This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 03 1959 Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” die in a plane crash Rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, along with the pilot, are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorhead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1889 Belle Starr murdered in Oklahoma   1990s 1998 Marine jet severs ski-lift cable in Italy   21st Century 2005 Alberto Gonzales becomes first Hispanic U.S. attorney general   Arts & Entertainment 1863 Samuel Clemens begins reporting as “Mark Twain”    Crime 1780 Earliest documented mass murder in U.S. history   Space Exploration 1966 Lunik 9 soft-lands on lunar surface   Sports 2002 New England Patriots win their first Super Bowl title   U.S. Presidents 1924 Woodrow Wilson dies 1994 President Clinton ends trade embargo of Vietnam

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 04 1974 Patty Hearst kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old granddaughter of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped from her apartment in Berkeley, California, by three armed strangers. Her fiancé, Steven Weed, was beaten and tied up along with a neighbor who tried to help. Witnesses... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1846 Latter-day Saints begin exodus to Utah   1990s 1999 Amadou Diallo killed by police   21st Century 2004 Facebook launches   Arts & Entertainment 1826 “The Last of the Mohicans” is published 1938 Disney releases “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” 1953 Jacques Cousteau’s “The Silent World” is published 1983 Singer-songwriter Karen Carpenter dies 2000 “The Sims” launches   Black History 1913 Civil rights icon Rosa Parks is born   Civil War 1861 States meet to form Confederacy   Cold War 1945 Yalta Conference foreshadows the Cold War   Inventions & Science 1922 Ford buys Lincoln   Sports 2007 Tony Dungy becomes first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl   U.S. Presidents 1789 George Washington unanimously elected first U.S. president   Vietnam War 1962 First U.S. helicopter is shot down in Vietnam   World War I 1915 Germany declares war zone around British Isles World War II 1944 U.S. troops capture the Marshall Islands

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 05 1994 White supremacist convicted of killing Medgar Evers On February 5, 1994, white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith is convicted in the murder of African American civil rights leader Medgar Evers, over 30 years after the crime occurred. Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi, home on June 12, 1963, while his wife, Myrlie, and... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1883 Southern Pacific Railroad completes New Orleans to California route   American Revolution 1777 Georgia constitution abolishes primogeniture and entail   Ancient Rome 146 BCE Punic Wars, between Rome and Carthage, come to an end   Arts & Entertainment 1919 United Artists created   Colonial America 1631 Roger Williams arrives in America   Crime 2012 Husband of missing Utah woman kills self and two young sons   Early 20th Century U.S. 1917 U.S. ends search for Pancho Villa   Great Depression 1937 FDR announces “court-packing” plan   Immigration 1917 Immigration Act passed over President Wilson’s veto   Latin American & Caribbean History 1917 Mexican constitution proclaimed   Sports 1934 Hank Aaron is born   U.S. Government and Politics 2003 Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks at UN, justifies US invasion of Iraq   U.S. Presidents 1826 Millard Fillmore marries Abigail Powers   World War II 1941 Hitler to Mussolini: Fight harder!

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 06 1952 King George VI dies; Elizabeth becomes queen On February 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the older of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was […]... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1891 Dalton Gang commits its first train robbery   American Revolution 1778 Franco-American alliances signed   Arts & Entertainment 1937 “Of Mice and Men” is published 1998 Austrian superstar Falco dies   Civil War 1865 Confederate general John Pegram killed   Crime 1998 Mary Kay Letourneau goes back to prison   Slavery 1820 Freeborn Black Americans leave for Africa   Sports 1958 Man United players among victims of plane crash 1993 Tennis great Arthur Ashe dies of AIDS   U.S. Presidents 1911 Ronald Reagan born 1985 The “Reagan Doctrine” is announced   World War II 1943 Mussolini fires his son-in-law

