155 – Polycarp, disciple of Apostle John, arrested & burned at stake
303 – Emperor Diocletian begins policy of persecution of Christians razing church at Nicomedia
1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
1554 – Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, Lady Jane Grey’s father, executed
1574 – France begins 5th “holy war” against Huguenots
1685 – George Frideric Handel, Halle Germany, baroque composer and (Messiah, Water Music) Born
1739 – Richard Palmer is identified at York Castle, by his former schoolteacher, as the outlaw Dick Turpin.
1744 – Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker, founder (House of Rothschild) (d. 1812) was birthed.
1778 – American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
1781 – George Taylor, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (bc. 1716) Dies
1820 – Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
1821 – John Keats, Romantic poet, dies of tuberculosis at 25 in Rome
1821 – Marie-Anne Collot, French sculptor, dies
1822 – Boston, Massachusetts, is incorporated as a city
1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas. (Alamo besieged for 13 days until 6th March by Mexican army under General Santa Anna; entire garrison eventually killed)
1846 – Polish revolutionaries march on Kraków, but are defeated
1847 – Mexican–American War: Battle of Buena Vista – In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
1848 – John Quincy Adams, British-American politician, 6th President of the United States (b. 1767) died.
1854 – The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
1861 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
1868 – William E B Du Bois, Great Barrington Massachusetts, civil rights activist and writer (Souls of Black Folk) Born
1870 – Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
1874 – Mjr Walter Winfield patents game called “sphairistike” (lawn tennis)
1883 – Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law.
1884 – Tambo Tambo, Australian aboriginal/US circus attaction, dies at 23
1886 – Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of man-made aluminum, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall.
1889 – János Garay, Jewish Hungarian 1928 Summer Olympics gold medalist in fencing, murdered at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp (d. 1945) was born.
1889 – Victor Fleming, American film director (“Wizard of Oz”, “Gone with the Wind”), (d. 1949) Born
1896 – The Tootsie Roll is invented.
1898 – Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing “J’accuse”, a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
1903 – The US and Cuba sign an agreement by which Cuba releases Guantanamo and Bahia Hondo to the US for naval stations
1904 – US acquired control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million
1904 – Having occupied Korea, Japan signs a treaty with Korea under which it becomes a Japanese protectorate in return for Japanese protection from other powers
1905 – Chicago, Illinois attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world’s first service club.
1915 – Paul Tibbets, US Air Force retired Brigadier General and Pilot of B-29 “Enola Gay” over Hiroshima (d. 2007) Born
1915 – Nevada enforces convenient divorce law
1916 – French artillery kills entire French 72nd division at Samogneux Verdun
1917 – First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.
1919 – Fascist Party forms in Italy by Benito Mussolini
1920 – On this day, a proposal was made by France to hand over colonies to the U.S. They were in the process of considering this because they needed to pay off some war debts. A map was printed in a local Oklahoma newspaper, indicating which territories the U.S. may acquire. If the French were to follow through with their offer to the U.S. at this time, the United States would own the following: The Miquelon Islands (on Newfoundland coast), West Indian Islands (Guadeloupe and Martinique), and French Guiana. Great Britain was also to receive some land for similar reasons. They would for sure receive French Somaliland (at the entrance of Red Sea) and possibly Madagascar. It was undecided which country would receive French Indo-China.
1927 – U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
1927 – German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.
1934 – Augusto Sandino, Nicaraguan patriot, assassinated by National Guard
1937 – Bing Crosby does a duet with Lani McIntyre to record “Sweet Leilani” with his band. The song becomes a major hit and is featured in the movie “Waikiki Wedding.” It even won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1937.
1939 – 11th Academy Awards – “You Can’t Take It With You”, Spencer Tracy & Bette Davis wins
1940 – Peter Fonda, actor (Easy Rider, Lilith, Wild Angels, Trip) Son of Henry Fonda, Born
1941 – Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
1942 – World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the California coastline near Santa Barbara.
1943 – Greek Resistance: The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth is founded is Greece.
1944 – Johnny Winter, [John Dawson], American blues guitarist (Silver Train), born in Leland Miss, (d. 2014) Born
1944 – Oszkár Gerde, two-time Olympic gold medalist in fencing in 1908 and 1912, murdered at Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp (b. 1883)
1944 – Forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia.
1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a commonly forgotten U.S. Navy Corpsman, reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.
