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What happened in history on this day: February 11?
On February 11 in ...
- 385 - Oldest Pope elected; Siricius - bishop of Tarragona.
- 641 - Heraclius, emperor of Byzantium (610-641), dies at about age 65.
- 731 - Gregory II, Greek-Syrian Pope, dies.
- 821 - Benedict of Aniane, saint, dies.
- 824 - Paschal I, Italian Catholic Pope (817-24), dies.
- 867 - Theodora the Saint, beauty queen/empress of Byzantine, dies.
- 1141 - Hugo of St-Victor philosopher/theologist/mystic, dies.
- 1380 - Birth of Gianfrancesco Poggio Bracciolini Italy, humanist.
- 1465 - Birth of Elizabeth of York London, Consort of King Henry VII.
- 1503 - Elizabeth of York Consort of King Henry VII, dies on 38th birthday.
- 1506 - Birth of Juliana van Stolberg engraver of Nassau.
- 1531 - Henry VIII recognized as supreme head of the Church in England.
- 1535 - Birth of Gregory XIV [Niccolò Sfondrati], Roman Catholic pope (1590-91).
- 1543 - Ahmed Gran sultan of Adal, dies in battle.
- 1543 - Battle at Wayna Daga Ethiopian/Portugese troops beat Muslim army.
- 1543 - Karel/Henry VIII sign anti-French covenant.
- 1568 - Birth of Honoré d'Urfé French writer (L'Astrée).
- 1573 - First European, Francis Drake sees the Pacific (from Panamá).
- 1575 - King Frederick of Denmark offers island of Hveen to Tycho Brahe.
- 1638 - Dutch countess Louise of Solms marries earl John of Brederode.
- 1650 - René Descartes philosopher "I think therefore I am", stops thinking.
- 1657 - Birth of Bernard Fontenelle France, scientist/writer (Plurality of Worlds).
- 1664 - English garrison of Tangier begins war with Moors.
- 1720 - Sweden and Prussia sign peace (second Treaty of Stockholm).
- 1752 - Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the US, opened.
- 1764 - Birth of Marie-Joseph de Chénier French poet (Cajus Graechus).
- 1766 - Stamp Act declared unconstitutional in Virginia.
- 1768 - Samuel Adams letter, circulates around American colonies, opposing Townshend Act taxes.
- 1776 - Birth of Joannis Capodistrias; Greek Governor of Troezen (1827-31).
- 1790 - Society of Friends petitions US Congress for abolition of slavery.
- 1793 - Prussian troops occupy Venlo, Netherlands.
- 1794 - First session of US Senate open to the public.
- 1802 - Birth of Lydia Maria Child; US author/abolitionist (Juvenile Miscellany).
- 1808 - Anthracite coal first burned as fuel, experimentally, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA.
- 1809 - Robert Fulton patents the steamboat.
- 1811 - US President James Madison prohibits trade with Britain for third time in four years.
- 1812 - Birth of Alexander Hamilton Stephens; Vice President (Confederate States of America) (dies 1883).
- 1812 - Birth of Benjamin Franklin Sands; US Commander (Union Navy) (dies 1883).
- 1812 - Massachusetts Governor Gerry signs a redistricting bill-the first "gerrymander".
- 1814 - Norway's independence is proclaimed.
- 1821 - Birth of Auguste Édouard Mariette; French Egyptologist, dug out the Sphinx.
- 1826 - London University is founded.
- 1829 - Birth of William Anderson Pile; US Brevet Major General (US volunteers) (dies 1889).
- 1833 - Birth of Melville Weston Fuller; 8th US chief justice.
- 1837 - American Physiological Society organizes in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1840 - Birth of Samuel Dana Greene; US Lieutenant Commander (Union Navy) (dies 1884).
- 1847 - Birth of Thomas Alva Edison in Milan, Ohio, USA; inventor of 1300 inventions (incandescent light bulb, phonograph).
- 1851 - First cricket first-class game in Australia, Tasmania versus Victoria, Launceston.
- 1860 - Birth of Rachilde [Marguerite Vallette-Eymery]; French author (Monsieur Venus).
- 1861 - US House unanimously passes resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
- 1863 - Italy issues its first postage stamps.
- 1868 - Léon Foucault, discovered first physical proof of Earth's rotation, dies.
- 1869 - Birth of Helene ELJ Kröller-Müller; Dutch founder (Kröller-Müller Museum).
- 1870 - Jacob M de Kempenaer, Dutch Minister of Internal Affairs (1848-49), dies at age 76.
- 1873 - Birth of Feodor Chaliapine; Russian author/novelist (Pages from My Life).
