1820 – Russian Antarctic Expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica. 1825 – US Congress approves Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for the forced relocation of the Eastern Indian tribes via the “Trail of Tears”. 1880 – American inventor Thomas Edison patented the incandescent lamp. 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. for “the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge”. 1924 – Lenin placed in Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow. 1944 – Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed. 1945 – Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland. 1967 – During a simulation of a launch, U.S. astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee perished in a fire aboard Apollo 1. 1973 – US & North Vietnam’s William Rogers & Nguyen Duy Trinh sign cease-fire, ending longest US war and military draft.
Births & Deaths:1756 – Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was born. 2018 – Swedish entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad—who founded the home furnishings retailer IKEA, which was the world’s largest seller of furniture in the early 21st century—died at age 91.
Sport: 1894 – 1st college basketball game, University of Chicago beats Chicago YMCA 19-11.
Music: 1956 – “Heartbreak Hotel” single released by Elvis Presley, his first million-selling single.
TV & Film: 1970 – Movie rating system modifies “M” rating to “PG”.
