Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
On this day in 362, Athanasius returned to Alexandria, Egypt. In 1173 on this day, Pope Alexander III canonized Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1245 on this day, Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, was granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery. The trial against Joan of Arc began in England on this day in 1431. In 1440 on this day, the Prussian Confederation was formed. Philip II routed Cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comte on this day in 1564. On this day in 1574, the Spanish garrison of Middelburg, Netherlands, surrendered. In 1583 on this day, Groningen, Netherlands, began using the Gregorian calendar. Following the death of Feodor I, Boris Godunov was crowned Czar of Russia on this day in 1598. On this day in 1613, Michael Romanov, son of Patriarch of Moscow, was elected Russian Czar. Michiel A de Ruyter was appointed Lieutenant-Admiral-General of the Dutch fleet on this day in 1673. In 1675 on this day, Prince Willem III was appointed Viceroy of Gelderland. John Wilkes was thrown out of the English House of Commons for "Essay on Women" on this day in 1764. On this day in 1795 (Year III) during the French Revolution, the Constitution of France proclaimed freedom of worship and the separation of church and state. However, the law that legalized public worship in 1795 also paradoxically placed some serious restrictions on religious practices. On this day in 1848, The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx with the assistance of Friedrich Engels, was published in London by a group of German-born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League. On this day in 1916 during World War I, the Battle of Verdun began, and would ultimately cost one million casualties. On this day in 1918 during World War I, Allied troops of British and Australian forces captured Jericho. On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City. In what was considered an amazing turn of events on this day in 1972, American President Richard Nixon arrived in China, taking the dramatic first step toward normalizing relations with the communist People's Republic of China (PRC) by traveling to Beijing for a week of talks. In 1989 on this day, U.S. President George H.W. Bush called Ayatollah Khomeini's death warrant against "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior." On this day in 2012, Eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement on a second, 130-billion bailout for Greece to help with the country's debt crisis.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
• On this day in 362, Athanasius returned to Alexandria, Egypt.
• In 1173 on this day, Pope Alexander III canonized Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.
• In 1245 on this day, Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, was granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery.
Statue of Joan of Arc in Québec (above) and Philadelphia (below)
• The trial against Joan of Arc began in England on this day in 1431.
• In 1440 on this day, the Prussian Confederation was formed.
• Philip II routed Cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comte on this day in 1564.
• On this day in 1574, the Spanish garrison of Middelburg, Netherlands, surrendered.
• In 1583 on this day, Groningen, Netherlands, began using the Gregorian calendar.
• Following the death of Feodor I, Boris Godunov was crowned Czar of Russia on this day in 1598.
• On this day in 1613, Michael Romanov, son of Patriarch of Moscow, was elected Russian Czar, beginning the Romanov imperial line.
• Michiel A de Ruyter was appointed Lieutenant-Admiral-General of the Dutch fleet on this day in 1673.
• In 1675 on this day, Prince Willem III was appointed Viceroy of Gelderland.
• John Wilkes was thrown out of the English House of Commons for "Essay on Women" on this day in 1764.
1777 - English ambassador Joseph Yorke demands dismissal of Governor John de Graaff for saluting US flag
1782 - US congress resolves establishment of a US mint
1792 - Congress passes Pres Succession Act
Le Drapeau Tricolore (Tricour Flag) which was a product of the French Revolution, and which remains the national flag of France to this day.
• On this day in 1795 (Year III) during the French Revolution, the Constitution of France proclaimed freedom of worship and the separation of church and state. However, the law that legalized public worship in 1795 also paradoxically placed some serious restrictions on religious practices.
