On This Day In History
Shirley Temple died this day in 2014 at 85 years old. She retired from making movies at the ripe old age of 22.
Growing up, her movies were always on Sunday afternoons and were always fun to watch on cold, rainy days. https://t.co/8YAuvdd5Kt— FreddieBiden🌊🌊 (@FreddieBiden) February 10, 2022
February 11th
1858 First vision of the Virgin Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette of Lourdes, France
1929 Vatican City, the world's smallest country, is made an enclave of Rome
1975 Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for leadership of the British Conservative Party
1990 Nelson Mandela released after 27 years imprisonment in South Africa
2011 Egyptian Revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests (Arab Spring)
Did You Know?
Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu
Today in History in 660
Would You Believe?
Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation from February 28, the first pope to resign since 1415
Today in History in 2013
This day 96 years ago – 11 February 1926 – members of Cumann na mBan protested a performance of Seán O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars, set in 1916, for a scene featuring a prostitute.
When a riot broke out, W. B. Yeats told the audience, “You have disgraced yourselves again.” pic.twitter.com/XHrzWmAbTM
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 11, 2022
Paula von Preradović, Austrian writer and poet, composed the lyrics to the Austrian national anthem, 'Land der Berge, Land am Strome', which was unveiled in February 1947: one of few women globally to do so. The lyrics were made inclusive of women in 2012. https://t.co/AhGhTrE0v5 pic.twitter.com/bv8uSkwSOh
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 11, 2022
On this day in 1826, a white man in North Carolina offered a $20 reward for the capture of an enslaved Black man suspected of fleeing to visit his enslaved wife in a neighboring county. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/8mqZw1jf9A
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 11, 2022
Descartes died #OnThisDay in 1650. His book 'Meditations on First Philosophy' has been widely recommended on Five Books. https://t.co/hkkDndUHiR
— Five Books (@five_books) February 11, 2022
11 Feb 1650. Rene Descartes died in Gamla stan, Stockholm. He went to Sweden in 1649 to tutor Queen Christina. The catch was she wanted her lessons at 5 am. Descartes’ habit was to wake up at 11 am. Late risers will be happy to know the early rising may have been a factor.
— Kaushik Basu (@kaushikcbasu) February 11, 2022
“I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want.”
Sylvia Plath died #OnThisDay in 1963 #ReadMoreWomen pic.twitter.com/1ANUQyaRQg
— Read More Women (@WomenRead) February 11, 2022
Today we remember music superstar Whitney Houston who died on this day in 2012. The Newark, New Jersey, native was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and her legendary music lives on. pic.twitter.com/5R7BmK1twP
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) February 11, 2022
February 12th
1700 The Great Northern War begins in Northern Europe between Denmark–Norway, Saxony and Russia and the Swedish Empire.
1912 The last Qing Emperor of China, Puyi (age 6) abdicates after losing the support of the Chinese people and thus the "mandate of heaven"
1947 French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his first influential collection, named the "New Look"
1999 US President Bill Clinton acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial
2001 NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
2013 North Korea allegedly conducts its third nuclear test, saying it was a nuclear device that could be weaponized
Did You Know?
Henry Highland Garnet becomes the 1st African American minister to preach to the US House of Representatives, he talks about the end of slavery
Today in History in 1865
Would You Believe?
Pope Francis meets Patriarch Kirill in Havana - first meeting between Catholic and Russian Orthodox church heads for nearly 1,000 years
Today in History in 2016
This day 90 years ago – 12 February 1932 – Freaks was released.
The controversial film, directed by Tod Browning, was banned in the United Kingdom until 1963. pic.twitter.com/WTRfTtFfnM
— This Day in Film History (@DayFilmHistory) February 12, 2022
After 7.5 years as a POW in Vietnam, James Stockdale was freed #OTD in 1973—thanks to the campaigning of his wife, Sybil Stockdale, who had harnessed the media to negotiate the release of prisoners forgotten by their own government. Listen @whatshernamepc https://t.co/4Yhuh8WJKA pic.twitter.com/wuoANy75y2
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 12, 2022
On this day in 1901, Delaware finally ratified the 13th Amendment—prohibiting slavery nationwide, except as punishment for crime—after refusing to do so for 36 years. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/4Ve5uCCtXX
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 12, 2022
February 13th
1258 Baghdad, then a city of 1 million, falls to the Mongols as the abbasid Caliphate is destroyed, tens of thousands slaughtered, ending the Islamic Golden Age
1601 1st British East India Company voyage departs from London, lead by John Lancaster
1689 Parliament of England adopts the Bill of Rights which establishes the rights of parliament and places limits on the crown
1942 Hitler's Operation Sealion, the invasion of England, is cancelled
1945 Allied planes begin bombing Dresden, Germany; a firestorm results and over 22,000 die
1945 USSR captures Budapest, after a 49-day battle with Nazi Germany in which 159,000 die
1960 France becomes the 4th nuclear nation by exploding the 70 kilo-ton "Gerboise Bleue" atomic bomb in the French Algerian Sahara desert [1]
Did You Know?
Jesse James holds up his first bank, stealing $15,000 from the Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri
Today in History in 1866
Would You Believe?
Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon" marks 402 weeks in the album charts
Today in History in 1982
This day 56 years ago – 13 February 1966 – the Bishop of Clonfert, Dr Thomas Ryan, condemned RTÉ's The Late Late Show for featuring a conversation with a woman who revealed she had worn no nightdress on her wedding night.
It became known as the “Bishop and the Nightie” incident. pic.twitter.com/8eyGVNeplT
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 13, 2022
In 1953, Milicent Bagot became the first woman to become Assistant Director of Britain's MI5 security service. She was an authority on international Communism. A legend in MI5, Bagot may have been the model for "Connie Sachs" in John le Carré's spy novels.https://t.co/YSWMDALWQq pic.twitter.com/tHGRLbnGfA
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 13, 2022
On this day in 1960, students from Nashville's Black colleges launched anti-segregation protests and later braved violent attacks by white mobs. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/u9OHgPYgy2
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 13, 2022
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.