- 1873 - Spanish Cortes fires King Amadeus I.
- 1873 - First Spanish Republic is proclaimed.
- 1874 - Birth of Elsa Beskow [Maartman]; Swedish children's book/fairy tales author.
- 1878 - First US bicycle club, Boston Bicycle Club, forms.
- 1883 - Birth of Paul August von Klenau; Danish composer/conductor (Sulamith).
- 1887 - Birth of Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstängl; German/US pianist/politician (NSDAP).
- 1887 - Birth of John van Melle; South African writer (Dawid Booysen).
- 1889 - Birth of John Mills; dancer (Mills Brothers).
- 1889 - Meiji constitution of Japan adopted; first Diet convenes in 1890.
- 1891 - Birth of J W Hearne; cricket leg-spinner (all-rounder for England in 24 Tests).
- 1893 - Birth of Johan C P Alberts; Dutch literary (Festival).
- 1894 - Birth of Isaac M Kolthoff; chemist (Massenanalyse).
- 1895 - -17 degrees F (-27.2 degrees C) in Braemar, Grampian (United Kingdom record).
- 1898 - Birth of Leo Szilard in Hungary; physicist/atomic bomb worker/peace activist.
- 1898 - Owen Smith of North Carolina, AME Zion minister, is named minister to Liberia.
- 1899 - George Morgan is first English motorist to die in an motor accident.
- 1900 - Birth of Thomas Hitchcock Junior; great polo player (Westchester Cup 1924,1927,1930,1939).
- 1901 - King Milan I of Serbia dies at age 56.
- 1902 - Police beat up universal suffrage demonstrators in Brussels, Belgium.
- 1903 - Birth of Rex Lease in West Virginia, USA; actor (Fast Bullets, Sunny Skies, Custer's Last Stand).
- 1904 - Birth of Henry R LaBouisse; head of UNICEF (1965-79).
- 1904 - Birth of Lucile Randon; will become French nun Sister André and die in 2023 as world's oldest person.
- 1904 - Birth of Keith Holyoake; New Zealand Prime Minister (1960-72).
- 1905 - Birth of Beb [Elizabeth] Vuyk; Netherlands/Indonesian writer (Camp diary).
- 1905 - James Blackstone, in Seattle Washington, bowls 299.5; last pin breaks but stands.
- 1905 - Pope Pius X publishes encyclical Vehementer nos.
- 1906 - Birth of Denis Barnett; British air chief marshal.
- 1907 - De Master's Dutch government resigns.
- 1907 - Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, 322 die.
- 1907 - Peter J Savelberg, Dutch Limbourg monastery founder, dies at age 80.
- 1908 - Australia regains the Ashes with a 308 run cricket victory versus England.
- 1908 - Birth of Vivian [Ernest] Fuchs; geologist/explorer (British Antarctic Survey).
- 1908 - Heemskerk's government begins in Holland.
- 1909 - Birth of Joseph L Mankiewicz in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA; film writer/director (Sleuth).
- 1909 - Birth of Max Baer [The Livermore Larruper] in Omaha, Nebraska, USA; heavyweight boxing champion (1934-35), actor (The Prizefighter and the Lady).
- 1911 - Albert von Rothschild, baron/Austrian banker, dies at age 66.
- 1911 - Birth of Alec Cairncross; chancellor (Glasgow University).
- 1912 - Birth of Roy Fuller in England; poet/novelist (Lost Season).
- 1912 - Birth of Rudolf Firkusny in Napajedla, Czechoslovakia; pianist (Julliard).
- 1914 - Birth of Matt Dennis in Seattle, Washington, USA; singer/songwriter (Tommy Dorsey band - "Everything Happens to Me", "Let's Get Away from It All", "The Night We Called It a Day"), musical director for the Dick Haymes radio show.
- 1915 - Birth of Josh White in Greenville, South Carolina, USA; blues singer ("The Singing Christian").
- 1915 - Birth of Haakon Stotijn; Dutch oboist (VARA Orchestra, Orkestgebouw Orchestra).
- 1916 - Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.
- 1917 - Birth of Sidney Sheldon in Chicago, Illinois, USA; author/producer (Patty Duke Show TV show, I Dream of Jeannie, Hart to Hart, Master of the Game, If Tomorrow Comes, Bloodline, The Other Side of Midnight, Windmills of the Gods, 1947 Academy Award, 1959 Tony Award).
- 1918 - Birth of Blaine Gibson in Colorado, USA; started at Disney Studio in 1939 in animation, created hundreds of sculptures for use in Disneyland attractions, retired 1983, named Disney Legend in 1993.
- 1919 - Birth of Eva Gabor in Budapest, Hungary; actress (Lisa - Green Acres TV show, Gigi).