• 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
• On this day in 1848, The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx with the assistance of Friedrich Engels, was published in London by a group of German-born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League. The political pamphlet--arguably the most influential in history--proclaimed that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles" and that the inevitable victory of the proletariat, or working class, would put an end to class society forever. Originally published in German as Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei ("Manifesto of the Communist Party"), the work had little immediate impact. Its ideas, however, reverberated with increasing force into the 20th century, and by 1950 nearly half the world's population lived under Marxist governments. Karl Marx was born in Trier, Prussia, in 1818--the son of a Jewish lawyer who converted to Lutheranism. He studied law and philosophy at the universities of Berlin and Jena and initially was a follower of G.W.F. Hegel, the 19th-century German philosopher who sought a dialectical and all-embracing system of philosophy. In 1842, Marx became editor of the Rheinische Zeitung, a liberal democratic newspaper in Cologne. The newspaper grew considerably under his guidance, but in 1843 the Prussian authorities shut it down for being too outspoken. That year, Marx moved to Paris to co-edit a new political review. Paris was at the time a center for socialist thought, and Marx adopted the more extreme form of socialism known as communism, which called for a revolution by the working class that would tear down the capitalist world. In Paris, Marx befriended Friedrich Engels, a fellow Prussian who shared his views and was to become a lifelong collaborator. In 1845, Marx was expelled from France and settled in Brussels, where he renounced his Prussian nationality and was joined by Engels. During the next two years, Marx and Engels developed their philosophy of communism and became the intellectual leaders of the working-class movement. In 1847, the League of the Just, a secret society made up of revolutionary German workers living in London, asked Marx to join their organization. Marx obliged and with Engels renamed the group the Communist League and planned to unite it with other German worker committees across Europe. The pair were commissioned to draw up a manifesto summarizing the doctrines of the League. Back in Brussels, Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto in January 1848, using as a model a tract Engels wrote for the League in 1847. In early February, Marx sent the work to London, and the League immediately adopted it as their manifesto. Many of the ideas in The Communist Manifesto were not new, but Marx had achieved a powerful synthesis of disparate ideas through his materialistic conception of history. The Manifesto opens with the dramatic words, "A spectre is haunting Europe--the spectre of communism," and ends by declaring: "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workers of the world, unite!" In The Communist Manifesto, Marx predicted imminent revolution in Europe. The pamphlet had hardly cooled after coming off the presses in London when revolution broke out in France on February 22 over the banning of political meetings held by socialists and other opposition groups. Isolated riots led to popular revolt, and on February 24 King Louis-Philippe was forced to abdicate. The revolution spread like brushfire across continental Europe. Marx was in Paris on the invitation of the provincial government when the Belgian government, fearful that the revolutionary tide would soon engulf Belgium, banished him. Later that year, he went to the Rhineland, where he agitated for armed revolt. The bourgeoisie of Europe soon crushed the Revolution of 1848, and Marx would have to wait longer for his revolution. He went to London to live and continued to write with Engels as they further organized the international communist movement. In 1864, Marx helped found the International Workingmen's Association--known as the First International--and in 1867 published the first volume of his monumental Das Kapital--the foundation work of communist theory. By his death in 1884, communism had become a movement to be reckoned with in Europe. Twenty-three years later, in 1917, Vladimir Lenin, a Marxist, led the world's first successful communist revolution in Russia.
• 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 - 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
A statue in Flemington, New Jersey, honoring veterans of the American Civil War.
• 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
1874 - Benjamin Disraeli replaces William Gladstone as English premier
1874 - Oakland Daily Tribune begins publication
British Prime Minister William GladstoneBritish Prime Minister William Gladstone 1878 - 1st telephone book 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 (Wash DC)
1887 - 1st US bacteriology laboratory opens (Brooklyn)
• 1887 - Oregon becomes 1st US state to make Labor Day a holiday
Bust of Abolitionist Frederick Douglass
• 1895 - NC Legislature, adjourns for day to mark death of Frederick Douglass
• 1902 - Dr Harvey Cushing, 1st US brain surgeon, does his 1st brain operation
1903 - 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
Abolitionist Frederick DouglassAbolitionist Frederick Douglass
• 1915 - 20th Russian Army corps surrenders
• 1915 - World's Fair in SF opens
A war monument in Champlitte, France
• On this day in 1916 during World War I, the Battle of Verdun began in France. The battle would prove to be the longest, as well as one of the bloodiest, of the war, finally ending months later on December 18, 1916 with a French victory over Germany.
