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- 1455 Johannes Gutenberg prints first book, the Bible (estimated date)
- 1455 Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed from movable type.
- 1574 France begins 5th Holy War against Huguenots
- 1660 Charles XI becomes king of Sweden
- 1668 Fire in Wiener Hofburg in Vienna, emperor Leopold I rescued
- 1672 Joan Blaeus publishers destroyed by fire in Amsterdam
- 1689 Dutch prince William III proclaimed king of England
- 1778 Baron von Steuben joins the Continental Army at Valley Forge
- 1792 Humane Society of Massachusetts incorporated (erected life-saving stations for distressed mariners)
- 1792 Joseph Haydn's 94th Symphony in G, premieres
- 1797 French Forces launch a failed invasion of Britain. See Last invasion of Britain
- 1804 Conspirators against Napoleon, for restoration of Louis XVIII
- 1813 First US raw cotton-to-cloth mill founded in Waltham MA
- 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
- 1821 College of Apothecaries organized in Philadelphia; first US pharmacy college
- 1822 Boston is incorporated as a city.
- 1830 Oxford, Ohio, home of Miami University, is incorporated.
- 1836 The Siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.
- 1847 General Zachary Taylor leads US troops to defeat Mexican General Santa Anna and his army at the Battle of Buena Vista in Mexico.
- 1848 A revolution in Paris brought the expulsion of King Louis-Philippe and established a Second Republic in France under Louis Napoleon (1808-1873).
- 1848 John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the US, dies of a stroke at age 80.
- 1852 "H M S Birkenhead" sinks off South Africa killing 420 troops
- 1854 Great-Britain & Orange Free state sign Convention of Bloemfontein
- 1854 The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
- 1861 By popular referendum, Texas becomes 7th state to secede from US
- 1861 Dutch Premier Floris A van Hall resigns
- 1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1866 Lebanon Valley College is founded in Annville, Pennsylvania.
- 1869 Louisiana governor signs public accommodations law
- 1870 Military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
- 1870 Mississippi is readmitted to the Union, after the Civil War.
- 1874 Major Walter Winfield patents game called "sphairistike" (lawn tennis)
- 1883 Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
- 1883 American Anti-Vivisection Society organized (Philadelphia)
- 1886 Aluminum manufacturing process developed
- 1886 London Times publishes world's first classified ad
- 1886 Tsjaikovski's symphony "Manfred," premieres
- 1887 Congress grants Seal Rocks to San Francisco
- 1887 French/Italian Riviera struck by Earthquake; 2,000 die
- 1887 The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
- 1892 First college student government established, Bryn Mawr PA
- 1893 Rudolf Diesel receives a patent for the diesel engine.
- 1894 Stanley Cup Montréal AAA's awarded cup by trustees as Ottawa refuses to travel to Toronto to play
- 1895 Jaap Eden skates world record 10 km (17:56)
- 1895 William Heard, AME minister & educator, named minister to Liberia
- 1896 Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield
- 1898 In France, Emile Zola is imprisoned for writing his "J'accuse" letter accusing government of anti-Semitism & wrongly jailing Alfred Dreyfus
- 1898 mile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse", a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully placing Captain Alfred Dreyfus in jail.
- 1900 Battle at Hart's Hill, South-Africa (Boers vs British army)
- 1900 In South Africa the Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Hart's Hill.
- 1900 Steamer "Rio de Janeiro" sinks in San Francisco Bay
- 1903 Cuba leases Guantanamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
- 1903 Cuban state of Guantanamo leased to USA
- 1904 For $10 million the United States gains control of the Panama Canal Zone.
- 1905 Chicago, Illinois attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.
- 1905 Rotary Club International established by 4 men in Chicago
- 1906 Tommy Burns beats Marvin Hart for heavyweight boxing champion in 20 rounds
- 1909 At Baddeck, Nova Scotia J. A. D. McCurdy flies the Bell designed Silver Dart at an altitude of about 10 metres for nearly one kilometre across Baddeck Bay; first airplane flight in Canada by a Canadian; first powered flight in British Empire.
- 1909 Russian tsar Nicolas II dissolves Finnish Diet
- 1909 The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
- 1910 First radio contest held (Philadelphia)
- 1914 In British Columbia a Fraser River rockslide nearly wipes out the area's salmon fishing industry, much later we do the same thing
- 1915 Germany sinks US ships Carib & Evelyn & torpedoes Norwegian ship Regin
- 1915 Nevada enforces convenient divorce law
- 1916 Congress authorizes McKinley Memorial $1 gold coin
- 1916 French artillery kills entire French 72nd division at Samogneux Verdun
- 1917 February revolution begins in Russia
- 1917 First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.
- 1918 First victory of Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near Narva and Pskov. Since 1923 this date become the Day of Red Army in honour of this victory.
- 1919 Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.
