1991 - Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC for 780 perfs
1991 - USSR announces Iraq agrees to a proposal to end Persian Gulf War US calls the plan unacceptable

MLB Player and Manager Pete Rose1992 - Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympic gold medal in women's fig skating
1993 - 43rd NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 135-132 (OT) at Salt Lake City
1993 - Sergei Bubka pole vaults world record indoor (6.15 m)
1995 - CFL's Sacramento Gold Miners become San Antonio Texans
1995 - RAF-pilot Jo Salter is 1st woman to fly in a tornado
1996 - Soyuz TM-23, launched into orbit
1997 - "Empire Strikes Back, special edition" premieres
1997 - STS 82 (Discovery 22) lands
2001 - 43rd Grammy Awards: Beautiful Day, Shelby Lynne wins
2003 - Bill Maher's political talk show "Real Time with Bill Maher" debuts on HBO
2004 - The first European political party organization, the European Greens, is established in Rome.
2007 - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigns from office. His resignation is rejected by the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.

Political Commentator and Stand-up Comedian Bill Maher2009 - 29th Golden Raspberry Awards: The Love Guru wins
2011 - Thailand's GDP rose 3.8% in the fourth quarter of 2010 after a minor recession caused by GDP contractions of 0.4% in the second quarter and 0.3% in the third quarter of 2010, it is reported today
2012 - Yemeni voters go to the polls for a presidential election where the only candidate on the ballot paper is vice-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi
2013 - 83 people are killed and 250 are injured in a series of bombing attacks in Damascus, Syria
2013 - 21 people are killed and 54 are injured in a bombing in Hyderabad, India
2014 - 11 people are killed after a Libyan Air Force plan crashes in Tunisia
2014 - US President Barack Obama meets with the Dalai Lama
2014 - 10 words from the 15th C Voynich manuscript have been decoded
2014 - Police in Kiev open fire on protesters: 27 killed and around 570 injured

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