1792 – US postal service created, postage 6-12 cents depending on distance
1872 – New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art opens
1873 – British Naval Officer John Moresby discovers the site of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and claims it for Britain. 1909 – Italian author Filippo Tommaso Marinetti coined the term Futurism in the Parisian newspaper Le Figaro.
1938 -UK Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden resigns stating Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has appeased Nazi Germany
1947 – Earl Mountbatten of Burma appointed as last viceroy of India to oversee the move to independence
1959 – Jimi Hendrix (16), rock and roll guitarist, plays his first gig in the Temple De Hirsch synagogue basement, Seattle. He is fired from the band after the 1st set due to “wild” playing
1960 – Soviet females sweep the 10k cross country event at Squaw Valley; first medal sweep for the Soviets at a Winter Olympics; Maria Gusakova wins from Lyubov Kozyreva and Radya Yeroshina
1975 – A feud begins between the official Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army; the two groups assassinate a number of each other’s volunteers until the feud ends in June 1975
1985 – In a highly controversial vote on February 20, 1985, the Irish government defies the powerful Catholic Church and approves the sale of contraceptives.
1988 – 500 die in heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2005 – Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
2010 – On the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, leaving at least 32 deaths in the worst disaster on the history of the archipelago.
2016 – US primary elections: South Carolina Republican Primary – Donald Trump wins with 32.5%
2016 – 4-inch lock of John Lennon’s hair sells for $35,000 to a memorabilia collector at an auction in Dallas, Texas
2018 – Queen of England, Elizabeth II makes surprise appearance at London fashion week
2020 – Trump associate Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months imprisonment for obstructing a congressional investigation
Births & Deaths:
1988 – Barbadian pop and rhythm-and-blues (R&B) singer Rihanna—who became a worldwide star in the early 21st century, known for her distinctive and versatile voice and for her fashionable appearance—was born.
2005 – American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson—who created the genre known as gonzo journalism, a highly personal style of reporting that made him a counterculture icon—died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Film:
1952 – “African Queen” film directed by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn is released in the US
