See what makes February 21 special at Famous Daily.
History, birthdays, holiday, and a quote!
What happened on February 21
- February 21, 0362 Athanasius returns to Alexandria.
- February 21, 1173 Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury
- February 21, 1245 "Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, was granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery."
- February 21, 1431 England begins trial against Joan of Arc
- February 21, 1440 The Prussian Confederation is formed.
- February 21, 1543 Battle of Wayna Daga - A combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeated a Muslim army led by Ahmed Gragn.
- February 21, 1564 Philip II routes cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comt�
- February 21, 1574 Spanish garrison of Middelburg Netherlands surrenders
- February 21, 1583 Groningen Netherlands begins using Gregorian calendar
- February 21, 1598 Boris Godunov crowned tsar
- February 21, 1613 "Michael Romanov, son of the Patriarch of Moscow, elected Russian tsar"
- February 21, 1613 "Mikhail I is elected unanimously as Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia."
- February 21, 1673 Michiel A de Ruyter appointed Lieutenant-Admiral-General of Dutch fleet
- February 21, 1675 Prince Willem III appointed viceroy of Gelderland
- February 21, 1743 "The premiere in London of George Frideric Handel's oratorio, ""Samson""."
- February 21, 1764 "John Wilkes thrown out of English House of Commons for ""Essay on Women"""
- February 21, 1777 English ambassador Joseph Yorke demands dismissal of Governor John de Graaff for saluting US flag
- February 21, 1782 US congress resolves the establishment of a US mint
- February 21, 1792 Congress passes Presidential Succession Act
- February 21, 1795 Freedom of worship established in France under constitution
- February 21, 1797 "Trinidad, West Indies surrenders to the British"
- February 21, 1804 Richard Trevithick runs his railway engine on the Penydarren Railway (9.5 miles from Pen-y-Darren to Abercynon in South Wales) ? this hauled a train with 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers. It was commemorated by the Royal Mint in 2004 in the form of a �2.00 coin. (See 1829 )
- February 21, 1828 "First American Indian newspaper in US, Cherokee Phoenix (weekly), Georgia"
- February 21, 1842 "First known sewing machine patented in US, John Greenough, Washington DC"
- February 21, 1842 John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.
- February 21, 1846 "First US woman telegrapher, Sarah G Bagley, Lowell MA"
- February 21, 1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish the Communist Manifesto.
- February 21, 1853 US authorizes minting of $3 gold pieces
- February 21, 1857 Congress outlaws foreign currency as legal tender in US
- February 21, 1857 US issues flying eagle cents
- February 21, 1858 Edwin T Holmes installs first electric burglar alarm (Boston MA)
- February 21, 1861 Navaho Indians elect Herrero Grande as chief
- February 21, 1862 Confederate Constitution & Presidency are declared permanent
- February 21, 1862 "Texas Rangers win Confederate victory at Battle of Val Verde, New Mexico"
- February 21, 1864 Battle at Okolonam MS
- February 21, 1864 "First US Catholic parish church for blacks dedicated, Baltimore MD"
- February 21, 1866 Lucy B Hobbs (Taylor) becomes first US woman to earn a DDS degree
- February 21, 1874 Benjamin Disraeli replaces William Gladstone as English premier
- February 21, 1874 The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first newspaper.
- February 21, 1878 "The first U.S. telephone directory is distributed (District Telephone Co., New Haven, CT)."
- February 21, 1882 "NYC's 24 hour race begins, winner with most mileage in 24 hours"
- February 21, 1883 2nd French government of Ferry begins
- February 21, 1885 The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.
- February 21, 1887 First US bacteriology laboratory opens (Brooklyn)
- February 21, 1887 Oregon becomes first US state to make Labor Day a holiday
- February 21, 1895 "North Carolina Legislature, adjourns for day to mark death of Frederick Douglass"
- February 21, 1902 "Dr Harvey Cushing, first US brain surgeon, does his first brain operation"
- February 21, 1903 "Cornerstone laid for US army war college, Washington DC"
- February 21, 1904 The National Ski Association of America is founded.