- 1919 - Birth of Gretchen Fraser in Tacoma, Washington, USA; slalom skier (Olympics-gold-1948).
- 1919 - Friedrich Ebert (SPD) is elected President of Germany.
- 1920 - Birth of Billy Halop in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Bert Munson - All in the Family TV show).
- 1920 - Birth of Daniel Francis Galouye; American sci-fi author (Dark Universe, Last Leap).
- 1920 - Birth of Farouk; son of King Fuad, at Abdin Palace in Cairo, Egypt; last King of Egypt (1936-52).
- 1921 - Birth of Lloyd Bentsen; American politician (Senator-Democrat-Texas) (1988 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee).
- 1922 - Gerardus J P Bolland, Dutch philosopher (Bolland Society), dies at age 67.
- 1922 - US intervention army leaves Honduras.
- 1925 - Birth of Kim Stanley AKA Patricia Reid in Tularosa, New Mexico, USA; actress (Right Stuff, Ben Casey TV show (1963, Emmy Award), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof TV show (1985, Emmy Award)).
- 1925 - Birth of Virginia E Johnson; doctor/sexologist (Masters and Johnson).
- 1926 - Birth of Leslie Nielsen in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; actor (Police Squad, Forbidden Planet, Naked Gun).
- 1926 - Birth of Alexander Gibson; British conductor/founder (Scottish Opera).
- 1926 - Birth of Paul Bocuse in France; great chef (Legion of Honor).
- 1926 - Tokelau (Union) islands in south Pacific transfers to New Zealand.
- 1927 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Beatrix Loughran.
- 1927 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Nathaniel Niles.
- 1928 - (to February 19) The II Olympic Winter Games are held in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
- 1928 - Birth of Archibald Forster; CEO (Esso United Kingdom).
- 1928 - Birth of Conrad Janis in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Mork and Mindy, Quark, Bonino, Frasier).
- 1928 - Birth of Gerry Alexander; cricket wicketkeeper (West Indies of 50s and 60s).
- 1929 - The Latern Treaty creates the Vatican (world's smallest country), giving sovereignty of the Vatican to the Holy See.
- 1930 - Birth of Alevtina Koltschina in USSR; cross country relay skier (Olympics-gold-1960).
- 1931 - Birth of Larry Merchant; American author and boxing commentator (Showtime, HBO).
- 1931 - Charles Algernon Parsons, British inventor (steam turbine), dies at age 76.
- 1932 - Birth of Jerome Lowenthal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; pianist/professor (Jerusalem Academy of Music).
- 1934 - Birth of Mary Quant in Kent, England; fashion designer (Chelsea Look, Mod Look).
- 1934 - Birth of Tina Louise in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Ginger - Gilligan's Island, Julie - Dallas).
- 1935 - -11 degrees F (-24 degrees C), Ifrane, Morocco (African record low).
- 1935 - First US airplane flight with auto slung beneath the fuselage, New York.
- 1935 - Birth of Gene Vincent in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; rock guitarist/vocalist ("Be-Bop-A-Lula" (1956)).
- 1936 - Birth of Burt Reynolds in Waycross, Georgia, USA; actor (Evening Shade, Striptease, Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit, Dan August, Deliverance, Hawk).
- 1937 - 44-day sit-down strike at General Motors in Flint, Michigan ends.
- 1937 - Birth of Bill Lawry; cricket player (dour Australian lefty opener, Can talk a bit).
- 1937 - Birth of Lodewijk Boer; Dutch violinist/playwright (The Family).
- 1937 - Birth of Marilyn Butler; Rector (Exeter College-Oxford).
- 1937 - Birth of Peter Lashley; cricket player (4 Tests for West Indies 1960-66).
- 1938 - Birth of Bevan Congdon; cricket player (New Zealand batsman of 60s and 70s).
- 1938 - Birth of Boris Majorov in USSR; ice hockey (Olympics-gold-1964).
- 1938 - Birth of Manuel Antonio Noriega; Panamanian General/dictator (1983-1990).
- 1938 - Birth of Yevgeniy Majorov in USSR; ice hockey (Olympics-gold-1964).
- 1938 - Steve Casey beats Lou Thesz in Boston, to become wrestling champion.
- 1938 - Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg meets with Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria. Adolf Hitler demands that Austria become a protectorate of Germany, governed by him. Schuschnigg signs in agreement.
- 1939 - Birth of Jane [Hyatt] Yolen; American sci-fi author (Spider Jane, Heart's Blood).
- 1940 - Birth of Bobby "Boris" Pickett; rocker ("Monster Mash").
