This Day in History
February 19

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: February 19?

On February 19 in ...

  • 197 - D Clodius Septimus Albinus, Roman bequest in England, dies in battle.
  • 197 - Lucius Septimius Severus' army beats Clodius Albinus at Lyon.
  • 356 - Emperor Constantius II shuts all heathen temples.
  • 607 - Boniface III begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
  • 842 - Medieval Iconoclastic Controversy ends as a council in Constantinople formally reinstates the veneration of icons in the churches.
  • 1199 - Pope Innocent III assigns the uniform of the white tunic with a black cross to the Teutonic Knights.
  • 1260 - Boniface of Lausanne, Belgian bishop/saint, dies.
  • 1401 - William Sawtree first English religious martyr, burned in London.
  • 1414 - Thomas Arundel archbishop of Canterbury/chancellor of England, dies.
  • 1473 - Birth of Nicolaus Copernicus in Torún, Poland (dies 1543); astronomer (heliocentrism).
  • 1512 - French troops under Gaston de Foix occupy Brescia.
  • 1532 - Birth of Jean-Antoine de Baïf French poet (Les amours de Méline).
  • 1537 - Weavers of Leiden Netherlands strike.
  • 1539 - Jews of Tyrnau Hungary (then Trnava Czechoslovakia), expelled.
  • 1545 - Pierre Brully [Peter Brulius], calvinist minister, burned to death.
  • 1552 - Birth of Melchior Klesl in Vienna, Austria; Protestant, converted to Roman Catholicism, Bishop of Vienna, cardinal.
  • 1553 - Erasmus Reinhold German mathematician, dies at age 41.
  • 1568 - Miles Coverdale translator (first complete English Bible), dies at age 80.
  • 1574 - Spanish troops plunder Krommenie, Wormerveer and Jisp Netherlands.
  • 1582 - Francis of Valois becomes duke of Brabant.
  • 1588 - Birth of Pieter de Carpentier Flemish Governor-General of Dutch East-Indies.
  • 1605 - Orazio Tiberio Vecchi composer, dies at age 54.
  • 1611 - Birth of Andries de Graeff mayor of Amsterdam (1657-71).
  • 1616 - Birth of Jacques de Saint-Luc composer.
  • 1619 - Trial against Johan van Oldenbarnevelt begins in The Hague.
  • 1634 - Battle at Smolensk Polish king Wladyslaw IV beats Russians.
  • 1653 - Luigi Rossi composer, dies.
  • 1671 - Birth of Charles-Hubert Gervais composer.
  • 1674 - Netherlands and England sign Peace of Westminster (New York City becomes English).
  • 1683 - Birth of King Philip V France, King of Spain (1700-24, 1724-46).
  • 1717 - Birth of David Garrick actor/producer/writer (Aboan-Oroonoko).
  • 1736 - George Frideric Händel's "Alexander's Feast" premieres.
  • 1743 - Birth of [Ridolfo] Luigi Boccherini Italian composer, cellist (Minuet).
  • 1754 - Birth of Vincenzo Monti Italian poet/translator (Al Signor di Montgolfier).
  • 1755 - Birth of Pieter G van Overstraten Governor-General of Netherlands-Indies.
  • 1780 - Birth of Friedrich H von der Hagen; German germanist (Nibelungenlied).
  • 1797 - One-third of papal domain ceded to France.
  • 1803 - US Congress accepts Ohio's constitution, but statehood not ratified till 1953.
  • 1807 - British squadron under Admiral Duckworth forces passage of Dardanelles.
  • 1807 - US Vice President Aaron Burr arrested in Alabama for treason; later found innocent.
  • 1817 - Birth of Willem III; last male King of Netherlands (1849-90).
  • 1819 - British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands.
  • 1821 - Birth of Francis Preston Blair Junior in Lexington, Kentucky, USA; American politician (Representative-Missouri).
  • 1827 - Birth of Charles Robert Woods; US Brevet Major General (US Army) (dies 1885).
  • 1831 - First practical US coal-burning locomotive makes first trial run, Pennsylvania.
  • 1833 - Birth of Élie Ducommun in Switzerland; writer/pacifist (Nobel Prize 1902).