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 07 1964 The Beatles arrive in New York On February 7, 1964, Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow lands at New York’s Kennedy Airport—and “Beatlemania” arrives. It was the first visit to the United States by the Beatles, a British rock-and-roll quartet that had just scored its first No. 1 U.S. hit six days before with “I... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1992 European Union treaty signed   American Revolution 1775 Benjamin Franklin publishes “An Imaginary Speech”   Arts & Entertainment 1974 Guests watch Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” movie premiere from horseback   Cold War 1962 Full-U.S.-Cuba embargo goes into effect   Crime 1881 Criminal case ends in plea bargain—one of the first 1968 Mysterious murder, later solved by forensic evidence   Early 20th Century U.S. 1904 The Great Baltimore Fire begins   Holocaust 1979 Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death,” dies   Natural Disasters & Environment 1812 Earthquake causes fluvial tsunami in the Mississippi River   Space Exploration 1984 Navy captain becomes the first human to perform an untethered space walk   U.S. Presidents 2002 President George W. Bush announces plan for “faith-based initiatives”   World War I 1917 German sub sinks Scottish passenger ship SS California

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 08

1943 Americans secure Guadalcanal On February 8, 1943, Japanese troops evacuate Guadalcanal, leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon Islands. Guadalcanal is the largest of the Solomons, a group of 992 islands and atolls, 147 of which... read more

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1920s 1928 Woman claiming to be Anastasia Romanov arrives in the U.S.

 

Arts & Entertainment 1915 “The Birth of A Nation” opens in L.A., glorifying the KKK 1960 Construction begins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 1990 Del Shannon, a ’60s songwriter, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound 1994 Jack Nicholson smashes windshield in episode of road rage

 

Black History 1968 Three protesters die in the Orangeburg Massacre

 

Civil War 1862 The Union captures Roanoke Island

 

Cold War 1949 Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary sentenced

 

Crime 1924 First execution by lethal gas 1983 Irish race horse stolen

 

European History 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots beheaded 1725 Peter the Great dies 1904 The Russo-Japanese War begins

 

Native American History 1887 Dawes Severalty Act approved, ending tribal control of land

 

Natural Disasters & Environment 1978 New England digs out after blizzard

 

Sports 1936 Jay Berwanger picked No. 1 in first NFL draft 1986 Spud Webb, 5’7″, wins NBA dunk contest

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 09 1971 Satchel Paige nominated to Baseball Hall of Fame On February 9, 1971, pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In August of that year, Paige, a pitching legend known for his fastball, showmanship and the longevity of his playing career, which spanned five decades, was... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1964 America meets the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show”   Civil War 1864 Union general George Custer marries   Cold War 1950 Senator McCarthy says communists are in State Department   Crime 1960 Coors brewery heir is kidnapped   Space Exploration 1995 Bernard Harris becomes the first Black man to walk in space   Sports 1992 Magic Johnson returns for All-Star Game   U.S. Government and Politics 1825 Presidential election decided in the House of Representatives   U.S. Presidents 1773 William Henry Harrison is born   World War I 1918 Ukraine signs peace treaty with Central Powers   World War II 1942 The S.S. Normandie catches fire 1942 Daylight saving time instituted

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 10 1996 World chess champion Garry Kasparov loses game to computer On February 10, 1996, after three hours, world chess champion Garry Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second. Man was ultimately victorious over machine, however, as Kasparov bested Deep Blue in the...  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1966 Auto safety crusader Ralph Nader testifies before Congress   Arts & Entertainment 1957 Laura Ingalls Wilder, chronicler of American frontier life, dies 1972 Ziggy Stardust makes his earthly debut 2006 Final episode of “Arrested Development” airs on Fox 2014 Iconic child star Shirley Temple dies at 85   Cold War 1962 Pilot Gary Powers exchanged in U.S.-Soviet spy swap   Colonial America 1763 The French and Indian War ends   Crime 1992 Star boxer Mike Tyson convicted of rape   Natural Disasters & Environment 1970 Avalanche buries skiers in France   Vietnam War 1971 Vietnam War journalists killed in helicopter crash