- 1940 - Birth of Calvin Fowler in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; basketball player (Olympics-gold-1968).
- 1940 - Birth of John Fink in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actor (Dr Adam Hudson - Nancy).
- 1940 - John Buchan, first Baron Tweedsmuir, Governor-General of Canada (1935-40), dies.
- 1940 - Russian forces breach the main Finnish defensive line.
- 1941 - First Gold record presented (Glenn Miller - "Chattanooga Choo Choo").
- 1941 - Birth of Glenn Randall Junior; stuntman (Species, Mrs Soffel, Return of the Jedi).
- 1941 - Birth of Sergio Mendes; jazz/pop musician ("Brazil '66", '77, '88).
- 1941 - Rudolf Hilferding, German economist/Minister of Finance (SPD), suicide at age 63.
- 1942 - Archie comic book debuts.
- 1942 - Birth of Leon Haywood; American vocalist/keyboardist ("It's Got to be Mellow").
- 1942 - Birth of Otis Clay; American gospel/rhythm and blues singer ("That's how it is").
- 1942 - Birth of Tony Colton; rock producer (On the Boards).
- 1943 - US General Eisenhower is selected to command the Allied armies in Europe.
- 1943 - Karkov is recaptured by the Soviet Red Army.
- 1944 - Birth of Buddhadev Dasgupta; director (Charachar, Grihajuddha).
- 1944 - Birth of Michael G Oxley; American politician (Representative-Republican-Ohio, 1981-).
- 1944 - German troops re-conquer Aprilia Italy.
- 1944 - German submarine U-424 sunk off Ireland.
- 1945 - First gas turbine propeller-driven airplane flight tested, in Downey, California.
- 1945 - Death of Al Dubin at age 53; songwriter ("Lullaby of Broadway", "September in The Rain", "Forty Second Street", "Lulu's Back in Town", "About a Quarter to Nine", "You're Getting to be a Habit", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Tiptoe Thru The Tulips").
- 1945 - J S H Lokerman, Dutch resistance fighter, dies in Neugengamme.
- 1945 - At Yalta, representatives of Great Britain, the USA, and the Soviet Union sign a secret agreement on certain post-war issues. After victory over Japan, the Soviet Union is to receive the Kurile Islands, and southern Sakhalin and adjacent islands. All those who resided in Soviet territory on September 1, 1939, are required to return to the Soviet Union.
- 1946 - Birth of M C Walker; CEO (Iceland Frozen Foods).
- 1946 - The U.S. Military Tribunal in Japan convicts Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma of the Japanese Army of ordering the Bataan Death March and condoning other wartime atrocities. He is sentenced to death by firing squad.
- 1946 - The secret agreement by the Allies made in Yalta is published publicly. The terms of the Soviet Union joining the war versus Japan included maintaining the status quo in Outer Mongolia, the restoration of southern Sakhalin and adjacent islands to the Soviet Union, and the gain to the Soviet Union of the Kurile Islands.
- 1948 - Billy Griffith scores cricket century on debut England versus West Indies, out for 140.
- 1948 - John Costello follows Eamon Da Valera as premier of Ireland.
- 1948 - Test Cricket debut of Frank Worrell, versus England Port-of-Spain.
- 1949 - Birth of Charlie Hargrett; rock guitarist (Blackfoot).
- 1949 - Willie Pep recaptures world featherweight boxing title.
- 1950 - "Rag Mop" song by The Ames Brothers hit #1.
- 1950 - Birth of Earnest Jim Istook; American politician (Representative-Republican-Oklahoma).
- 1950 - Birth of Johanna E "Joke" Beerens; actress (Schipper Next to God).
- 1950 - Birth of Rochelle Fleming; US soul vocalist ("First Choice", "Smarty Pants").
- 1951 - Kwame Nkrumah wins first parliamentary election in Gold Coast (Ghana).
- 1953 - Birth of Alan Rubin; music figure (Blues Brothers).
- 1953 - Birth of Philip Anglim in San Francisco, California, USA; actor (Dane - Thorn Birds).
- 1953 - Birth of Stephen D Thorne in Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany; Lieutenant Commander US Navy/astronaut.
- 1953 - US President Dwight Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Rosenberg couple.
- 1954 - In Los Angeles, California, the 6th Annual Emmy Awards are presented, hosted by Ed Sullivan.
- Best Audience Participation, Quiz or Panel Program: This Is Your Life and What's My Line?
