1570 – Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign. Also absolves her subjects from allegiance to the crown.
1793 – 1st US cabinet meeting, held at George Washington’s home
1862 – First Legal Tender Act 1862 is passed by the US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that was legal tender in America
1910 – Dalai Lama flees Tibet for British India to escape Chinese troops
1913 – The Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which permitted a federal income tax, went into effect.
1948 – The communists seized control of the government of Czechoslovakia.
1956 – Nikita Khrushchev denounces Joseph Stalin at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
1986 – Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, under pressure from the United States, fled his country for Hawaii after a fraudulent electoral victory over Corazon Aquino, who replaced him as president. 1992 – Muddy Waters wins Lifetime Achievement Award at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards
1998 – Switzerland’s 1st legal brothel opens in Zurich
2011 – French fashion house Christian Dior suspends its chief designer John Galliano after he is arrested for an anti-semitic verbal attack in Paris
2012 – World Health Organization removes India from the list of polio endemic countries
2014 – 50 students are killed in a Boko Harem attack on a college in Buni, Nigeria
2016 – Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller are honoured by unite4:humanity for their work promoting awareness of and fundraising for Alzheimer’s research
2020 – African American Ahmaud Arbery shot to death after being chased down by two white men in Brunswick, Georgia. Video of the killing emerges in May, prompting arrests.
2020 – 147 murders occurred during a five day police strike in Ceará, Brazil, despite army patrolling the streets according to authorities
2020 – Iran emerges as a newCOVID-19 hotspot, recording 95 cases and 11 deaths as a deputy health minister that appeared on TV confirmed as also infected
2020 – Memorial service for NBA star Kobe Byrant held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles
Births & Deaths:
1943 – British musician George Harrison—lead guitarist of the Beatles, one of the most important and influential bands in the history of rock and roll—was born.
1975 – American comedian Chelsea Handler, known for her earthy, bawdy style, was born in Livingston, New Jersey.
Sport:
2018 – Winter Olympics: Marit Bjoergen (Norway) becomes the most successful winter athlete of all time (15 medals) with gold in the 30k cross country
1964 – American boxer Muhammad Ali, known at the time as Cassius Clay, became the world heavyweight champion by knocking out Sonny Liston in seven rounds.
Music:
1957 – Buddy Holly & Crickets record “That’ll Be the Day” 1969 – Beatles begin recording Abbey Road album
TV & Film:
1950 – “Your Show of Shows” with Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca premieres on NBC Writers include Mel Brooks, Neil Simon & Woody Allen