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 11 1990 Nelson Mandela released from prison Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end South African apartheid, is released from prison after 27 years on February 11, 1990. In 1944, Mandela, a lawyer, joined the African National Congress (ANC), the oldest Black political organization in South Africa, where he became a leader of... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1963 Julia Child’s “The French Chef” debuts   21st Century 2020 World Health Organization officially names novel coronavirus disease COVID-19   Arts & Entertainment 1778 Voltaire returns to Paris from exile 1960 The Payola scandal heats up 2012 Pop superstar Whitney Houston dies at age 48   Crime 1916 Women’s rights activist Emma Goldman is arrested   Native American History 1805 Sacagawea gives birth to her first child   Religion 1858 St. Bernadette claims to see the Virgin Mary   Space Exploration 1970 Japan launches its first satellite   Sports 1878 First US cycling club formed   World War II 1945 Yalta Conference ends

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 12 2002 Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial for war crimes On February 12, 2002, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial at The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. Milosevic served as his own attorney for much of the prolonged trial, which ended without a verdict when the so-called... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1950s 1947 Christian Dior launches his scandalizing “New Look” postwar fashions   1970s 1970 Joseph Searles III becomes first Black member of the New York Stock Exchange   American Revolution 1789 Ethan Allen dies   Arts & Entertainment 1924 “Rhapsody In Blue,” by George Gershwin, performed for first time 1938 Judy Blume, popular young-adult author, is born 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “The Gates” opens in New York’s Central Park 2008 Hollywood writers’ strike ends after 100 days   Asian History 1912 Last emperor of China abdicates   Black History 1909 The NAACP is founded   Crime 1976 Actor Sal Mineo is killed in Hollywood   Latin American & Caribbean History 1817 Revolutionary leader José de San Martín routs Spanish forces in Chile   Slavery 1793 The US enacts first fugitive slave law   U.S. Presidents 1809 Abraham Lincoln is born 1999 President Bill Clinton acquitted on both articles of impeachment   Vietnam War 1972 Cambodians launch attack to retake Angkor Wat 1973 Release of U.S. POWs begins   World War I 1917 American schooner Lyman M. Law is sunk   World War II 1941 German General Erwin Rommel arrives in Africa

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 13 1945 Firebombing of Dresden On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the “Florence of the Elbe” to rubble and flames, and killing roughly 25,000 people. Among the conclusions reached at the February 1945 Yalta Conference of the Allied powers... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1861 First Medal of Honor action   American Revolution 1778 John Adams prepares to sail for France   Arts & Entertainment 1914 ASCAP is founded   Crime 1982 Serial killer strikes in Colorado 1987 Wall Street informer, Martin Siegel pleads guilty to insider trading scheme   European History 1689 William and Mary proclaimed joint sovereigns of Britain 1984 Chernenko becomes general secretary of Soviet Communist Party   Inventions & Science 1633 Galileo arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy   Sports 1923 First all-Black professional basketball team organized 1998 Downhill skier Hermann Maier crashes in Olympics   U.S. Presidents 1905 Teddy Roosevelt discusses America’s race problem   Vietnam War 1965 Lyndon Johnson approves Operation Rolling Thunder   World War I 1920 League of Nations recognizes perpetual Swiss neutrality

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 14 270 St. Valentine beheaded On February 14, around the year A.D. 270, Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, is said to have been executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1818 Frederick Douglass is born 1886 First trainload of oranges leaves Los Angeles   American Revolution 1779 Patriots defeat Loyalists at Kettle Creek   Arts & Entertainment 1980 Lillian Hellman sues Mary McCarthy for libel 1989 Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses”   Cold War 1950 USSR and PRC sign mutual defense treaty   Crime 1929 The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre 2018 Teen gunman kills 17, injures 17 at Parkland, Florida high school   Exploration 1779 Captain Cook killed in Hawaii   Inventions & Science 1957 Noam Chomsky publishes his groundbreaking book “Syntactic Structures”   Latin American & Caribbean History 1989 Sandinistas agree to free elections   Space Exploration 1990 “Pale Blue Dot” photo of Earth is taken   Sports 1988 Olympic speed skater Dan Jansen falls after sister dies   U.S. Presidents 1884 Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and mother die   World War II 1943 Battle of the Kasserine Pass begins