- February 21, 1907 125 people perish when the s.s. Berlin sinks near Hoek van Holland.
- February 21, 1907 SS Berlin sinks off Hoek van Holland Netherlands (142 dead)
- February 21, 1909 "John Galsworthy's ""Strife,"" premieres in London"
- February 21, 1910 "John Galsworthy's ""Justice,"" premieres in London"
- February 21, 1911 Gustav Mahler conducts his last concerto (Berceuse �l�gique)
- February 21, 1914 White Wolf troops attack Zhanjiang China
- February 21, 1915 20th Russian Army corps surrenders
- February 21, 1915 World's Fair in San Francisco opens
- February 21, 1916 World War I: In France the Battle of Verdun begins.
- February 21, 1917 "British Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 627 die"
- February 21, 1917 Train near Chirurcha Romania catches fire & explodes; 100s die
- February 21, 1918 "Australians chase Turkish troop out of Jericho, Dutch Palestine"
- February 21, 1918 The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.
- February 21, 1919 German National Meeting accepts Anschluss incorporation of Austria
- February 21, 1919 Revolutionary strike in Barcelona
- February 21, 1920 "Darius Milhaud & Jean Cocteau's ballet, ""Le Train Bleu,"" premieres in Paris"
- February 21, 1922 Airship Rome explodes at Hampton Roads Virginia; 34 die
- February 21, 1922 Great Britain grants Egypt independence
- February 21, 1923 "Andr� Charlot's musical ""Rats,"" premieres in London"
- February 21, 1925 Mass meeting of SPD's Reichsbanner Black-Red-Gold in Magdeburg
- February 21, 1925 The New Yorker publishes its first issue.
- February 21, 1925 The premiere issue of The New Yorker magazine appears on newsstands.
- February 21, 1927 "Franz Lehr's opera ""Zarewitsch,"" premieres"
- February 21, 1930 "Marc Connelly's ""Green Pastures,"" premieres in New York NY"
- February 21, 1931 Alka Seltzer introduced
- February 21, 1931 Chicago White Sox & New York Giants play first exhibition night game
- February 21, 1932 Andr� Tardieu becomes premier of France
- February 21, 1932 "Camera exposure meter patented, WN Goodwin"
- February 21, 1934 Nicaraguan patriot Augusto Cesar Sandino assassinated by National Guard
- February 21, 1937 "Initial flight of the first successful flying car, Waldo Waterman's Arrowbile."
- February 21, 1939 Belgian government of Pierlot forms
- February 21, 1941 US Senate accepts Omar Bradley's demotion to Brigadier-General
- February 21, 1943 Battle of Guadalcanal ended.
- February 21, 1943 German offensive at Western Dorsalgebergte Tunisia
- February 21, 1944 """The War As It Happens"" news show premieres on NBC (NYC only)"
- February 21, 1945 Archbishop De Jong calls for help with war casualties
- February 21, 1945 British Army captures Goch
- February 21, 1945 US 10th Armour division overthrows Orscholz line
- February 21, 1946 Anti-British demonstrations in Egypt
- February 21, 1947 "First broadcast of first US TV soap opera ""A Woman to Remember"""
- February 21, 1947 "In New York City Edwin Land demonstrates the first ""instant camera"", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America."
- February 21, 1947 "Inventor Edwin Land demonstrates the Polaroid Land camera, which self-develops a black-and-white photo in 60 seconds."
- February 21, 1947 "Whipper Billy Watson beats Bill Longson, to become wrestling champion"
- February 21, 1948 NASCAR is incorporated.
- February 21, 1950 WOI TV channel 5 in Ames-Des Moines IA (ABC/PBS) begins broadcasting
- February 21, 1951 "South Carolina House urges ""Shoeless Joe"" Jackson be reinstated"
- February 21, 1952 Bangladesh Martyrs Day (martyrs of Bengali Language Movement)
- February 21, 1952 Dick Button performs first figure skating triple jump in competition
- February 21, 1952 "In Dhaka, East Pakistan (present Bangladesh) police opened fire on a procession of students, who demanded the establishment of Bengali as the official language, killing four people and starting a country-wide protest which led to the recognition of Bengali as one of the national languages of Pakistan. The day was later declared as ""International Mother Language Day"" by UNESCO."
