February 15
February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 319 days remaining (320 in leap years). Events * 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor * 1764 - The American city of St. Louis is established. * 1797 - Battle of Cape St. Vincent - the United Kingdom maintains its naval superiority over France and Spain * 1805 - Harmony Society officially formed * 1862 - American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee * 1879 - Women's rights: American President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. * 1852 - Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits first patient * 1898 - Spanish-American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor, Cuba for then unknown reasons killing more than 260. This event led the United States to declare war on Spain. * 1903 - Morris Michtom and his wife Rose introduce the first teddy bear in America. * 1906 - The British Labour Party is organized * 1933 - In Miami, Florida a man attempts to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago, Illinois Mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933. * 1942 - World War II: Singapore surrenders to Japanese forces. * 1944 - World War II: Assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins * 1950 - The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sign a mutual defense treaty * 1953 - 17-year-old Tenley Albright becomes the first American to win the world figure skating championship. * 1961 - A Boeing 707 crashes in Belgium killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team and several coaches * 1965 - A new red and white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada replacing the old Red Ensign standard. * 1971 - Decimalization of British currency completed. * 1982 - The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 rig workers. * 1989 - Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops had left Afghanistan. * 1991 - The Visegard Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. * 1995 - Hacking: Kevin Mitnick is arrested by the FBI and charged with breaking into some of the United States' most "secure" computer systems. * 2003 - Global protests against war on Iraq occur in over 600 cities worldwide. Births * 1564 - Galileo, astronomer, father of the Scientific method and "modern" Science (+ 1642) * 1710 - King Louis XV of France (+ 1774) * 1759 - Friedrich August Wolf, philologist and archaeologist (+ 1824) * 1803 - John Sutter, California pioneer (+ 1880) * 1812 - Charles Louis Tiffany, jeweler (+ 1902) * 1820 - Susan B. Anthony, feminist and suffragist * 1883 - Sax Rohmer, author (+ 1959) * 1882 - John Barrymore, actor * 1892 - James Forrestal, first United States Secretary of Defense (+ 1949) * 1899 - Georges Auric, composer, member of Les Six (+ 1983) * 1899 - Gale Sondergaard, actress (+ 1985) * 1907 - Cesar Romero, actor (+ 1994) * 1908 - HAP Grieshaber, painter and graphic artist (+ 1981) * 1909 - Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes, Spanish football player * 1909 - Miep Gies, Anne Frank friend, biographer * 1922 - John Bayard Anderson, U.S Representative and presidential candidate * 1926 - Dieter Lattmann, writer and politician * 1927 - Harvey Korman, actor, comedian * 1929 - Graham Hill, Formula One racer (+ 1975) * 1942 - Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea * 1943 - Elke Heidenreich, journalist and writer * 1951 - Melissa Manchester, singer * 1951 - Jane Seymour, actress * 1954 - Matt Groening, cartoonist * 1964 - Chris Farley, actor, comedian (+ 1997) * 1971 - RenŽe O'Connor, actress and director * 1972 - Jaromir Jagr, ice hockey star Deaths * 1965 - Nat King Cole, singer, musician * 1967 - J. Frank Duryea, automobile pioneer * 1973 - Wally Cox, actor * 1981 - Mike Bloomfield, musician * 1984 - Ethel Merman, singer, actress * 1988 - Richard Feynman, physicist * 2002 - Kevin Smith, actor * 2002 - Howard K. Smith, journalist Holidays and observances * Roman Empire - Lupercalia in honor of Faunus
Encyclopedia - Books - Religion - Message Boards - Links - Home
Wikipedia content is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.