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 15 1898 The USS Maine explodes in Cuba’s Havana Harbor A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, killing more than 260 of the 350-plus American crew members aboard. One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1965 Canada adopts maple leaf flag 1968 Henry Lewis named first Black conductor of a major U.S. orchestra   21st Century 2003 Millions protest the impending invasion of Iraq   Arts & Entertainment 1950 Disney’s “Cinderella” opens in theaters   Sports 1953 Polio survivor becomes first female U.S. figure skater to win world title 1961 U.S. figure skating team killed in plane crash 1998 Dale Earnhardt Sr. wins his first Daytona 500 2002 IOC finds fraud, awards second gold in Winter Olympics skating event   U.S. Presidents 1837 Congress ratifies treaties for Indian removal 1903 First Teddy bear goes on sale 1933 FDR escapes assassination attempt in Miami   World War II 1942 Singapore falls to Japan

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 16

1923 Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut On February 16, 1923, in Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs... read more

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19th Century 1804 U.S. Navy boards and burns the captured USS Philadelphia in daring mission

 

Cold War 1951 Joseph Stalin attacks the United Nations

 

Inventions & Science 1968 First 9-1-1 call is placed in the United States

 

Latin American & Caribbean History 1959 Fidel Castro sworn in as prime minister

 

Sports 1984 Bill Johnson becomes first US man to win Olympic gold in downhill skiing

 

Vietnam War 1968 Tet Offensive results in many new refugees

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 17 1801 Thomas Jefferson is elected third U.S. president On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson is elected the third president of the United States. The election constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another in the United States. By 1800, when he decided to run for president, Thomas Jefferson possessed impressive... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1979 China invades Vietnam   American Revolution 1782 French and British battle in the Indian Ocean   Arts & Entertainment 1904 “Madame Butterfly” premieres   Civil War 1865 Union army sacks Columbia, South Carolina   Cold War 1947 Voice of America begins broadcasts to Russia   Crime 1906 Union leaders arrested for assassination   Inventions & Science 1972 Beetle overtakes Model T as world’s best-selling car   Sports 1996 Chess champion Garry Kasparov defeats IBM’s Deep Blue 1998 U.S. women win the first Winter Olympics hockey gold medal   World War I 1915 Zeppelin L-4 crashes into North Sea

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 18 1885 Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn On February 18, 1885, Mark Twain publishes his famous—and famously controversial—novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in the U.S. Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel The Adventures of Tom... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1878 Murder ignites Lincoln County War   Arts & Entertainment 1929 First Academy Awards announced 1959 Ray Charles records “What’d I Say” at Atlantic Records   Crime 2003 Arsonist sets fire in South Korean subway 2011 Green River serial killer pleads guilty to 49th murder   Inventions & Science 1930 Pluto discovered   Sports 2001 Dale Earnhardt Sr. killed in crash 2006 Shani Davis becomes first Black athlete to win individual gold medal at Winter Games   U.S. Government and Politics 2010 WikiLeaks publishes the first documents leaked by Chelsea Manning   World War II 1943 Nazis arrest White Rose resistance leaders

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 19 1847 Donner Party rescued from the Sierra Nevada Mountains On February 19, 1847, the first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the summer of 1846, in the midst of a Western-bound fever sweeping the United States, 89 people—including 31 members of the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1777 Congress overlooks Benedict Arnold for promotion   Arts & Entertainment 1878 Thomas Edison patents the phonograph 1963 “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan is published 1992 John Singleton, 24, becomes first Black director nominated for an Oscar   Asian American & Pacific Islander History 1942 FDR orders Japanese Americans into internment camps   Cold War 1981 United States calls situation in El Salvador “a communist plot”   Early U.S. 1807 Aaron Burr arrested for alleged treason   Inventions & Science 1473 Polish astronomer Copernicus is born   Sports 2010 Tiger Woods apologizes for extramarital affairs   Vietnam War 1970 Chicago Seven acquitted of conspiracy charges   World War II 1945 U.S. Marines invade Iwo Jima