- February 21, 1952 Liz Taylor's 2nd marriage (Michael Wilding)
- February 21, 1952 "The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes Identity Cards in the UK to ""set the people free""."
- February 21, 1953 """Maggie"" closes at National Theater NYC after 5 performances"
- February 21, 1953 F Crick & J Watson discover structure of DNA-molecule
- February 21, 1953 Longest collegiate basketball game (6 OTs) Niagara beats Siena 88-81
- February 21, 1957 "Dodgers (Ft Worth) & Cubs (Los Angeles) ""trade"" minor league franchises"
- February 21, 1958 """Portotino"" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 3 performances"
- February 21, 1958 Egypt-Syria as UAR elect Nasser President (99.9% vote)
- February 21, 1958 "Peace symbol designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment."
- February 21, 1960 Cuban leader Fidel Castro nationalizes all businesses in Cuba.
- February 21, 1960 Fay Crocker wins LPGA Lake Worth Golf Open
- February 21, 1961 "Friedrich D�rrenmatt's ""Die Physiker,"" premieres in Z�rich"
- February 21, 1961 Gabon adopts constitution
- February 21, 1961 Mercury-Atlas 2 reentry test reaches 172 km
- February 21, 1962 Minister De Pous confirms natural gas reserves in Groningen Netherlands
- February 21, 1963 Number one hit on UK music charts - Frank Ifield - Wayward Wind
- February 21, 1964 "UK flies 24,000 rolls of Beatle wallpaper to US"
- February 21, 1965 Civil rights activist Malcolm X is assassinated at age 39 by Black Muslims in New York City.
- February 21, 1965 Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by members of the Nation of Islam.
- February 21, 1966 Indonesia's President Sukarno fires General Nasution
- February 21, 1968 "150,000 demonstrate against leftist students in West-Berlin"
- February 21, 1968 "Baseball announces a minimum annual salary of $10,000"
- February 21, 1969 First launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur Kazachstan (explodes)
- February 21, 1969 Ted Williams signs 5-year contract to manage Washington Senators
- February 21, 1970 "Jackson 5 make TV debut on ""American Bandstand"""
- February 21, 1970 Pathet Lao conquerors Xieng Khuang & Muong Suy
- February 21, 1970 "Swissair Flight 330: A mid-air bomb explosion and subsequent crash kills 38 passengers and nine crew members near Zrich, Switzerland."
- February 21, 1971 Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Sears Women's World Golf Classic
- February 21, 1971 Series of tornadoes cuts through Mississippi & Louisiana killing 117
- February 21, 1971 The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
- February 21, 1972 "Michael Weller's ""Moonchildren,"" premieres in New York NY"
- February 21, 1972 Richard Nixon becomes first US President to visit China
- February 21, 1972 The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
- February 21, 1973 "Chicago Black Hawks, record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out"
- February 21, 1973 "Israeli jet fighters shoot down a Libyan Airlines passenger plane over the Sinai Desert, killing more than 100 people."
- February 21, 1973 "Over the Sinai Desert, Israeli fighter aircraft shoot down a Libyan Airlines jet killing 108."
- February 21, 1974 Israeli forces leave western Suez
- February 21, 1974 Silver hits record $5.96� an ounce in London
- February 21, 1974 The last Israeli soldiers leave the west bank of the Suez Canal in carrying out a truce with Egypt.
- February 21, 1974 Yugoslavia adopts constitution
- February 21, 1975 Former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman receive prison terms for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.
- February 21, 1975 Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.
- February 21, 1976 """Rockabye Hamlet"" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 7 performances"
- February 21, 1976 Cardinal Willebrands installed as archbishop of Utrecht
- February 21, 1976 "Florence Ballard, member of Diana Ross and the Supremes, dies in Detroit at age 32."