- Best Children's Program: Kukla, Fran, and Ollie
- Best Dramatic Program: The United States Steel Hour
- Best Female Star of a Regular Series: Eve Arden for Our Miss Brooks
- Best Male Star of a Regular Series: Donald O'Connor for The Colgate Comedy Hour
- Best Mystery, Action, or Adventure Program: Dragnet
- Best New Program: Make Room for Daddy and The United States Steel Hour
- Best Program of News or Sports: See It Now
- Best Public Affairs Program: Victory at Sea
- Best Series Supporting Actor: Art Carney for The Jackie Gleason Show
- Best Series Supporting Actress: Vivian Vance for I Love Lucy
- Best Situation Comedy: I Love Lucy
- Best Variety Program: Omnibus
- Most Outstanding Personality: Edward R. Murrow.
- 1956 - Birth of Kathleen Beller in Queens, New York, USA; actress (Fort Apache the Bronx, Touched).
- 1956 - Birth of Catherine Hickland in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; actress (One Life To Live, Loving, Capitol, Star Trek IV).
- 1957 - NHL Players Association forms (New York City, New York); Detroit Red Wings' Ted Lindsay elected president.
- 1958 - Birth of Michael Jackson; controller (BBC2).
- 1959 - Birth of Corinne Shigemoto; US judo coach (Olympics-1996).
- 1959 - Vinoo Mankad ends his final Test Cricket (v West Indies at Delhi).
- 1961 - Birth of Becky LeBeau in Los Angeles, California, USA; vocalist ("Mischief").
- 1961 - Birth of Carey Lowell in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Me and Him, Guardian, Dangerously Close, Law and Order).
- 1961 - Birth of Mary Docter; American 3000 metre speed skater (Olympics-1980, 1984, 1988, 1992).
- 1961 - Eduard R Verkade, Dutch actor/director (Pygmalion), dies at age 82.
- 1961 - Patrice Lumumba, first premier of Congo, murdered at age 34.
- 1962 - Birth of Scott Kolden in Torrance, California, USA; actor (Scott - Me and the Chimp).
- 1962 - Birth of Sheryl Crow in Kennett, Missouri, USA; singer/songwriter ("All I Wanna Do", "If It Makes You Happy").
- 1963 - Birth of Todd Benzinger; US baseball player (San Francisco Giants).
- 1963 - US Central Intelligence Agency Domestic Operations Division is created.
- 1963 - Sylvia Plath, poet/novelist (Ariel), kills herself in London at age 30.
- 1964 - The Beatles make their first public concert appearance in the United States at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C., and 20,000 fans attend.
- 1964 - Greek and Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.
- 1964 - Taiwan drops diplomatic relations with France.
- 1965 - Birth of Angie Ridgeway in Wabash, Indiana, USA; LPGA golfer (1992 Sara Lee-8th).
- 1965 - Birth of Stephen Gregory in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Chase - The Young and the Restless).
- 1965 - Milwaukee Braves propose to pay 5 cents from each ticket to bring a new team to Milwaukee.
- 1966 - Birth of Alexander Semak in Ufa, Russia; NHL center (New York Islanders).
- 1966 - Birth of Anthony Parker; NFL cornerback (Minnesota Vikings, Saint Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
- 1966 - Birth of Stephen Gregory in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Chase - The Young and the Restless).
- 1966 - San Francisco Giants' Willie Mays signs highest contract, US$130,000 per year.
- 1967 - Birth of Barbara Byrne in Princeton, New Jersey, USA; rower (Olympics-1996).
- 1967 - Birth of Chris Reohr in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, USA; fencer (Olympics-1996).
- 1967 - Birth of Derek King in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; NHL left wing (New York Islanders).
- 1967 - Birth of John Patterson; US baseball infielder (San Francisco Giants).
- 1968 - Howard Lindsay, US playwright (State of the Union), dies at age 78.
- 1968 - Israeli-Jordan border fight.
- 1968 - Jeffrey Kramer survives 76-metre jump off Washington Bridge into Hudson River, New York.
- 1968 - Madison Square Garden III closes; Madison Square Garden IV opens (New York City, New York).
- 1968 - Peggy Fleming wins Olympics figure skating gold medal, Grenoble, France.
- 1969 - Birth of Bryan Eversgerd; US baseball pitcher (Saint Louis Cardinals).
- 1969 - Birth of Jennifer Aniston in Sherman Oaks, California, USA; actress (Rachel - Friends).
- 1969 - Birth of Joe Valerio; NFL outside corner/tackle (Kansas City Chiefs).
- 1969 - Birth of Kevin King; US baseball pitcher (Seattle Mariners).
- 1969 - Birth of Mark Atkinson; cricket wicket-keeper (Tasmanian batsman).
- 1969 - Birth of Mary Stoker; Miss Wisconsin-USA (1996).
