This Date in History

This Day in History

By Talan Goncher

February 1st- On this day in 2003, the U.S. space shuttle broke up at an altitude of 40 miles over Texas, killing 7 crew members in the process.

February 2nd- On this day in 1848, the war between Mexico and the U.S. ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The U.S. acquired areas encompassing part or all of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas.

February 3rd- On this day in 1943, an extraordinary act of heroism occurred in the icy waters off the coast of Greenland. The U.S. army transport Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo and was sinking rapidly. When it became obvious that there were not enough life jackets, four U.S. army chaplains on board removed theirs, handed them to frightened young soldiers, and went down with the ship while praying.

February 4th- On this day in 1861, Apache Chief Cochise was arrested in Arizona by the U.S. army for raiding a ranch. Cochise escaped and declared war, which began the period known as the Apache wars. They lasted 25 years.

February 5th- On this day in 1917, Mexico adopted a new constitution which allowed for sweeping social changes.

February 6th- In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the new U.S. Constitution by a vote of 187 to 168.

February 7th- In 1795, the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the powers of the Federal Judiciary over the states by prohibiting federal lawsuits against individual states.

February 8th- In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was founded by William Boyce in Washington, D.C.

February 9th- In 1943, During WWII in the Pacific, U.S. troops captured Guadalcanal after 6 months of fighting. 9,000 Japanese and 2,000 Americans were killed.

February 10th- In 1942, the first Medal of Honor was awarded to 2nd Lt. Alexander Nininger for heroism during the Battle of Bataan.

February 11th- In 1929, Benito Mussolini granted political independence to Vatican City, and recognized the sovereignty of the Pope over the area, which measured 110 acres.

February 12th- In 1809, Charles Darwin, author of the Origin of Species, and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president, were born.

February 13th- In 1945, British and American planes began massive bombing raids on Dresden, Germany. An estimated 135,000 German civilians were killed.

February 14th- In 1929, the Saint Valentine's day massacre took place in Chicago as seven members of the Bugs Moran gang were killed by Al Capone’s mobsters dressed up as police officers.

February 15th- In 1898, in Havana, the U.S. battleship Maine was blown up while at anchor and quickly sank with 260 crew members lost. The incident sparked the Spanish-American war.

February 16th- In 1923, In Thebes, Egypt, Howard Carter entered the tomb of the ancient Egyptian ruler, King Tutenkhanem.

February 17th- In 1865, Fort Sumter in South Carolina was returned to the Union after nearly a year and a half under Confederate control.

February 18th- In 1885, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in the United States.

February 19th- In 1942, internment of Japanese Americans began after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an Executive Order requiring those living on the Pacific coast to report for relocation.

February 20th- In 1962, Astronaut John Glenn became the first American launched into orbit. Traveling aboard the “Friendship 7” Glenn reached an altitude of 162 miles.

February 21st- In 1965, Malcolm X, who articulated concepts of racial pride and black nationalism, was assassinated on this day and became an ideological hero after the posthumous(after death) release of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

February 22nd- In 1997, a team of british scientists announced the birth of dolly, the first clone of an adult mammal.

February 23rd- In 1836, the Alamo was besieged by Santa Anna's army during the Texas war for independence. The siege lasted 13 days.

February 24th- In 1868, U.S. President Andrew Johnson was impeached, whose lenient construction policies after the civil war angered radical republicans in congress.

February 25th- In 1964, Muhammad Ali, who was then known as Cassius Clay, became world heavyweight champion when he knocked out Sonny Liston in 7 rounds.

February 26th- In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed in an act of terrorism. Islamic extremists were later convicted for the crime.

February 27th- In 1933, in Berlin, Germany, the Reichstag caught fire, a key event in the establishment of Nazi dicatorship.

February 28th- In 1991, the Persian Gulf War ended when Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein accepted a cease-fire agreement.

February 29th- In 1980, Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe became the first to score 800 goals in the NHL.

Sources: Britannica.com