  • 1837 - Georg Büchner, German playwright (Leonce und Lena), dies at age 23.
  • 1843 - Birth of Adelina Patti in Madrid, Spain; operatic coloratura (Lucia).
  • 1846 - Texas is admitted to the United States of America.
  • 1856 - Tin-type camera patented by Hamilton Smith of Gambier, Ohio, USA.
  • 1859 - Birth of Svante August Arhenius; Swedish physicist/chemist (Nobel Prize 1903).
  • 1859 - Birth of Knut Hamsun in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway; author (Hunger, Growth of the Soil, Nobel Prize 1920).
  • 1859 - Dan Sickles is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity; first time this defense is successfully used.
  • 1861 - Russian Tsar Alexander II abolishes serfdom.
  • 1863 - Birth of Augusto Bernardino Leguía y Salcedo; President of Perú (1908, 1919).
  • 1864 - Birth of Aritius S Talma; Dutch minister of Agriculture (Work Law of 1911).
  • 1864 - Knights of Pythias form first lodge in Washington DC (12 members).
  • 1864 - William Edwin Baldwin, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies.
  • 1865 - Birth of Adrian van Oordt; Dutch writer (neo-romantic).
  • 1865 - Birth of Sven Hedin in Sweden; scientist/explorer (Tibet).
  • 1869 - US Assay Office in Boise, Idaho, is authorized.
  • 1875 - Jean B Vuillaume; French violin maker (octobas), dies at age 76.
  • 1877 - Birth of Louis François-Marie Aubert; French composer (Habanera).
  • 1878 - Thomas Alva Edison receives a patent for a music player (phonograph) at in Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA.
  • 1881 - Birth of Armin Knab; German composer (Eichendorff-cycle).
  • 1881 - Birth of Evert Gorter; founder of Dutch medical child care.
  • 1881 - Kansas becomes first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
  • 1884 - Tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana kill 800 people.
  • 1887 - Eduard Douwes Dekker, Dutch writer (Max Havelaar), dies at age 66.
  • 1889 - Birth of José Eustasio in Rivera, Colombia; poet/novelist (Vortex).
  • 1891 - Birth of J C "Farmer" White; cricket player (Somerset slow lefty 1909-37).
  • 1892 - Monty Bowden, cricket Captain (England versus South Africa 1889), dies at age 26.
  • 1893 - Birth of Cedric Hardwicke in Stourbridge, England; actor (Peter Pan, Richard III).
  • 1893 - Birth of Pietro Pancrazi; Italian critic (Scrittori d'Oggi).
  • 1894 - Birth of Herb Pennock; hall of fame pitcher (New York Yankees, 243 career wins).
  • 1895 - Birth of Louis Calhern in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Julius Caesar, Blackboard Jungle).
  • 1900 - Tripartite Treaty between Great Britain, Germany, and USA is ratified. Britain gives up its right to the Samoan island chain in exchange for German concessions elsewhere. Germany gains sole control of the western portion, and the USA gains control of the eastern.
  • 1900 - British troops occupy Hlangwane, Natal.
  • 1901 - Birth of Cornelis RJ Kieboom; Dutch resistance fighter/chairman (Feyenoord).
  • 1902 - Birth of Hugo Haas in Brno, Czechoslovakia; actor/director (Two Smart People).
  • 1902 - Birth of John Bubbles in Louisville, Kentucky, USA; rhythm tap dancer ("No Maps on My Taps").
  • 1902 - Birth of Nydia Westman in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Going My Way, Young Mr Bobbins).
  • 1903 - Birth of Kay Boyle in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; novelist (Plagued by Nightingales).
  • 1904 - Birth of Havank [HF vqan der Kallen]; Dutch thriller writer (Saint Eustache).
  • 1906 - Will Keith Kellogg and Charles D Bolin incorporate Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, Battle Creek, Michigan.
  • 1909 - Birth of Charlie Walker; South Australia cricket wicket-keeper (toured but no Tests).
  • 1911 - Birth of Merle Oberon in Calcutta, India; actress (Assignment Foreign Legion) (dies 1979).
  • 1912 - Birth of Adolf Rudnicki; Polish writer (Niekochana).