- 1969 - Diana Crump becomes first US woman jockey to ride against men, Hialelah.
- 1969 - Dorey Funk Junior beats Gene Kiniski in Tampa, Florida, to become NWA champion.
- 1969 - James Lanphier; actor (Flight of Lost Balloon), dies at age 48.
- 1970 - 26.37 cm (10.38 inches) of rainfall, Mount Washington, New Hampshire (state 24-hour record).
- 1970 - Birth of Alistair Brown, cricket player (Surrey and England ODI opening batsman 1996).
- 1970 - Birth of Jason Allyn Scott in Iowa City, Iowa, USA; rower (Olympics-1996).
- 1970 - Japan becomes fourth nation to put a satellite (Osumi) in orbit.
- 1971 - Birth of Jennifer Lynne Faucette in Burlington, Vermont, USA; Miss Vermont-America (1995).
- 1971 - Birth of John Bock; NFL center (New York Jets, Miami Dolphins).
- 1971 - Birth of Linda Wild in Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA; tennis star (1993 Melbourne Open).
- 1971 - Montreal Canadiens' John Believau scores his 500th NHL goal.
- 1971 - US, United Kingdom, USSR, others sign Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons.
- 1971 - Whitney Young Junior, US National Urban League director, drowns in Nigeria.
- 1971 - The 100th episode of US TV show Ironside airs.
- 1972 - Birth of Dennis Iliohan; Dutch soccer player (FC Lisse, ADO Den Haag).
- 1972 - Jan Wils, architect (Olympian Stadium, Amsterdam), dies at age 80.
- 1972 - Cruise ship Lindblad Explorer (2300 tons, under 100 passengers) runs aground in Admiralty Bay in South Shetlands. Passengers are rescued by Chilean ships, and the ship is towed off by South African Arctic tugboat.
- 1972 - Ras al-Khaima joins the United Arab Emirates.
- 1973 - First one-day international for Pakistan and New Zealand.
- 1973 - First sub 17-minute 1,500-metre female freestyle swim (Shane Gould 16 minutes 56.9 seconds).
- 1973 - Birth of Tom Tumulty; linebacker (Cincinnati Bengals).
- 1973 - Hans D Jensen, German physicist (Nobel Prize in Physics 1963), dies at age 65.
- 1973 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Naples-Lely Golf Classic.
- 1973 - Philadelphia 76ers lose their 20th NBA game in a row.
- 1974 - First baseball arbitration: Minnesota Twins' pitcher Dick Woodson seeking US$29,000 (wins), Twins offered $23,000.
- 1974 - Anna Q Nilsson, actress (Toll Gate, Sorrell and Son), dies at age 85.
- 1974 - Birth of Brian Newman; guard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
- 1974 - Birth of Ronnie Ward; linebacker (Miami Dolphins).
- 1974 - Birth of Wally Richardson; quarterback (Baltimore Ravens).
- 1974 - Titan-Centaur test launch fails.
- 1975 - Birth of Chuck Watanabe; kayak (alternate-Olympics-1996).
- 1975 - Birth of Jacque Vaughn; NBA guard (Utah Jazz).
- 1975 - Birth of Kim Weir; Miss Nebraska-USA (1997).
- 1975 - Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for Conservative leadership.
- 1976 - Alice Allen, actress (Call of the Hills), dies.
- 1976 - Birth of Brice Beckham in Long Beach, California; actor (Wesley - Mr Belvedere).
- 1976 - Birth of Tony Battie; NBA forward (Denver Nuggets).
- 1976 - Charlie Naughton, actor (Frozen Limits), dies at age 89.
- 1976 - Death of Lee J Cobb at age 64 of a heart attack; actor (The Virginian TV show, 12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront, The Young Lawyers TV show, Willie Loman - Death of a Salesman).
- 1976 - Death of Alexander Lippisch in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA (born in Munich, Germany); designed delta-winged aircraft in the 1920's and 30's. He designed the world's first rocket airplane which used solid fuel and first flew in 1928. He also worked on the first liquid-fuel rocket airplane, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, which began to be used by the Luftwaffe in 1944.
- 1977 - Birth of Mike Shinoda; vocalist (Linkin Park, Fort Minor).
- 1977 - 20.2-kg lobster caught off Nova Scotia, Canada (heaviest known crustacean).
- 1977 - Birth of Jessica Carlson in Kalamazoo, Michigan; archer (alternate-Olympics-1996).
- 1977 - Birth of Stephanie Richardson in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 200 metre/800 metre swimmer (Olympics-1996).
- 1977 - Birth of Veronica Marie Duka in Campbellsville, Kentucky; Miss Kentucky-America (1996-Top 10).