- 1920 Visitor posting - Joseph Cecil Brissette was born to Benjamin and Elenore Brissette in Augusta, Maine - USA
- 1921 First US transcontinental air mail flight arrives in New York NY from San Francisco CA
- 1923 German Republic day with laws against worker
- 1923 Great Britain lowers import duty on German products from 26% to 5%
- 1927 The Federal Radio Commission (later renamed the Federal Communications Commission) begins to regulate the use of radio frequencies.
- 1934 Casey Stengel becomes manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers
- 1934 Coronation of King Leopold III of Belgium
- 1934 Lopold III becomes King of Belgium.
- 1936 First rocket air mail flight, Greenwood Lake NY
- 1938 Joe Louis KOs Nathan Mann in 3 for heavyweight boxing title
- 1939 Lou Thesz beats E Marshall in St Louis, to become wrestling champion
- 1940 Walt Disney's animated movie "Pinocchio," released
- 1941 Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
- 1942 Japanese sub fires on oil refinery in Ellwood CA
- 1943 German troops pull back through Kasserine-pass Tunisia
- 1944 forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia
- 1945 2nd Dutch government of Gerbrandy forms in London
- 1945 Canadian troops occupy Kalkar
- 1945 Operation Grenade General Simpson's 9th Army crosses Ruhr
- 1945 US Marines raise the American flag after taking Mount Suribachi on the island Iwo Jima, during WWII.
- 1945 World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Pozna, city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
- 1945 World War II: The Verona Philharmonic Theatre is bombed by Allied forces (re-opened 1975).
- 1945 Visitor posting - February 23, 1945 CAROLYN VIRGINIA BURNS is born.. - USA
- 1945 World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by American forces.
- 1947 General Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170 million in aid for European Jews
- 1947 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.
- 1951 In Korea Canadian troops with 27th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade make first contact with enemy.
- 1954 Pittsburgh begins the first mass inoculation of children against polio in the US, using the vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk.
- 1954 Syrian army drives out President Adib el-Shishakli
- 1954 The first mass vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- 1955 Edgar Faure forms French government
- 1955 Visitor posting - Phyllis & Pauline Goldstein born. Identical twins extra ordinary - USA
- 1955 First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
- 1956 Russian party leader Khrushchev attacks memory of Stalin
- 1957 "Mr Wonderful" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 383 performances
- 1957 The founding congress of the Senegalese Popular Bloc is opened in Dakar.
- 1958 5-time world driving champion Juan Fangio kidnapped by Cuban rebels
- 1958 Arturo Frondizi elected President of Argentina
- 1958 Cuban rebels kidnap 5-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
- 1958 Last Municipal arc light, Mission & 25th removed (installed in 1913)
- 1959 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Lake Worth Golf Open
- 1959 KVIE TV channel 6 in Sacramento-Stockton CA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- 1960 Demolition begins on Brooklyn's Ebbets Field (opened in 1913)
- 1961 Number one hit on UK music charts - Petula Clark - Sailor
- 1963 Visitor posting - Michael J. Dowling, loving father of Haley and Holly, was born.
- 1964 Charlie Finley signs a 4 year lease to keep A's in Kansas City
- 1965 Comedian Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame, dies in Santa Monica, CA.
- 1965 Constance Baker Motley elected Manhattan Borough president
- 1965 In Ottawa the Government approves collective bargaining and arbitration in the Civil Service but takes it away when it is convenient
- 1966 A military coup in Syria replaces the previous government.
- 1966 Aldo Moro forms Italian government
- 1966 Military coup in Syria ends Bitar government
- 1966 Premier Obote grabs power in Uganda
- 1967 25th amendment (Presidential succession) declared ratified
- 1967 John Herbert's "Fortune & Men's Eyes," premieres in New York NY
- 1967 Ted Workman replaces Senator Keith Davey as CFL commissioner
- 1967 US troops begin largest offensive of Vietnam War
- 1968 Wilt Chamberlain becomes first NBAer to score 25,000 points
- 1969 Nayif Hawatimah forms Democratic People's Front for Liberation of Palestine
- 1969 Start of hovercraft service between Vancouver and Nanaimo; first scheduled hovercraft service in Canada didn't last too many logs in the water
- 1970 Guyana becomes a republic (National Day)
- 1970 Holy Eucharist given by women for first time in Roman Catholic service
- 1971 Boston Bruins begin 13 NHL game win streak
- 1971 George Harrison is fined & his driving license is suspended for 1 year as a result of several speeding tickets
- 1971 Lieutenant Calley confesses & implicates Captain Medina
- 1973 Gold goes up $10 overnight to record $95 an ounce in London
- 1973 Visitor posting - Stephen Blankenship born. My pet is a dog - USA
- 1974 Number one hit on UK music charts - Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive
- 1974 Teri Garr appears on Bob Newhart Show in "Confessions of an Orth"
- 1975 Amy Alcott wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic
- 1975 In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly two months early in the United States.
- 1976 Owners announce spring training won't open without a labor contract
- 1978 20th Grammy Awards Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac, Debbie Boone win
- 1978 William H. Webster took the oath of office as FBI Director. Director Webster continued Director Kelley's emphasis on "quality" investigations.
