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February 6
February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 328 days remaining, 329 in leap years. Events * 1778 - American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic. * 1788 - Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution. * 1815 - New Jersey grants the first American railroad charter to a John Stevens. * 1819 - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore * 1820 - 86 free African American colonists sail from New York City to Freeport, Sierra Leone * 1840 - Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, founding document of New Zealand * 1843 - The first minstrel show in the United States The Virginia Minstrels opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City). * 1862 - American Civil War: Ulysses S. Grant gives the United States its first victory of the war, by capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee * 1899 - Spanish-American War: A peace treaty between the United States and Spain is ratified by the United States Senate. * 1900 - The international arbitration court at The Hague is created when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree. * 1922 - Achille Ratti becomes Pope Pius XI. * 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution goes into effect. * 1936 - 1936 Winter Olympic Games open in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany * 1952 - Elizabeth II becomes Queen upon the death of her father George VI. * 1958 - Munich Air Disaster * 1959 - At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished. * 1968 - 1968 Winter Olympic Games open in Grenoble, France * 1985 - Steve Wozniak leaves Apple Computer * 1998 - Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport. * 1998 - Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the ruler of Jordan by decree of his father, King Hussein. Births * 1564 - Christopher Marlowe, playwright * 1665 - Queen Anne (+ 1714) * 1756 - Aaron Burr, Vice President of the United States (+ 1836) * 1887 - Josef Frings, archbishop of Cologne (+ 1978) * 1889 - Elmo Lincoln, actor (+ 1952) * 1895 - Babe Ruth, Baseball Hall of Famer (+ 1948) * 1899 - Ramon Novarro, actor (+ 1968) * 1903 - Claudio Arrau, pianist (+ 1991) * 1910 - Irmgard Keun, author (+ 1982) * 1911 - Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States * 1912 - Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler's mistress (+ 1945) * 1913 - Mary Leakey, anthropologist (+ 1996) * 1914 - Thurl Ravenscroft, voice-over actor ("Tony the Tiger") * 1917 - Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress * 1918 - Lothar-Gnther Buchheim, author of Das Boot * 1922 - Patrick Macnee, actor * 1926 - Haskell Wexler, cinematographer * 1929 - Pierre Brice, actor * 1931 - Rip Torn, actor, director * 1932 - Franois Truffaut, film director (+ 1984) * 1939 - Mike Farrell, actor * 1940 - Tom Brokaw, news anchorman * 1943 - Fabian Forte, singer * 1945 - Bob Marley, reggae musician (+ 1981) * 1950 - Natalie Cole, singer * 1951 - Princess Daphn of Belgium * 1954 - Argusto Emfazie, occultist, author * 1957 - Kathy Najimy, actress, comedian * 1957 - Robert Townsend, comedian, actor, director, producer * 1962 - Axl Rose, musician ("Guns N'Roses") Deaths * 1685 - King Charles II of England * 1793 - Carlo Goldoni, playwright * 1916 - Rubn Daro, writer * 1918 - Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter * 1952 - King George VI of the United Kingdom * 1976 - Vince Guaraldi, musician * 1989 - Barbara Tuchman, historian * 1991 - Danny Thomas, singer, comedia, actor * 1993 - Arthur Ashe, tennis star * 1993 - Joseph Mankiewicz, director, producer, writer * 1994 - Jack Kirby, comic book writer * 1994 - Joseph Cotten, actor * 1996 - Guy Madison, actor * 1998 - Carl Wilson, musician ("The Beach Boys") * 1998 - Falco, singer * 2002 - Guy Stockwell, actor Holidays and observances * Catholicism - Feast day of St Paul Miki and his companions. * National holiday for the Saami people. * Waitangi day - New Zealand