On this day in 1916 during World War I, the Battle of Verdun began, and would ultimately cost one million casualties. At 7:12 a.m. on the morning of February 21, 1916, a shot from a German Krupp 38-centimeter long-barreled gun—one of over 1,200 such weapons set to bombard French forces along a 20-kilometer front stretching across the Meuse River—strikes a cathedral in Verdun, France, beginning the Battle of Verdun, which would stretch on for 10 months and become the longest conflict of World War I. By the beginning of 1916, the war in France, from the Swiss border to the English Channel, had settled into the long slog of trench warfare. Despite the hard conditions in the trenches, Erich von Falkenhayn, chief of staff of the German army, believed that the key to winning the war lay not in confronting Russia in the east but in defeating the French in a major battle on the Western Front. In December 1915, Falkenhayn convinced the kaiser, over the objections of other military leaders such as Paul von Hindenburg, that in combination with unrestricted submarine warfare at sea, a major French loss in battle would push the British—whom Falkenhayn saw as the most potent of the Allies—out of the war. The chosen mark of Falkenhayn's offensive was the fortress city of Verdun, on the Meuse River in France. The city was selected because in addition to its symbolic importance—it was the last stronghold to fall in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War—it was possible to attack the fortress city from three sides, which made it a good strategic target. Ignoring intelligence that warned of a possible German attack in the region, French command had begun in 1915 to strip its forces at Verdun of the heavy artillery essential to defensive warfare, choosing instead to focus on an offensive strategy masterminded by General Ferdinand Foch, the director of the army's prestigious War College, and dubbed Plan XVII. Thus the German attack of February 21 caught the French relatively unprepared. From the beginning, the Battle of Verdun resulted in heavy losses on both sides. Falkenhayn famously admitted that he did not aim to take the city quickly and decisively, but to bleed the French white, even if it meant an increased number of German casualties. Within four days of the start of the bombardment on the Meuse, the French forward divisions had suffered over 60 percent casualties; German losses were almost as heavy. After a few quick German gains of territory, the battle settled into a stalemate, as casualties swiftly mounted on both sides. The newly promoted French commander in the region, Henri-Philippe Petain, was determined to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the German forces, famously pledging to his commander-in-chief, Joseph Joffre, that, They shall not pass. By the latter half of 1917, German resources were stretched thinner by having to confront both a British-led offensive on the Somme River and Russia's Brusilov Offensive on the Eastern Front. In July, the kaiser, frustrated by the state of things at Verdun, removed Falkenhayn and sent him to command the 9th Army in Transylvania; Paul von Hindenburg took his place. Petain had been replaced in April by Robert Nivelle, who by early December had managed to lead his forces in the recapture of much of their lost territory. From December 15 to 18, the French took 11,000 German prisoners; on December 18, Hindenburg finally called a stop to the German attacks after ten long months. With a German death toll of 143,000 (out of 337,000 total casualties) and a French one of 162,440 (out of 377,231), Verdun would come to signify, more than any other battle, the grinding, bloody nature of warfare on the Western Front during World War I.
• 1917 - British Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 627 die
• 1917 - Train near Chirurcha Romania catches fire & explodes; 100s die
• On this day in 1918 during World War I, Allied troops of British and Australian forces captured Jericho. On the morning of February 21, 1918, combined Allied forces of British troops and the Australian mounted cavalry capture the city of Jericho in Palestine after a three-day battle with Turkish troops. Commanded by British General Edmund Allenby, the Allied troops began the offensive on Tuesday, February 19, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Despite battling adverse weather conditions and a determined enemy in the Turks, the Allies were able to move nearly 20 miles toward Jericho in just three days. On the morning of February 21, it was apparent that the Turkish line had been broken, and the Allied forces entered the holy city of Jericho without much resistance at just after 8 a.m. Upon realizing they had lost control of the city, Turkish troops chose to retreat rather than fight. During the three-day battle, Allied troops captured 46 Turkish prisoners. The capture of Jericho proved to be an important strategic victory for the Allies, who now controlled some of the most important roads in the region, including the main road to the coast and the mountain highway leading to Jerusalem, and had reached the northern end of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at 1,290 feet below sea level.