  • 1912 - Birth of Stan Kenton [Newcomb] in Wichita, Kansas, USA; jazz musician/orchestra leader (Music 55).
  • 1913 - First prize inserted into a Cracker Jack box in the USA.
  • 1913 - Mexican General V Huerta takes power in Mexico with US support.
  • 1915 - Birth of John Freeman; British politician (Labour)/ambassador/TV host.
  • 1915 - British fleet fires on Dardanellen coast.
  • 1915 - Gopal Krishna Gokhale, India's social reformer/politician, dies.
  • 1916 - Birth of Eddie Arcaro; jockey (1958 Racing Hall of Fame, two triple crowns).
  • 1917 - Birth of Carson McCullers; US novelist (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter).
  • 1919 - Pan-African Congress is organized by W E B Du Bois (Paris, France).
  • 1920 - Birth of George Rose in Bicester, England; actor (Beacon Hill, Holocaust).
  • 1920 - Netherlands joins League of Nations.
  • 1921 - Birth of Andries Treurnicht [Dr No]; founder (South Africa Conservative Party).
  • 1923 - Smithsonian Institution secretary Charles Doolittle Walcott formally accepts transfer of the US Mint's collection of 18,291 coins housed at the Philadelphia Mint.
  • 1924 - Birth of Bruce Norris; NHL owner (Detroit Red Wings).
  • 1924 - Birth of Lee Marvin in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Paint Your Wagon, Cat Ballou) (dies 1987).
  • 1925 - Birth of Leslie Laing in Linstead, Jamaica; 4X400 metre relayer (Olympics-gold-1952).
  • 1927 - General strike against British occupiers in Shanghai.
  • 1928 - II Olympic Winter Games close at Saint Moritz, Switzerland.
  • 1928 - Canadian hockey team wins third consecutive Olympic gold medal.
  • 1929 - Medical diathermy machine first used, in Schenectady, New York.
  • 1930 - Birth of John Frankenheimer in New York City, New York, USA; director (Birdman of Alcatraz).
  • 1932 - Birth of Jean-Pierre Ponnele in Paris, France; opera director (Carmina Burana).
  • 1932 - Birth of Joseph P Kerwin in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; Captain Medical Corps US Navy/astronaut (Skylab 2).
  • 1933 - Prussian minister Hermann Göring bans all Catholic newspapers.
  • 1934 - Birth of David Hugh Jones in Poole, Dorset, England; director (Betrayal).
  • 1934 - US contract air mail service canceled, replaced by US army for six months.
  • 1936 - Manuel Azaña becomes Spanish premier.
  • 1937 - Birth of Norman O'Neill; cricket player (great Aussie bat of 1960s Brilliant field).
  • 1938 - Soviet arctic ice research station North Pole 1 evacuated, Denmark.
  • 1939 - Birth of Gwen Taylor; British actress (Life of Brian, Sob Sisters, Screaming).
  • 1940 - Birth of Bobby Rogers; American vocalist (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - "You Really Got a Hold on Me").
  • 1940 - Birth of Carlin Glynn; American actress (Continental Divide, Mr. President, A Woman Named Jackie).
  • 1940 - Birth of William "Smokey" Robinson in Detroit, Michigan, USA; singer (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - "Being With You", "Tears of a Clown").
  • 1940 - Finns defeat and disperse the Soviet 18th Division northeast of Lake Ladoga.
  • 1940 - Birth of Saparmurat Niyazov in Gypjak, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR; first secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party (1985-1991), first president of Turkmenistan (1991-2006).
  • 1941 - Alexander Josiah Webbe, English cricket keeper (v Australia 1879), dies.
  • 1941 - Birth of Stephen Dobyns; American author/poet (Cold Dog Soup).
  • 1941 - Nazis raid Koco Amsterdam and round up 429 young Jews for deportation.
  • 1942 - Over 100 Japanese planes attack Darwin, Australia, to destroy its usefulness as a reinforcement base for the East Indies.
  • 1942 - Bill Longson beats Managoff and Sandor Szabo, to become wrestling champion.
  • 1942 - Birth of Kenneth R Kramer; American politician (Representative-Republican-Colorado, 1979-).