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 20 1962 John Glenn becomes first American to orbit Earth From Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Herschel Glenn Jr. is successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut. Glenn, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was among the seven men chosen by the National Aeronautics and... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2003 Rhode Island nightclub burns   American Revolution 1792 Postal Service Act regulates United States Post Office Department   Arts & Entertainment 1997 Kramer on “Seinfeld” adopts a highway   Civil War 1864 Battle of Olustee   Crime 1974 Atlanta Constitution editor is kidnapped   Sports 1998 Tara Lipinski becomes youngest Olympic figure skating gold medalist   Women’s History 1985 Ireland allows sale of contraceptives   World War I 1919 Amir of Afghanistan is assassinated   World War II 1939 Americans hold a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden 1942 Pilot Edward O’Hare becomes first American WWII flying ace

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 21 1965 Malcolm X assassinated February 21, 1965: In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. He was 39. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the...  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1848 Karl Marx publishes Communist Manifesto 1885 Washington Monument dedicated   Arts & Entertainment 1981 Dolly Parton cements her crossover success as “9 to 5” hits #1   Civil War 1862 Battle of Valverde   Cold War 1972 President Nixon arrives in China for talks   Crime 1961 Rockefeller imposter and convicted felon born   Inventions & Science 1948 NASCAR founded   Sports 1952 Dick Button wins second Olympic figure skating gold   Vietnam War 1970 Henry Kissinger begins secret negotiations with North Vietnamese   World War I 1916 Battle of Verdun begins 1918 Allied troops capture Jericho   World War II 1944 Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo makes himself “military czar”

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 22 1980 U.S. hockey team beats the Soviets in the “Miracle on Ice” In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, on February 22, 1980, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as... read more SPONSORED Save On a Year of The Atlantic Get 25% off a subscription, plus one month free. Navigate the year ahead with journalism that will inform, challenge, and delight. Get Offer 19th Century 1819 The U.S. acquires Spanish Florida 1847 Battle of Buena Vista begins   1960s 1967 Suharto takes full power in Indonesia   American Revolution 1777 Archibald Bulloch dies under mysterious circumstances   Arts & Entertainment 1983 “Moose Murders” opens—and closes—on Broadway   Cold War 1946 George Kennan sends “long telegram” to State Department   Crime 1851 San Francisco vigilantes take the law into their own hands 2006 Gang commits largest robbery in British history 2014 ‘El Chapo,’ the world’s most-wanted drug kingpin, is captured in Mexico   Inventions & Science 1978 Navstar 1, the world’s first operational GPS satellite, launches   Sports 1959 Lee Petty wins first Daytona 500 1969 Barbara Jo Rubin becomes first female jockey to win a U.S. thoroughbred race   U.S. Presidents 1732 George Washington is born   World War I 1917 Mussolini wounded by mortar bomb   World War II 1942 President Roosevelt to MacArthur: Get out of the Philippines

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 23 1945 U.S. flag raised on Iwo Jima February 23, 1945: During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division take the crest of Mount Suribachi—the island’s highest peak and most strategic position—and raise the U.S. flag. Marine photographer Louis Lowery,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2020 Ahmaud Arbery is shot dead while out jogging   American Revolution 1778 Friedrich von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge   Arts & Entertainment 1940 Woody Guthrie writes “This Land Is Your Land” 1978 It’s a tie for Song of the Year at the 20th annual Grammy Awards   Black History 1868 W.E.B. Du Bois is born   Crime 1885 Convicted murderer gets spared from death when gallows malfunction 1958 Formula One champ kidnapped   Inventions & Science 1954 Children receive first polio vaccine   Sports 1980 Eric Heiden speed skates into Olympic history 2014 Jason Collins, first openly gay athlete to play in NBA, makes U.S. sports history   U.S. Presidents 1861 Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C.