• 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.
• 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
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
1931 - Alka Seltzer introduced
• 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
• 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.
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
1953 - F Crick & J 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 UAR 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 Neth
1963 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
• 1964 - UK flies 24,000 rolls of Beatle wallpaper to US
• On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City. Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey. Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan, where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats. In 1931, Malcolm's father was brutally murdered by the white supremacist Black Legion, and Michigan authorities refused to prosecute those responsible. In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities. In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. It was there he encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims. The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral "devils." Muhammad's teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name "X" to symbolize his stolen African identity. After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans "by any means necessary." A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country. In the early 1960s, he began to develop a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad, whom he felt did not sufficiently support the civil rights movement. In late 1963, Malcolm's suggestion that President John F. Kennedy's assassination was a matter of the "chickens coming home to roost" provided Elijah Muhammad, who believed that Malcolm had become too powerful, with a convenient opportunity to suspend him from the Nation of Islam. A few months later, Malcolm formally left the organization and made a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was profoundly affected by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to America as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and in June 1964 founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated black identity and held that racism, not the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. Malcolm's new movement steadily gained followers, and his more moderate philosophy became increasingly influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally of his organization in New York City.
• 1966 - Indonesia's president Sukarno fires 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)
Baseball Player Ted WilliamsBaseball Player Ted Williams 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
• In what was considered an amazing turn of events on this day in 1972, American President Richard Nixon arrived in China, taking the dramatic first step toward normalizing relations with the communist People's Republic of China (PRC) by traveling to Beijing for a week of talks. Nixon's historic visit began the slow process of the re-establishing diplomatic relations between the United States and communist China. Still mired in the unpopular and frustrating Vietnam War in 1971, Nixon surprised the American people by announcing a planned trip to the PRC in 1972. The United States had never stopped formally recognizing the PRC after Mao Zedong's successful communist revolution of 1949. In fact, the two nations had been bitter enemies. PRC and U.S. troops fought in Korea during the early-1950s, and Chinese aid and advisors supported North Vietnam in its war against the United States. Nixon seemed an unlikely candidate to thaw those chilly relations. During the 1940s and 1950s, he had been a vocal cold warrior and had condemned the Democratic administration of Harry S. Truman for "losing" China to the communists in 1949. The situation had changed dramatically since that time, though. In Vietnam, the Soviets, not the Chinese, had become the most significant supporters of the North Vietnamese regime. And the war in Vietnam was not going well. The American people were impatient for an end to the conflict, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that the United States might not be able to save its ally, South Vietnam, from its communist aggressors. The American fear of a monolithic communist bloc had been modified, as a war of words—and occasional border conflicts—erupted between the Soviet Union and the PRC in the 1960s. Nixon, and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger saw a unique opportunity in these circumstances—diplomatic overtures to the PRC might make the Soviet Union more malleable to U.S. policy requests (such as pressuring the North Vietnamese to sign a peace treaty acceptable to the United States). In fact, Nixon was scheduled to travel to meet Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev shortly after completing his visit to China. Nixon's trip to China, therefore, was a move calculated to drive an even deeper wedge between the two most significant communist powers. The United States could use closer diplomatic relations with China as leverage in dealing with the Soviets, particularly on the issue of Vietnam. In addition, the United States might be able to make use of the Chinese as a counterweight to North Vietnam. Despite their claims of socialist solidarity, the PRC and North Vietnam were, at best, strongly suspicious allies. As historian Walter LaFeber said, "Instead of using Vietnam to contain China, Nixon concluded that he had better use China to contain Vietnam." For its part, the PRC was desirous of another ally in its increasingly tense relationship with the Soviet Union and certainly welcomed the possibility of increased U.S.-China trade.