  • 1942 - Dutch actors protest obligatory membership of Culture Chamber.
  • 1942 - US President Franklin Roosevelt orders detention and internment of all west-coast Japanese-Americans.
  • 1942 - Japanese troops land on Timor.
  • 1942 - New York Yankees announce 5,000 uniformed soldiers will be admitted free at each of their upcoming home games.
  • 1943 - Birth of "Mama" Cass Elliot; actress (Mamas and Papas - "Monday Monday").
  • 1943 - Birth of Lou Christie AKA Lugee Sacco in Pennsylvania, USA; rock vocalist ("Lightning Striking Again").
  • 1943 - German tanks under Brigadier General Buelowius attack Kasserine Pass in Tunisia.
  • 1944 - 823 British bombers attack Berlin, Germany.
  • 1944 - Birth of Jan Bart Klaster; mythologist (Slogan).
  • 1944 - German submarine U-264 sinks off Ireland.
  • 1945 - 900 Japanese soldiers reportedly killed by crocodiles in two days.
  • 1945 - Birth of Jon Whiteley; actor (Moonfleet).
  • 1945 - Birth of Michael Nader; actor (Dynasty, All My Children).
  • 1945 - Brotherhood Day is first celebrated.
  • 1945 - 450 ships with 30,000 men of the US 4th and 5th Marine divisions begin landing on Iwo Jima to attack Japanese forces.
  • 1945 - Wim Speelman, Dutch resistance fighter, executed at age 26.
  • 1945 - By the end of the day, 30,000 U.S. Marines have established a solid beachhead in Iwo Jima.
  • 1946 - Birth of Paul Dean; rock guitarist/vocalist (Loverboy).
  • 1946 - Birth of Pierre van der Linden; Dutch drummer (Brainbox).
  • 1946 - New York Giants' outfielder Danny Gardella is first major league player to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican League.
  • 1946 - In Canada, a surplus Landing Ship loaded with $2 million worth of liquid mustard gas is intentionally sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, off Nova Scotia. The gas had been acquired from the United States in 1942.
  • 1946 - In New York, Prince Albert Carl Johan of Sweden marries Kirstin Wijkmark, becoming Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Bernadotte.
  • 1948 - Birth of Byron K Lichtenburg in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA; astronaut (STS 9, STS 45).
  • 1948 - Birth of Mark Andes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; rock bassist ("Spirit", "Heart", "Fireball").
  • 1948 - Birth of Tony Iommi; rock guitarist (Black Sabbath - "Paranoid", "Iron Man").
  • 1949 - First Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Ezra Pound.
  • 1949 - Birth of Edward Hardin in New York City, New York, USA; rocker (Spencer Davis Group).
  • 1949 - Mass arrests of communists in India.
  • 1950 - Birth of Andy Powell; rocker (Wishbone Ash).
  • 1951 - André[-Paul-Guillaume] Gide, French writer (Nobel Prize 1947), dies at age 81.
  • 1951 - Birth of Stephen Nichols in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; actor (Witchboard, Days of Our Lives).
  • 1952 - Birth of Rodolfo Neri Vela in Chilpancingo, Mexico; PhD/astronaut (STS 23).
  • 1952 - French offensive at Hanoi, Vietnam.
  • 1952 - Lawrence Grant, actor (Bulldog Drummond), dies at age 82.
  • 1953 - Birth of Bill Kirchenbauer; actor/comedian (Coach - Just the 10 of Us).
  • 1953 - Georgia state approves first American literature censorship board.
  • 1954 - Birth of Frances Bucholz; rocker (Scorpions - "Wind of Change").
  • 1954 - Birth of Jamie West-Oram; rock guitarist (Fixx).
  • 1955 - Birth of Jeff Daniels in Chelsea, Michigan, USA; actor (Something Wild, Dumb and Dumber, Speed, The Five People you Meet in Heaven, Caine Mutiny Court Martial).
  • 1955 - Birth of Margaux Hemingway in Portland, Oregon, USA; actress (Lipstick, They Call Me Bruce).
  • 1955 - South East Asia Collective Defense Treaty goes into effect.
  • 1956 - Birth of Dave Wakeling; rock singer, guitarist (General Public, English Beat).