1945 – World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free the captives of the Los Baños internment camp.
1945 – World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.
1945 – World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
1945 – World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is annihilated in a raid by 379 British bombers.
1947 – The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.
1947 – Gen Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170M in aid for European Jews
1952 – Brad Whitford, American guitarist (Aerosmith and The Joe Perry Project) was born.
1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
1955 – First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
1955 – Howard Jones, rock pianist/vocalist (Things Can Only Get Better) Born
1958 – David Sylvian, vocal/guitar (Sylvian Sylvian, Japan-Adolescent Sex, David Sylvian & Robert Fripp) Born
1958 – 5-time world driving champion Juan Fangio kidnapped by Cuban rebels
1960 – Demolition begins on Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field (opened in 1913)
1964 – John Norum, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter (Europe) was born.
1965 – Stan Laurel, comedian (Laurel & Hardy), dies of heart attack at 74
1966 – Mark Abrahamian, American guitarist (Starship) (d. 2012) was born.
1967 – 25th amendment (US Presidential succession) adopted
1967 – Chris Vrenna, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (Nine Inch Nails, Tweaker, Die Warzau, and Exotic Birds) was born.
1968 – Stephanie Seymour, SD California, actress/model (Sunny Side Up) Born
1970 – Holy Eucharist given by women for 1st time in Roman Catholic service
1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
1975 – In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly two months early in the United States.
1979 – Frank Peterson Jr named 1st black general in Marine Corps
1980 – Iran hostage crisis: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran’s parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
1980 – Oil tanker explosion off Pilos, Greece, causes 37-mil-gallon spill
1983 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
1983 – Emily Blunt, British actress Born
1985 – Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight throws a chair during a game
1986 – Jerod Mayo, American Football player (Patriots) Born
1987 – Supernova 1987A in LMC 1st seen; 1st naked-eye supernova since 1604
1991 – Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war. / 1991 – US insists Iraq publicly announce it is leaving Kuwait by 12 PM EST
1993 – Child Actor Gary Coleman wins $1,280,000 lawsuit against parents for high fees
1994 – Dakota Fanning, American actress (I Am Sam, Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, The Runaways..) Born
1995 – Melvin Franklin, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1942) died.
1995 – James Herriot [Alfred Wight], Scottish author (All Creatures Great & Small), dies at 78
1997 – Ali Abu Kamal opens fire in Empire State Building & kills 1
1997 – Scientists in Scotland announced they succeeded in cloning an adult mammal, producing a lamb named “Dolly”
1998 – Osama bin Laden allegedly publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
1999 – A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted the first of those accused ( John William King ) of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr. John William King, found guilty of kidnapping and murder on February 23 and was sentenced to death on February 25. Shawn Allen Berry, found guilty of kidnapping and murder on February 23 sentenced to life. Lawrence Russell Brewer, was sentenced to death.
1999 – Carlos Hathcock, USMC Sniper, 93 Confirmed Kills (b. 1942) Dies
1999 – Hip Hop artist Eminem releases his first major record album ‘The Slim Shady LP’ (Grammy 2000 – Rap album)
2003 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) (b. 1955) died.
2005 – The controversial French law on colonialism is passed, requiring teachers to teach the “positive values of colonialism”. After public outcry, it is repealed at the beginning of 2006.
2005 – Slovakia Summit 2005 begins, marking the first occasion when a sitting American President visits Slovakia; George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin are in attendance.
2006 – Dubai Ports World agrees to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
2007 – Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
2008 – a B-2 Spirit of the USAF crashes at Guam. The crew survived but the aircraft was written off, making it the most expensive air crash in human history (the aircraft alone cost $1.2Bn). The B-2 had a perfect safety record before the crash; not one B-2 ever crashed.
2010 – Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in Northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.
2011 – Venezuela’s economy grew 0.6% in the last quarter of 2010, technically leaving the recession after six quarters, it is reported today
2011 – Seventy-seven year old broadcaster, Larry King, announced plans to conduct a one-man comedy tour after retiring from his talk show on CNN. King’s comedy show was set to begin in April in Connecticut and end in June in Las Vegas.
2014 – The closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics take place in Sochi, Russia.
2014 – Ukraine’s parliament has named Oleksandr Turchynov as the interim president of the country after former president Viktor Yanukovych was forced out of office. The country had been experiencing non-stop anti-government protests over Yanukovych’s anti-European Union decisions.