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 24 1836 Alamo defenders call for help On February 24, 1836, in San Antonio, Texas, Colonel William Travis issues a call for help on behalf of the Texan troops defending the Alamo, an old Spanish mission and fortress under siege by the Mexican army. A native of South Carolina, Travis moved to the Mexican state of Texas in 1831. He soon... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Civil War 1864 Union inmates begin arriving at deadly Andersonville prison   Latin American & Caribbean History 1946 Juan Perón elected in Argentina   Middle Eastern History 1991 Gulf War ground offensive begins   U.S. Government and Politics 1803 Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review 1988 Supreme Court defends right to satirize public figures   U.S. Presidents 1841 John Quincy Adams begins arguments in Amistad case 1868 President Andrew Johnson impeached   Vietnam War 1968 South Vietnamese recapture Hue, ending key phase of the Tet Offensive   World War I 1917 Zimmermann Telegram presented to U.S. ambassador

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 25 1964 Young Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston for first world title On February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. Former champ Joe Louis called it “the biggest upset in the history of boxing.” The dreaded Liston, who had twice demolished former... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1779 British surrender Fort Sackville   Arts & Entertainment 1956 Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes meet 2004 “The Passion of the Christ” opens in the United States   Black History 1870 First African American congressman sworn in   Civil War 1862 Legal Tender Act passed to help finance the Civil War   Cold War 1948 Communists take power in Czechoslovakia   Sports 1940 NHL game televised in US for first time 1987 NCAA suspends SMU football program for 1987 season   U.S. Presidents 1828 John Quincy Adams’ son marries relative at the White House

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 26 1993 World Trade Center is bombed At 12:18 p.m., a terrorist bomb explodes in a parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, leaving a massive, multi-story crater and causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2012 Florida teen Trayvon Martin is shot and killed   American Revolution 1813 Robert R. Livingston, a.k.a. “The Chancellor,” dies   Arts & Entertainment 1564 Christopher Marlowe is baptized   Asian American & Pacific Islander History 1938 National Dollar Stores Strike of 1938 begins in San Francisco’s Chinatown   Early 20th Century U.S. 1929 Grand Teton National Park is established   Inventions & Science 1974 Nike receives patent for waffle-soled trainers—invented in a waffle iron   Latin American & Caribbean History 1990 Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections   Middle Eastern History 1984 Last U.S. Marines leave Beirut   U.S. Government and Politics 1919 Grand Canyon is designated a national park   Vietnam War 1968 Mass graves discovered in Hue   World War I 1917 President Wilson learns of Zimmermann Telegram   World War II 1935 Hitler authorizes the founding of the Reich Luftwaffe 1945 U.S. troops recapture Philippine island of Corregidor

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY February 27 1973 AIM occupation of Wounded Knee begins On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, some 200 members of the Oglala Lakota tribe, led by members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), occupy Wounded Knee, the site of the infamous 1890 massacre of 300 Sioux by the U.S. Seventh Cavalry. The AIM members, some of them armed, took 11... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1844 Dominican Republic declares independence as a sovereign state   Annual Observances 1827 New Orleanians take to the streets for Mardi Gras   Arts & Entertainment 1935 6-year-old Shirley Temple receives special miniature Oscar 1980 Buddy Holly’s glasses, lost since his death in 1959, are found in Mason City, Iowa 1980 “I Will Survive” wins the first—and last—Grammy ever awarded for Best Disco Recording   Landmarks 1964 Italian government seeks aid for fixing Leaning Tower of Pisa   Sports 1960 U.S. Olympic hockey team beats Soviet Union 2006 Effa Manley becomes first woman elected to Baseball Hall of Fame   U.S. Presidents 1860 Mathew Brady photographs presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln   Women’s History 1922 Supreme Court defends women’s voting rights   World War II 1942 U.S. aircraft carrier Langley is sunk