  • 1956 - Birth of George David Low in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; astronaut (STS 32, STS 43).
  • 1956 - Birth of Peter Holsapple; rocker (Continental Drifters).
  • 1956 - Birth of Steve Randell; Tasmanian cricket Test umpire (international panel).
  • 1956 - Kathy Cornelius wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open.
  • 1957 - Birth of Dave "Smoke" Stewart in Oakland, California, USA; pitcher (Oakland Athletics).
  • 1957 - Birth of Falco [John Hoelcel]; rock vocalist ("Rock Me Amadeus").
  • 1957 - Birth of Lorianne Crook; talk show hostess (Crook and Chase).
  • 1959 - Britain, Turkey and Greece sign agreement granting Cyprus independence.
  • 1959 - Gabon adopts its constitution.
  • 1959 - US Air Force rocket-powered rail sled attains Mach 4.1 (4970 kph), New Mexico.
  • 1960 - Bil Keane's Family Circus cartoon strip debuts.
  • 1960 - Birth of Holly Johnson in England; rock vocalist (Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax").
  • 1960 - Birth of Keith Musa[kawukhathi] Zondi in South Africa; head of Inkatha Youth Brigade.
  • 1960 - Birth of Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, of Britain; Duke of York.
  • 1960 - Protest strike in Poznan, Poland.
  • 1961 - Albania disavows Chinese "Revisionism".
  • 1961 - Henk van der Grift (Netherlands) becomes world champion all-around skater.
  • 1962 - Birth of Alvaro Espinoza in Venezuela; baseball shortstop (New York Yankees, New York Mets).
  • 1962 - Birth of Hana Mandlikova in Prague, Czechoslovakia; tennis player (1985 US Open).
  • 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1963 - Birth of Jessica Tuck in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Megan - One Life to Live).
  • 1963 - Birth of Seal; English vocalist/songwriter ("Killer", "Crazy", "Kiss by a Rose").
  • 1963 - Robert Frost wins Bollingen Prize.
  • 1963 - The publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique launches the feminist movement in the United States.
  • 1963 - USSR informs US President John Kennedy it is withdrawing several thousand troops from Cuba.
  • 1965 - Birth of John Commins; cricket player (South African Test batsman vs New Zealand 1994-95).
  • 1965 - Forrest Taylor, actor (This is Life, Man Without a Gun), dies at age 81.
  • 1965 - Birth of Jon Fishman; drummer (Phish).
  • 1965 - Gheorge Gheorghiu Dej, Romanian President, dies at age 63.
  • 1965 - NFL adds sixth official.
  • 1966 - Birth of Justine Bateman in Rye, New York, USA; actress (Mallory - Family Ties, Satisfaction, Men in Trees).
  • 1966 - Birth of Matthew Ryan in Port Jefferson, New York, USA; team handball circle (Olympics-1996).
  • 1966 - Birth of Paul Haarhuis in Eindhoven, Netherlands; tennis star (1994 US/Australian doubles).
  • 1966 - Birth of Peter Douris in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; NHL right wing (Anaheim Mighty Ducks).
  • 1966 - Birth of Prince Markie D [Mark Morale]; rocker (Fat Boys - "Jail House Rock").
  • 1966 - Birth of William White; NFL safety (Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons).
  • 1967 - Birth of Benicio Del Toro in Puerto Rico; actor (Licence to Kill, Usual Suspects, Independence Day 2001, Drug Wars: The Camarena Story).
  • 1967 - Birth of Roel Liefden; soccer player (Dordrecht 1990, FC Groningen).
  • 1967 - Stien Kaiser becomes world champion lady's skater.
  • 1967 - Wilmer King, first casuality on Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, dies.
  • 1968 - First US teachers strike (Florida).
  • 1968 - Birth of Frank Watkins; US heavy metal bassist (Obituary, Cause of Death).
  • 1968 - Birth of Rob Dimaio in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; NHL right wing (Philadelphia Flyers).
  • 1968 - In the Aegean Sea, a magnitude 7.25-7.5 earthquake occurs. Some deaths, injuries, property damage on Saint Eustratios Island and Lemnos Island.
  • 1968 - Ralph Dunn, actor (Mr Rudge - Norby), dies at age 65.