- 1979 "Sarava" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 140 performances
- 1979 Cameron Mclanahan is born in California
- 1979 Frank Peterson Jr named first black general in Marine Corps
- 1979 W.A.C. Bennett dies at age 78; Premier of British Columbia from 1952 to 1972
- 1980 Eric Heiden wins all 5 speed skating golds at Lake Placid Olympics
- 1980 Visitor posting - David C was born in Baltimore, MD after 23 hours of labor - USA
- 1980 Oil tanker explosion off Pilos, Greece, causes 37-million-gallon spill
- 1981 23-F, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d'tat by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
- 1981 People magazine features drug ordeal of Mackenzie & Papa John Phillips
- 1981 Spanish coup under Lieutenant-Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina fails
- 1982 Michael Frayn's "Noises Off," premieres in London
- 1983 25th Grammy Awards Rosanna, Toto IV, Men at Work win
- 1983 The Spanish Socialist government of Felipe Gonzlez and Miguel Boyer nationalizes Rumasa, a holding of Jos Mara Ruiz Mateos.
- 1983 USFL New Jersey Generals sign Heisman winner Herschel Walker (3 years-$5 million)
- 1985 Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight throws a chair during a game
- 1985 US Senate confirms Edwin Meese III as Attorney General
- 1986 Despite losing, Red Sox Wade Boggs gets largest arbitration ($1.35M)
- 1986 Mary Beth Zimmerman wins LPGA Standard Register/Samaritan Golf Classic
- 1986 Nelli Fiere-Cooman runs world record 60 meter indoor (7.00 seconds)
- 1987 A supernova is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud (see Supernova 1987a).
- 1987 Dick Howser retires from managing Kansas City Royals, due to brain tumor
- 1987 Russian Writers Union accepts Boris Pasternak posthumous as member
- 1987 Supernova 1987A in LMC first seen; first naked-eye supernova since 1604
- 1988 Chicago gives Cubs right to install lights & play up to 18 night games
- 1988 Yvonne van Gennip skates female record 3k (4:11.94)
- 1990 Ian Smith 173 New Zealand vs India, 136 balls, world record for no 9 bat
- 1990 Jose Napoleon Duarte, former Salvadoran president, dies at age 64.
- 1991 Greg Haugen scores a split decision over Hector "Macho" Camacho
- 1991 Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabia border and enter Iraq, thus starting the ground-phase of the war.
- 1991 In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'tat, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
- 1991 Military coup in Thailand, Premier Choonhaven arrested
- 1991 North Carolina is first NCAA basketball team to win 1,500 games
- 1991 Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Orix Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open
- 1991 US insists Iraq publicly announce it is leaving Kuwait by 12 PM EST
- 1992 Andy Flower scores 115 on ODI debut, Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka
- 1992 The Socialist Labour Party is founded in Georgia.
- 1993 Gary Coleman wins $1,280,000 lawsuit against parents for high fees
- 1993 India complete a 3-0 series drubbing of England
- 1993 Sacramento Gold Miners admitted as CFL's 9th franchise (1st US team)
- 1994 Visitor posting - Brandon Tukes Birthday - USA
- 1995 Antoine Nduwayo appointed Premier of Burundi
- 1995 On Wall Street, The Dow Jones industrial average closes above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4003.33.
- 1996 Mark Waugh scores 130 in World Cup vs Kenya, 207 w/brother Steve
- 1996 Visitor posting - Mitchell R. Leis Born - USA
- 1996 Rajindra Dhanraj takes 9-97 for Trinidad against Leeward Islands
- 1997 A large fire occurs in the Russian Space station, Mir.
- 1997 Visitor posting - austin Micheal Runnels was Born - USA
- 1997 Ali Abu Kamal opens fire in Empire State Building & kills 1
- 1997 American Express Senior Golf Invitational
- 1997 Jeff Sluman wins Tucson Golf Classic
- 1997 NBC TV shows "Schindler's List," completely uncensored, 65 million watch
- 1997 Scottish scientists announce the successful cloning of an adult mammal ("Dolly" the lamb).
- 1997 Tucson Chrysler Golf Classic
- 1998 Kissimmee Tornado Outbreak: Tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42.
- 1998 Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
- 1998 Supreme Court lets Megan's Law stand
- 1998 Tornadoes in Florida kills at least 31 feb240303 first official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued
- 1999 An avalanche destroys the Austrian village of Galtr, killing 31.
- 1999 Visitor posting - i am ten years old going on 11 my mom had me at the age of fifteen - USA
- 1999 Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah calan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
- 1999 Two avalanches in as many days are blamed for the death of 38 people in Austria.
- 2005 Slovakia Summit 2005 begins, marking the first occasion when a sitting American President visits Slovakia; Bush and Putin are in attendance.
- 2005 Vote of the controversial French law on colonialism, repealed start of 2006.
- 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 A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, United Kingdom, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
- 2007 Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
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