- 1977 - Louis J M Beel, Dutch premier (1946-48, 1958-59), dies at age 74.
- 1978 - 25th hat trick in New York Islanders' history-Denis Potvin.
- 1978 - The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.
- 1978 - EOKA organization disbands in Cyprus.
- 1978 - Death of James B. Conant at age 84, American chemist and headmaster of Harvard University (born 1893).
- 1978 - Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, killing 44 of the 50 people on board.
- 1978 - Somalia mobilizes its troops, due to an apparent Ethiopian attack.
- 1978 - Death of Harry Martinson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1904).
- 1979 - Birth of Brandy Norwood AKA Brandy; American singer and actress (Les Miserables, Moesha).
- 1979 - Iran's premier Bakhtiar resigns, Ayatollah Khomeini seizes power.
- 1979 - Musical They're Playing Our Song premieres at Imperial theater in New York City for 1082 performances.
- 1980 - Birth of Matthew Lawrence in Montgomery, Pennsylvania; actor (Matthew - Gimme a Break, Boy Meets World).
- 1980 - Birth of Natasha Bobo in Watsonville, California; actress (Sally - Together We Stand).
- 1981 - Birth of Kelly Rowland; American singer (Destiny's Child).
- 1981 - Australia all out 83 versus India at Melbourne Cricket Ground chasing 143 to win.
- 1982 - ABC-TV airs the final segment of the 18-hour miniseries The Winds of War. An estimated 140 million people watched one or more nights of the program, making it the most-watched television program in history.
- 1982 - Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (Rashomon, Seven Samurais), dies at age 76 (born 1905).
- 1984 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL short-handed season scoring record at 11.
- 1984 - STS-41-B: Space Shuttle Challenger makes the first shuttle landing at the Kennedy Space Center.
- 1984 - Birth of Matt Good; American musician (From First To Last).
- 1985 - Henry Hathaway, actor/director (Nob Hill), dies of heart attack at age 86.
- 1985 - Jordan's king Hussein and Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Arafat sign accord.
- 1985 - Kent Hrbek signs 5-year, US$6 million contract with Minnesota Twins, making him the club's first million dollar player.
- 1985 - Pakistani bowler Wasim Akram takes ten wickets in his second Test cricket match, but New Zealand still wins.
- 1986 - Australia beat India 2-0 to win the World Series Cup.
- 1986 - Frank [Patrick] Herbert, American sci-fi author (Dune), dies at age 65 (born 1920).
- 1986 - Iran begins Fajr-8 offensive against Iraq.
- 1986 - Human rights activist Anatoly Scharansky is released by the Soviet Union and leaves the country.
- 1987 - British Airways is privatised and listed on the London Stock Exchange.
- 1987 - England beats Australia 2-0 to win the World Series Cup.
- 1987 - Philippines' new constitution goes into effect.
- 1987 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1989 - Barbara Clementine Harris is consecrated as the first female bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA.
- 1989 - George O'Hanlon, American actor/director (Bop Girl, Zamba), dies at age 71 (born 1912).
- 1989 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Jill Trenary.
- 1990 - 40th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 130-113 in Miami.
- 1990 - James "Buster" Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson to win the World Heavyweight Boxing crown.
- 1990 - Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town, South Africa, after 27 years behind bars.
- 1990 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge.
- 1990 - Enix releases the Dragon Quest IV game for the Famicom in Japan. On the first day in stores, 1.3 million copies are sold, for about US$75 each.
- 1991 - Oscar Nitzchke, German architect (Alcoa building), dies at age 90.
- 1991 - Unrepresented Nations and People Organization (UNPO) forms in Hague, Netherlands.
- 1992 - An F-16 jet crashes into a residential district of Hengelo, the Netherlands; no casualties are reported.
- 1992 - Birth of Taylor Lautner; actor (My Own Worst Enemy).
- 1992 - Michael Johnson runs indoor world record 400 metre (44.97 seconds).
- 1992 - Ray Danton, US actor/director (Psychic Killer), dies at age 60.
- 1993 - George A Stephen, inventor (Weber Kettle Grill), dies at age 71.
- 1993 - Irina Privalova runs world record 60 metre indoor (6.92 seconds).
- 1993 - Janet Reno is nominated by President Bill Clinton as U.S. Attorney General.
- 1993 - Joy Garrett, actress (Days of Our Lives), dies of liver failure at age 47.
- 1993 - Death of Robert W. Holley, American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1922).
- 1994 - Lu Parker, Miss South Carolina, crowned 43rd Miss USA.
- 1994 - Death of Sorrell Booke at age 64 of colorectal cancer; actor (Mayor Boss Hogg - Dukes of Hazzard TV show).