  • 1970 - American League Cy Young winner Detroit Tigers' pitcher Denny McLain is suspended, effective April 1, for three months for his alleged connection bookmakers.
  • 1970 - Birth of Garland Hawkins; NFL defensive end (Chicago Bears).
  • 1970 - Birth of Ruwan Kalpage; cricket off-spinner (Sri Lankan).
  • 1970 - Ralph Edward Flanders, American politician (Senator-Vermont), dies at age 89.
  • 1970 - USSR launches Sputnik 52 and Molniya 1-13 communications satellite.
  • 1971 - Birth of Becca Lee in Tennessee, USA; Miss Tennessee-USA (1996-third).
  • 1971 - Birth of Becky Dyroen-Lancer in San Jose, California, USA; synchronized swimmer (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1971 - Birth of Glyn Milburn; NFL running back/kick returner (Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions).
  • 1971 - Birth of Wally Williams; NFL center/guard (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens).
  • 1971 - Birth of William Henderson; NFL running back (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31).
  • 1971 - Walt Wesley becomes the first Cleveland Cavaliers' player to score 50 points in a game.
  • 1972 - Donny Osmond song "Puppy Love" released.
  • 1972 - Birth of Andrey Pchelyakov; hockey forward (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998).
  • 1972 - Glenn Turner carries his bat for 223 versus West Indies at Kingston.
  • 1973 - Birth of Masafumi Kawaguchi; WLAF linebacker (Amsterdam Admirals).
  • 1973 - Birth of Terrence Rencher; NBA guard (Phoenix Suns).
  • 1973 - Birth of Tommy Bennett; safety (Arizona Cardinals).
  • 1974 - ABC TV airs the first American Music Awards, hosted by Dick Clark.
  • 1974 - Birth of Yevgeny Kafelnikov in Sochi, Russia; tennis star (1995 doubles-Hamburg).
  • 1975 - Birth of Daniel Adair; drummer (3 Doors Down).
  • 1975 - Birth of Paul Frey in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; dance skater (and Ponte-1995 Eastern Junior champion).
  • 1975 - Birth of Raymond Graanoogst; Suriname/Dutch soccer player (FC Utrecht).
  • 1975 - Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian 12-tone composer, dies at age 71.
  • 1976 - CBS live telecasts the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presentation of the 18th Annual Grammy Awards. Some winners:
    • Record of the Year: Captain and Tennille for "Love Will Keep Us Together";
    • Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female: Janis Ian for "At Seventeen";
    • Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male: Paul Simon for "Still Crazy After All These Years";
    • Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus: The Eagles for "Lyin' Eyes";
    • Best Pop Instrumental Performance: Van McCoy for "The Hustle";
    • Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance: Silver Convention for "Fly, Robin, Fly";
    • Best Country Vocal Performance, Female: Linda Ronstadt for "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)";
    • Best Country Vocal Performance, Male: Willie Nelson for "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain";
    • Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge for "Lover Please".

  • 1976 - Frente Polisario forms Democratic Republic of Sahara.
  • 1976 - In Cuba, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs.
  • 1977 - Oakland Athletics sell pitcher Paul Lindblad to the Texas Rangers for $400,000.
  • 1977 - Doug Walters scores 250 versus New Zealand, 217 stand for 7th wicket with Gilmour.
  • 1977 - France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island.
  • 1977 - Space shuttle Enterprise makes first test flight atop a 747 jetliner.
  • 1978 - Brigitte Kraus runs world record 1000 metre indoor (2:34.8).
  • 1978 - Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport.
  • 1979 - CBS live telecasts the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presentation of the 21st Annual Grammy Awards.
    • Record of the Year: Billy Joel for "Just The Way You Are";
    • Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female: Anne Murray for "You Needed Me";
    • Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male: Barry Manilow for "Copacabana (At The Copa)";
    • Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus: The Bee Gees for "Saturday Night Fever";
    • Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Female: Donna Summer for "Last Dance";
    • Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance, Male: George Benson for "On Broadway";
    • Best Country Vocal Performance, Female: Dolly Parton for "Here You Come Again";
    • Best Country Vocal Performance, Male: Willie Nelson for "Georgia On My Mind";
    • Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson for "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys".

