Archives for: February 2012
February 29
Feb 29th
1288 - Scotland established this day as one when a woman could propose marriage to a man. In the event that he refused the proposal he was required to pay a fine. 1860 - The first electric tabulating machine was invented by Herman Hollerith. 1904… more »
February 28
Feb 28th
1827 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first railroad incorporated for commercial transportation of people and freight. 1844 - Several people were killed aboard the USS Princeton when a 12-inch gun exploded. 1849 - Regular steamboat… more »
February 27
Feb 27th
1700 - The Pacific Island of New Britain was discovered. 1801 - The city of Washington, DC, was placed under congressional jurisdiction. 1827 - New Orleans held its first Mardi Gras celebration. 1861 - In Warsaw, Russian troops fired on a crowd pr… more »
February 26
Feb 26th
1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the Island of Elba. He then began his second conquest of France. 1848 - The second French Republic was proclaimed. 1863 - U.S. President Lincoln signed the National Currency Act. 1870 - In New York City, the… more »
February 25
Feb 25th
1570 - England's Queen Elizabeth I was excommunicated by Pope Pius V. 1751 - Edward Willet displayed the first trained monkey act in the U.S. 1793 - The department heads of the U.S. government met with U.S. President Washington for the first Cabinet… more »
February 24
Feb 24th
1803 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled itself to be the final interpreter of all constitutional issues. 1835 - "Siwinowe Kesibwi" (The Shawnee Sun) was issued as the first Indian language monthly publication in the U.S. 1839 - Mr. William S. Otis receiv… more »
February 23
Feb 23rd
1574 - France began the 5th holy war against the Huguenots. 1660 - Charles XI became the king of Sweden. 1792 - The Humane Society of Massachusetts was incorporated. 1813 - The first U.S. raw cotton-to-cloth mill was founded in Waltham, MA. 1820… more »
February 22
Feb 22nd
1630 - Quadequine introduced popcorn to English colonists at their first Thanksgiving dinner. 1784 - "Empress of China", a U.S. merchant ship, left New York City for the Far East. 1819 - Spain ceded Florida to the United States. 1855 - The U.S. Co… more »
February 21
Feb 21st
1804 - The first self-propelled locomotive on rails was demonstrated in Wales. 1842 - John J. Greenough patented the sewing machine. 1858 - The first electric burglar alarm was installed in Boston, MA. 1866 - Lucy B. Hobbs became the first woman t… more »
February 20
Feb 20th
1673 - The first recorded wine auction took place in London. 1792 - U.S. President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act thereby creating the U.S. Post Office. 1809 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the power of the federal government was gre… more »
February 19
Feb 19th
1807 - Former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested in Alabama. He was later tried and acquitted on charges of treason. 1846 - The formal transfer of government between Texas and the United States took place. Texas had officially become a state… more »
February 18
Feb 18th
1564 - The artist Michelanglelo died in Rome. 1685 - Robert Cavelier, Sieur de LaSalle established Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay, and thus formed the basis for France's claim to Texas. 1735 - The first opera performed in America. The work was "Flo… more »
February 17
Feb 17th
1801 - The U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Jefferson was elected president and Burr became vice president. 1817 - The first gaslit streetlights appeared on the streets of Baltimore, MD. 1… more »
February 16
Feb 16th
1741 - Benjamin Franklin published America’s second magazine, "The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle". 1804 - A raid was led by Lt. Stephen Decatur to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia. The ship had been taken by pirates. 1857 - The Na… more »
February 15
Feb 15th
1758 - Mustard was advertised for the first time in America. 1764 - The city of St. Louis was established. 1799 - Printed ballots were authorized for use in elections in the state of Pennsylvania. 1842 - Adhesive postage stamps were used for the f… more »
February 14
Feb 14th
1778 - The Stars and Stripes was carried to a foreign port, in France, for the first time. It was aboard the American ship Ranger. 1803 - Moses Coats received a patent on the apple parer. 1849 - The first photograph of a U.S. President, while in off… more »
February 13
Feb 13th
1542 - Catherine Howard was executed for adultery. She was the fifth wife of England's King Henry VIII. 1633 - Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before the Inquisition. 1635 - The Boston Public Latin School was established. It was the first… more »
February 12
Feb 12th
1541 - The city of Santiago, Chile was founded. 1554 - Lady Jane Grey was beheaded after being charged with treason. She had claimed the throne of England for only nine days. 1733 - Savannah, GA, was founded by English colonist James Oglethorpe. 1… more »
February 11
Feb 11th
1752 - The Pennsylvania Hospital opened as the very first hospital in America. 1808 - Judge Jesse Fell experimented by burning anthracite coal to keep his house warm. He successfully showed how clean the coal burned and how cheaply it could be used as… more »
February 10
Feb 10th
1763 - The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. In the treaty France ceded Canada to England. 1840 - Britain's Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg-Gotha. 1846 - Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints b… more »
February 9
Feb 9th
1825 - The U.S. House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president. No candidate had received a majority of electoral votes. 1861 - The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis as its president. 187… more »
February 8
Feb 8th
1587 - Mary, the Queen of Scots, was executed. 1693 - A charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. 1802 - Simon Willard patented the banjo clock. 1861 - The Confederate States of America was formed. 1861 - A Che… more »
February 7
Feb 7th
1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. 1818 - "Academician" began publication in New York City. 1877 - The first Guernsey Cattle Club was organized in New York City. 1882 - The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight b… more »
February 6
Feb 6th
1778 - The United States gained official recognition from France as the two nations signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris. 1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1815 - The… more »
February 5
Feb 5th
1782 - The Spanish captured Minorca from the British. 1783 - Sweden recognized the independence of the United States. 1846 - "The Oregon Spectator", based in Oregon City, became the first newspaper published on the Pacific coast. 1861 - Samuel Goo… more »
February 4
Feb 4th
1783 - Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America. 1789 - Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. 1824 - J.W. Goodrich introduced rub… more »
February 3
Feb 3rd
1488 - The Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Diaz landed at Mossal Bay in the Cape, the first European known to have landed on the southern extremity of Africa. 1690 - The first paper money in America was issued by the Massachusetts colony. The currenc… more »
February 2
Feb 2nd
1536 - The Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain. 1653 - New Amsterdam, now known as New York City, was incorporated. 1802 - The first leopard to be exhibited in the United States was shown by Othello Pollard in Bos… more »
February 1
Feb 1st
1788 - Isaac Briggs and William Longstreet patented the steamboat. 1790 - The U.S. Supreme Court convened for the first time in New York City. 1793 - France declared war on Britain and Holland. 1793 - Ralph Hodgson patented oiled silk. 1861 - Te… more »
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