On This Day In History
February 14th
1014 Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry II Holy Roman Emperor
1076 Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (for the 1st time)
1797 The Battle of Cape St Vincent: British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeats larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal. Captain Horatio Nelson distinguishes himself.
1876 Alexander G. Bell & Elisha Gray apply separately for telephone patents Supreme Court eventually rules Bell rightful inventor
1929 St Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, 7 gangsters killed, allegedly on Al Capone's orders
1971 Richard Nixon installs secret taping system in the White House
Did You Know?
1st "micro on a chip" patented by Texas Instruments
Today in History in 1978
Would You Believe?
Thomas J. Watson renames the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) as International Business Machines (IBM)
Today in History in 1924
This day 76 years ago – 14 February 1946 – the world's first general-purpose computer, the ENIAC, was unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania.
One of its six primary programmers was Kay McNulty, who was born in Co Donegal and had emigrated to the US with her family. pic.twitter.com/Xeelj9Gb68
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 14, 2022
#OTD in 1857, the ship 'Neptune's Car' docked in San Francisco, captained by 8-months pregnant Mary Patton. She took command from her sick husband, locking the mutinous first mate in the brig. She was awarded $1000, and gave birth to a son 3 weeks later. Here's the @latimes: pic.twitter.com/kDqFYuVWQ7
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 14, 2022
On this day in 1945, an all-white grand jury in Alabama failed to indict the white men accused of raping Recy Taylor, a Black woman, despite a confession implicating them. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/VTp5z2t9ro
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 14, 2022
Quote from Forrest on February 14, 2022, 12:13 pmValentine’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.
Thanks, F. 🤗
On #ValentinesDay, self-love is just as important as any other kind of love. And if loving yourself means buying yourself a dozen cases of bonbons and watching romcoms all day — vous are just like moi! pic.twitter.com/b1CL8gI6Wu
— Miss Piggy (@MissPiggy) February 14, 2022
February 15th
399 BC Philosopher Socrates is sentenced to death by the city of Athens for corrupting the minds of the youth of the city and for impiety
590 Khosrau II, the last great Sasanian king is crowned King of Persia
1763 Austria, Prussia & Saxony sign the Treaty of Hubertusburg, marking the end of the French and Indian War and of the Seven Years' War
1986 Ferdinand Marcos wins rigged presidential election in the Philippines
2001 First draft of the complete human genome is published in the journal "Nature"
2003 An estimated 6-11 million people around the world take to the streets to protest against war with Iraq
Did You Know?
1st Teddy Bear introduced in America, made by Morris & Rose Michtom
Today in History in 1903
Would You Believe?
Longest dream (REM sleep) on record, Bill Carskadon, Chicago (2:23)
Today in History in 1967
This day 27 years ago – 15 February 1995 – a riot broke out in Lansdowne Road during a football match between Ireland and England, causing it to be cancelled.
It was orchestrated by Combat 18, a neo-Nazi group that had infiltrated the English supporters. 40 people were arrested. pic.twitter.com/4YuxGuQNjj
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 15, 2022
In 1704, after only a year of painting, Rosalba Carriera was the first woman taken into the Roman Accademia Di San Luca. Self-taught, she became one of the 18th century's most successful and wealthy artists; a pioneer of Rococo art, and the use of pastels. https://t.co/zYyAEN2RoY pic.twitter.com/pWs6UBEl0Q
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 15, 2022
On this day in 1804, New Jersey appeased the state's enslavers by passing a "gradual emancipation" law that delayed the end of slavery for several more decades. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/8YZ9LB4SW5
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 15, 2022
February 16th
1659 1st known cheque written (£400), now on display at Westminster Abbey
1840 American Charles Wilkes discovers Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica
1923 Howard Carter opens the inner burial chamber of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb and finds the sarcophagus
1959 Fidel Castro becomes the 16th Prime Minister of Cuba after overthrowing Fulgencio Batista
2005 The Kyoto Protocol comes into force following its ratification by Russia committing industrialized nations to limit and reduce greenhouse gases
Did You Know?
Pope Gregory the Great decrees saying "God bless You" is the correct response to a sneeze
Today in History in 600
Would You Believe?
Abraham Lincoln stops his train at Westfield on his way to Washington to thank 11-year old Grace Bedell in person for her advice to grow a beard to gain more votes
Today in History in 1861
This day 90 years ago – 16 February 1932 – Fianna Fáil became the largest party in the Irish State for the first time, winning 72 seats on 44.5% of the vote.
It would remain the largest party at every election until 2011, making it one of the most successful parties in Europe. pic.twitter.com/7YZ1N2jFjX
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 16, 2022
In February 1926 Zitkala-Sa founded the National Council of American Indians, lobbying for native American civil rights. A hugely important campaigning writer on the rights of women and First Nation peoples, she was also an accomplished composer. https://t.co/qUI751iebJ
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 16, 2022
On this day in 1847, Missouri passed an act prohibiting Black people from learning to read and write and assembling freely for worship. It also forbade the migration of free Black people to MO. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/UhEdv8HMpl
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 16, 2022
February 17th
1568 Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II agrees to pay tribute to the Ottoman Empire for peace
1865 Columbia in South Carolina burns down during the American Civil War
1876 Sardines first canned by Julius Wolff in Eastport, Maine
1972 British Parliament votes to join the European Common Market
2017 Discovery of a new mostly underwater continent Zealandia in the South Pacific announced in research journal "GSA Today"
Did You Know?
The world's first superhero, The Phantom, a cartoon strip by Lee Falk, makes his first appearance in comics
Today in History in 1936
Would You Believe?
Oldest known case of human-Neanderthal sex (100,000 yrs ago) revealed by Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig), 50,000 yr old Neanderthal woman's remains from Altai mountains show traces of Homo Sapiens DNA
Today in History in 2016
This day 42 years ago – 17 February 1980 – the Derrynaflan Chalice was discovered at an ancient church near Killenaule, Co Tipperary.
It is believed to have been buried there between the ninth and tenth centuries.
It was described as “the archaeological find of the century.” pic.twitter.com/QOsKKa0VaL
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 17, 2022
Ende (or En) was a 10th century Spanish artist, the first known female illustrator in European history. She was the principal illuminator of the Beatus of Gerona, which contains 284 colour pages with more than 100 illustrations. https://t.co/xEacWllOmB pic.twitter.com/S8EqhDo0tV
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 17, 2022