  • 1980 - Death of Ronald Belford (Bon) Scott at age 33 by choking on vomit after heavy drinking in London, England; Scottish-born Australian singer (AC/DC - "Whole Lotta Rosie").
  • 1980 - Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1000 metre in 1:15.18.
  • 1980 - Botham a century and 13 wickets in Jubilee Test Cricket at Bombay.
  • 1981 - George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of "My Sweet Lord" with "He's So Fine".
  • 1982 - Sharie Langford, California, sets women's bowling series record of 853.
  • 1982 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1982 - The DeLorean Car factory in Belfast is put into receivership.
  • 1982 - Hanneke Jelgersma (Jagersma?) installed as Netherlands' first Communist mayor.
  • 1983 - Vladimir Salnikov (USSR) sets 400-metre freestyle swimming record.
  • 1983 - Alice White, actress (Employees' Entrance), dies of a stroke at age 78.
  • 1983 - Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration of US$1 million.
  • 1984 - First brother combo to win Gold and Silver in same event at the Olympics (Phil and Steve Mahre-Slalom).
  • 1984 - XIV Olympic Winter Games close at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
  • 1984 - Ina Ray Hutton, orchestra leader (Ina Ray Hutton Show), dies at age 66.
  • 1984 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1985 - Birth of Haylie Duff; American actress and singer (Seventh Heaven).
  • 1985 - 148 die when an Iberia Boeing 727 crashes into a TV mast near Bilbao, Spain.
  • 1985 - ADM of Amsterdam declares bankruptcy.
  • 1985 - Canned and bottled Cherry Coke introduced by Coca-Cola.
  • 1985 - Elizabeth Julesberg, author (Dick and Jane), dies.
  • 1985 - George Holmes, actor (Man in the Trunk), dies at age 66.
  • 1985 - Disney's Mickey Mouse character welcomed in China.
  • 1985 - William Schroeder is first artificial heart patient to leave hospital. He spends 15 minutes outside Humana Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.
  • 1986 - Adolfo Celi, actor (Thunderball), dies at age 63.
  • 1986 - James O Eastland, American politician (Senator-Democrat-Mississippi) dies at age 81.
  • 1986 - Jordanian King Hussein severs ties with Palestinian Liberation Organization.
  • 1986 - Paul Stewart, actor (Top Secret USA, Deadline), dies at age 77.
  • 1986 - US Senate ratifies United Nations' anti-genocide convention, 37 years after first passed by other nations.
  • 1986 - USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit.
  • 1987 - Anti-smoking ad airs for first time on TV in the USA, featuring Yul Brynner.
  • 1987 - Less than a month after re-signing, Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue retires.
  • 1987 - Minnesota sheriff's office arrests Thomas G Harrelson, on FBI's most wanted list.
  • 1987 - Reagan lifts trade boycott against Poland.
  • 1988 - Helga Arendt, Silke-Beate Knoll, Mechthild Kluth, and Gisela Kinzel walk indoor female world record 4x200 metre (1:32.55).
  • 1988 - Death of André Frédéric Cournand, French-born physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1895).
  • 1989 - Birth of L A Baby, orangutan at Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington.
  • 1989 - Broadway's biggest flop (lost US$5.3 million) Legs Diamond closes at Mark Hellinger Theater in New York City after 64 performances.
  • 1989 - Edgar Bowers wins Bollingen Prize.
  • 1989 - Jaap van de Merwe, Dutch journalist/cabareter (Hadjememaar), dies.
  • 1990 - Michael Powell, English director (Life and Death of Colonel Blimp), dies at age 84 (born 1905).
  • 1990 - Police kill eight demonstrators for multi-party system in Nepal.
  • 1990 - Soyuz TM-9 lands.
  • 1991 - Peggy Mondo, actress (Who's Minding the Store), dies at age 50.
  • 1993 - Gerhard Gesell, judge (Pentagon Papers), dies of liver cancer at age 82.
  • 1993 - Kenya Moore, 22, (Miss Michigan), crowned 42nd Miss USA.
  • 1993 - Michael David Morrison, actor (Caleb - As the World Turns), dies at age 33.