1973 - Chicago Black Hawks, record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out
• 1973 - Israeli fighters shoot Libyan aircraft down, killing 108 1973 - Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan Airlines jet over the Sinai Desert. More than 100 people were killed.
• 1974 - Israeli forces leave western Suez
1974 - Silver hits record $5.96½ an ounce in London
• 1974 - Yugoslavia adopts constitution
Ran into this image of John Lennon, and just thought it was cool, as well as appropriate for the day, given that Paul McCartney was in town (Syracuse, New York, June 2022).
• 1975 - John Lennon releases "Rock 'n' Roll" album
• 1975 - John Mitchell, HR Haldeman & John D Ehrlichman sentenced to 2½-8 yrs 1975 - Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.
Musician and Beatle John LennonMusician and Beatle John Lennon 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)
1980 - 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
• 1987 - Syrian army marches into Beirut
• 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]
Salman Rushdie's controversial novel, "The Satanic Verses
• In 1989 on this day, U.S. President George H.W. Bush called Ayatollah Khomeini's death warrant against "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior."
1990 - 32nd Grammy Awards: Wind Beneath My Wings, Nick of Time wins
1991 - "Lost in Yonkers" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC for 780 perfs
1991 - Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers," premieres in NYC
The flag of the USSR (Soviet Union)
• 1991 - USSR announces Iraq agrees to a proposal to end Persian Gulf War US calls the plan unacceptable
1992 - 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
The flag of India
• 1999 - India's Prime Minister Atal Bihair Vajpayee concluded two days of meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Mohammad Nowaz Sharif.
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.
Flag of the European Union (EU)
• On this day in 2012, Eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement on a second, 130-billion bailout for Greece to help with the country's debt crisis.
• 2012 - Yemen 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
1804 - The first self-propelled locomotive on rails was demonstrated in Wales. 1842 - John J. Greenough patented the sewing machine. 1848 - The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. 1858 - The first electric burglar alarm was installed in Boston, MA. 1866 - Lucy B. Hobbs became the first woman to graduate from a dental school. The school was the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati. 1874 - The Oakland Daily Tribune began publication. 1878 - The first telephone directories issued in the U.S. were distributed to residents in New Haven, CT. It was a single page of only fifty names. 1904 - The National Ski Association was formed in Ishpeming, MI. 1925 - The first issue of "The New Yorker" was published. 1932 - William N. Goodwin patented the camera exposure meter. 1943 - "Free World Theatre" debuted on the Blue network (now ABC radio). 1945 - "The Lion and the Mouse" was first broadcast on "Brownstone Theatre." 1947 - Edwin Land demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America in New York City. It was the first camera to take, develop and print a picture on photo paper all in about 60 seconds. The photos were black and white. The camera went on sale the following year. 1950 - The first International Pancake Race was held in Liberal, Kansas. 1965 - Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City at the age of 39 by assassins identified as Black Muslims. 1968 - An agreement between baseball players and club owners increased the minimum salary for major league players to $10,000 a year. 1988 - In Baton Rouge, LA, TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart confessed to his congregation that he was guilty of an unspecified sin. He announced that he was leaving the pulpit temporarily. Swaggart had been linked to an admitted prostitute. 1995 - Chicago stockbroker Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. He landed in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada. 2000 - David Letterman returned to his Late Night show about five weeks after having an emergency quintuple heart bypass operation. 2003 - David Hasselhoff and his wife Pamela were injured in a motorcycle accident. The accident was caused by a strong gust of wind. Hasselhoff fractured his lower back and broke several ribs. His wife fractured her left ankle and right wrist.
1878 The first telephone book was issued (New Haven, Conn.).1972 President Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China. 1995 Steve Fossett became the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean solo in a balloon. 2002 It was confirmed that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was dead, allegedly murdered by Islamic militants.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/feb21.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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