- 1994 - Space shuttle STS-60 (Discovery 18), lands.
- 1994 - Death of William Conrad at age 73 of heart failure; actor (Marshall Dillon - Gunsmoke radio show, Cannon TV show, Jake and the Fatman).
- 1995 - Danyon Loader swims world record 400 metre freestyle (3 minutes 40.46 seconds).
- 1995 - Mark Foster swims world record 50 metre butterfly (23.55 seconds).
- 1995 - Sandra Völker swims European record 50 metre backstroke (27.67 seconds).
- 1995 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge.
- 1995 - West Indies score 5-660 against New Zealand.
- 1996 - 46th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 129-118 at San Antonio.
- 1996 - Cyril Poole, English cricket player (Notts 1946-62, England 1951-52 in three Tests), dies (born 1921).
- 1996 - Kebby Musokotwane, Prime Minister of Zambia (1985-89), dies (born 1946).
- 1996 - Phil Regan, American actor (Las Vegas Night, Dames, Housewife), dies at age 88 (born 1906).
- 1997 - Bill Parcells becomes head coach of New York Jets.
- 1997 - Death of Don Porter at age 84; actor (Private Secretary TV show, Gidget TV show).
- 1997 - STS 82 (Discovery 22) launches.
- 1998 - KVBC-FM (Las Vegas) offers Monica Lewinsky $5 million for interview.
- 1998 - Lyrics to "Candle in the Wind 1997" auctioned for $442,500.
- 1999 - Pluto moves along its eccentric orbit further from the Sun than Neptune. It had been nearer than Neptune since 1979.
- 1999 - Square releases the Final Fantasy VIII video game for the PlayStation in Japan. Opening day sales: 2.21 million copies for 17.2 billion yen (about US$145 million). Total worldwide sales over its lifetime: 7.4 million.
- 1999 - In Afghanistan, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs. Seventy people killed, 500 injured, at least 14,000 homeless and 7,000 houses destroyed.
- 2000 - A blast from an explosive device in front of a Barclay's Bank across from the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street wounds dozens but kills none.
- 2001 - The East beats the West 111-110 in the 50th NBA All Star Game in Washington, DC.
- 2001 - Three Rivers Stadium, 30-year-old home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is imploded.
- 2002 - Death of Mary Brooks, former US Mint Director.
- 2002 - The six stars on NBC's Friends TV show sign a deal for US$24 million each for the ninth and final season of the series.
- 2004 - Comcast in the USA launches a US$54 billion hostile takeover bid for the Walt Disney Company. The bid is withdrawn on April 28.
- 2006 - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots his friend and lawyer, Harry Whittington, in the face with a shotgun on a south Texas ranch.
- 2006 - Pitcher Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs agree to a one-year deal worth US$6.5 million.
- 2007 - In a national referendum, Portuguese voters agree to legalise abortion.
- 2007 - All-star backstop Joe Mauer the Minnesota Twins come to terms on a $33 million, four-year contract.
- 2008 - In Timor-Leste, rebels battle presidential guards at the president's home. President José Ramos-Horta is shot and wounded. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado and another rebel are killed.
- 2009 - Morgan Tsvangirai is sworn in as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
- 2009 - The Irish government announces it will invest 7 billion euros (US$9 billion) in two of the country's biggest banks, the Allied Irish Bank and the Bank of Ireland.
- 2009 - Death of Estelle Bennett at age 67 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA; singer (Ronettes - "Be My Baby").
- 2010 - The US space agency NASA launches its Solar Dynamics Observatory from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The observatory is designed to acquire detailed images of the Sun to explain variation in its activity.
- 2010 - Alexander McQueen, British fashion designer (four-time winner of British designer of the year, Commander of the British Empire), dies at age 40 in London, England.
- 2011 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns after widespread protests calling for his departure, leaving control of Egypt in the hands of the military until a general election can be held.
- 2012 - Death of Whitney Elizabeth Houston at age 48, in a bathtub at a hotel in Los Angeles, California; pop singer ("I Will Always Love You", "Saving All My Love for You"), 1986 Billboard artist of the year, six Grammy awards, actress (The Bodyguard movie).
- 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation, effective February 28.
- 2017 - North Korea test-fires a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan.
- 2018 - Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashes shortly after take-off from Moscow, Russia, killing 71 people on board.
- 2020 - The World Health Organization names the new coronavirus disease COVID-19.
- 2023 - Death of Austin Majors at age 27 in Los Angeles, California; actor (NYPD Blue TV show).
- 2023 - Death of Hans Modrow at age 95; last communist prime minister of German Democratic Republic.
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