  • 1994 - Derek Jarman, actor/director (Tempest), dies of AIDS at age 52.
  • 1994 - Georges Watin, Algerian/French officer (OAS), dies at age 71.
  • 1994 - Marta Figueras-Dotti, wins Cup o' Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open.
  • 1995 - First broadcast of Woman of Independent Means on NBC-TV.
  • 1995 - Irina Privalova runs indoor woman's European record 200 metre (22.10 seconds).
  • 1995 - Kenneth Koch wins Bollingen Prize.
  • 1995 - Linford Christie runs European record 60 metre indoor (6.47 seconds).
  • 1995 - Linford Christie runs world record 200 metre indoor (20.25 seconds).
  • 1995 - Shlomo Averbach, Israeli ultra-orthodox rabbi, dies at age 84.
  • 1996 - In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint releases a $2 circulating coin, depicting a polar bear on an ice flow. The coin is Canada's first bi-metallic coin, with a core of aluminum bronze, and an outer ring of pure nickel. At the same time, the Bank of Canada ceases production of $2 notes.
  • 1996 - Brenda Bruce, actress (December Bride, Nightmare), dies at age 77.
  • 1996 - Charles O Finley, baseball owner (Oakland Athletics), dies at age 76.
  • 1997 - The last of the People's Republic of China's major revolutionaries, Deng Xiaoping, dies at age 92 (this is followed by weeks of mourning).
  • 1997 - US Federal Communications Commission makes available 311 for non-emergency calls and 711 for hearing or speech-impaired emergency calls.
  • 1997 - Leo Rosten, writer/humorist (Joys of Yiddish), dies at age 88.
  • 1998 - Death of Louis Marshall Jones AKA Grandpa Jones at age 84 following a series of strokes; country musician and comedian (Hee-Haw, Grand Ole Opry).
  • 1998 - Russian Soyuz TM-26 spacecraft lands.
  • 1998 - US hockey team destroys their rooms at Olympics village in Japan.
  • 1998 - A 66-day blackout begins in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • 1998 - Larry Wayne Harris of the Aryan Nations and William Leavitt are arrested in Henderson, New York, for possession of military grade anthrax.
  • 2001 - An Oklahoma City bombing museum is dedicated at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
  • 2002 - NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
  • 2003 - In West Warwick, Rhode Island, sparks from a pyrotechnic display being used by the band Great White start a fire, destroying the nightclub The Station, and killing 99 people.
  • 2003 - Death of Ty Longley in nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA; guitarist (Great White).
  • 2005 - Suicide bombers kill more than 30 people in Iraq as Shia Muslims mark Ashura, their holiest day.
  • 2006 - Sixty-five miners become trapped underground after an explosion in Nueva Rosita, Mexico; all 65 die.
  • 2007 - Death of Janet Blair at age 85; actress (Caesar's Hour TV show).
  • 2008 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average removes Altria Group Incorporated and Honeywell International Incorporated from its index, replacing them with Bank of America Corporation and Chevron Corporation.
  • 2008 - Armenia presidential elections: Serzh Sarkisian wins 53 percent of votes.
  • 2008 - Toshiba of Japan announces it is giving up on its HD DVD format.
  • 2008 - A fireball and sonic boom are reported in parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia.
  • 2008 - In Cuba, President and commander-in-chief Fidel Castro steps down, turning over power to brother Raul.
  • 2012 - Iran suspends oil exports to Britain and France following sanctions put in place by the European Union and the United States in January.
  • 2012 - Death of Renato Dulbecco, Italian-born American Nobel virologist (born 1914).
  • 2017 - Death of Halaevalu Mata?aho ?Ahome?e, Queen Consort of Tonga (born 1926).
  • 2021 - The United States officially rejoins the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, 107 days after leaving.
  • 2022 - Death of Jan Pienkowski at age 85; author and illustrator (Meg and Mog children's books).
  • 2022 - Death of Gary Brooker at age 76; singer, songwriter (Procol Harum band - "A Whiter Shade of Pale").
  • 2023 - Death of Richard Belzer at age 78 at home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France; comedian, actor (Detective John Munch - Homicide: Life on the Streets TV show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit TV show).

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