- February 21, 1976 "Number one hit on UK music charts - Four Seasons - December '63 (Oh, What A Night)"
- February 21, 1977 74 Unification Church couples wed in New York NY
- February 21, 1979 2 Iowa girls High School basketball teams play 4 scoreless quarters; the game was won 4-2 in the 4th overtime period
- February 21, 1979 Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite & Corsa-B (550/580 km)
- February 21, 1980 Hanni Wenzel is first Liechtensteiner to win Olympics gold (giant slalom)
- February 21, 1981 """Yorkshire Ripper"" Peter Sutcliffe, murderer of 13 women, captured"
- February 21, 1981 Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares (580/640 k)
- February 21, 1981 NASA launches Comstar D-4
- February 21, 1981 Number one hit on UK music charts - Joe Dolce Music Theatre - Shaddap You Face
- February 21, 1982 """Ain't Misbehavin'"" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 1604 performances"
- February 21, 1982 """Little Me"" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 36 performances"
- February 21, 1982 Beth Daniel wins LPGA Bent Tree Ladies Golf Classic
- February 21, 1983 Donald Davis runs 1 mile backwards in 6 minutes 7.1 seconds
- February 21, 1983 NBA San Diego Clippers begin a 29 game road losing streak
- February 21, 1985 Evert van Benthem wins 13th Friese 11 city skating race
- February 21, 1985 "Largest NBA crowd to date 44,970 (Atlanta at Detroit)"
- February 21, 1985 Tim Raines is awarded a $12 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator
- February 21, 1986 AIDS patient Ryan White returns to classes at Western Middle School
- February 21, 1986 "Tennis star Jimmy Connors fined $20,000 & suspended for 10 weeks"
- February 21, 1987 Cindy Rarick wins LPGA Tsumura Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open
- February 21, 1987 Number one hit on UK music charts - Ben E King - Stand By Me
- February 21, 1987 Syrian army marches into Beirut
- February 21, 1988 Actor Dudley Moore marries actress Brogan Lane
- February 21, 1988 Gustafson skates world record 10 km (13:48.20)
- February 21, 1988 Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart confesses his sins to his congregation
- February 21, 1989 Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Ueberroth to discuss his gambling
- February 21, 1989 "US bust Chinese heroin ring, capture record 820 lbs heroin ($1 billion street value)"
- February 21, 1990 "32nd Grammy Awards Wind Beneath My Wings, Nick of Time win"
- February 21, 1991 Bering Sea Tsunami caused by 6.8 earthquake
- February 21, 1991 "Neil Simon's ""Lost in Yonkers,"" premieres at Richard Rodgers Theater in New York NY for 780 performances"
- February 21, 1991 USSR announces Iraq agrees to a proposal to end Persian Gulf War US calls the plan unacceptable
- February 21, 1992 Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympics gold medal in women's fig skating
- February 21, 1993 43rd NBA All-Star Game West beats East 135-132 (OT) at Salt Lake City
- February 21, 1993 Sergei Bubka pole vaults world record indoor (6.15 meters)
- February 21, 1994 "FBI Agents arrested Aldrich Hazen Ames, a 30-year Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) veteran, and his wife, Maria del Rosario Casas Ames on espionage charges. Ames' crimes began in April 1985, and resulted in at least ten Soviet sources of the CIA and FBI being killed. Other sources were imprisoned and more than 100 intelligence operations were compromised. Ames provided thousands of classified documents to the Soviet Union and later, the Russian Republic."
- February 21, 1995 RAF-pilot Jo Salter is first woman to fly in a tornado
- February 21, 1995 "Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon."
- February 21, 1995 "Steve Fossett, a Chicago stockbroker, becomes the first person to make a solo balloon flight across the Pacific, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada."
- February 21, 1996 "Soyuz TM-23, launched into orbit"
- February 21, 1997 """Empire Strikes Back, special edition,"" premieres"
- February 21, 2004 "The first European political party organization, the European Greens, is established in Rome."
|
|
|
|
