January 1st
 

1752 ~ Birthday of Betsy Ross, American seamstress.

1801 ~ Discovery of 1 Ceres, first known asteroid.

1879 ~ Birthday of E. M. Forster, English novelist.

1895 ~ Birthday of J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director.

1901 ~ Establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia (Federation).

1983 ~ The ARPANET officially changed to use the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.

1985 ~ The Internet's Domain Name System created.

1995 ~ The World Trade Organization came into existence.

1997 ~ Kofi Annan was appointed Secretary General of the United Nations.

2002 ~ Euro banknotes and coins became legal tender.

January 2nd
 

1492 ~ The end of the Reconquista: Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.

1727 ~ Birthday of James Wolfe, British general in French and Indian War.

1872 ~ Brigham Young was arrested for bigamy (25 wives).

1882 ~ John D. Rockefeller united his oil holdings into the Standard Oil trust.

1904 ~ Death of James Longstreet, Confederate general.

1905 ~ The Russian fleet surrender at Port Arthur, China brought the Russo-Japanese War to a close.

1920 ~ Birthday of Isaac Asimov, Russian-born American science fiction author.

1929 ~ Canada and the United States agreed on a plan to preserve Niagara Falls.

1994 ~ Death of Dixy Lee Ray. She had been the governor of Washington State & she chaired the Atomic Energy Commission.

1996 ~ U.S. peacekeepers arrive in Bosnia.

January 3rd
 

106 BC ~ Birthday of Cicero, Roman Statesman & Philosopher.

1521 ~ Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther.

1795 ~ Birthday of Josiah Wedgwood, British potter.

1861 ~ Delaware voted to not secede from the United States.

1892 ~ Birthday of J. R. R. Tolkien, South African-born Writer & Philologist.

1956 ~ Birthday of Mel Gibson, Australian Actor & Director.

1977 ~ Apple Computer was incorporated.

1979 ~ Death of Conrad Hilton, American hotelier.

1959 ~ Alaska was admitted as the 49th U.S. state.

1993 ~ Presidents George Bush and Boris Yeltsin signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow. (START).

January 4th
 

1785 ~ Birthday of Jakob Grimm, German philologist, elder half of the Grimm Brothers.

1948 ~ Burma gained its independence from the UK.

1958 ~ Sputnik 1 burned up on reentry into Earth's atmosphere (launched 4 October, 1957).

1960 ~ Death of Albert Camus, French Philosopher & Writer.

1961 ~ Death of Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian Physicist, awarderd the Nobel Prize in Physics 1933.

1965 ~ Death of T.S. Eliot, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 1948.

1965 ~ In his State of the Union address, President Johnson outlined his ''Great Society'' goals.

1967 ~ Donald Campbell died while trying to break the water speed record.

1980 ~ Birthday of Bobbi Eden, Dutch Porn Actress.

2004 ~ The first of two NASA Mars Rovers, Spirit, landed successfully on Mars.

January 5th
 

1914 ~ Ford Motor Company announced a $10,000,000 employee give away, and the eight-hour workday.

1929 ~ Birthday of Walter Mondale, American Politician

1933 ~ Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began in San Francisco Bay.

1952 ~ PM Churchill began his last visit to the U.S.

1970 ~ Death of Max Born, German physicist, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 1954.

1972 ~ President Nixon funded the Space Shuttle program development .

1981 ~ Death of Harold C. Urey, American chemist, awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1934.

1997 ~ Withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya.

2003 ~ Death of Roy Jenkins, British Politician.

2005 ~ Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system, was discovered using images taken in 2003.

January 6th
 

1822 ~ Birthday of Heinrich Schliemann, Archaeologist.

1838 ~ Samuel Morse first publicly demonstrated his telegraph, in Morristown, NJ.

1884 ~ Death of Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics.

1918 ~ Death of Georg Cantor, German mathematician.

1942 ~ The Pan American Airways “Pacific Clipper” returned to New York after making the first round-the-world trip by a commercial airplane.

1946 ~ William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) hanged for treason.

1993 ~ Death of Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer.

1993 ~ Death of Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpet player.

1994 ~ Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at Cobo Arena in Detroit. Four men, including the ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding, were later sentenced to prison.

2006 ~ Death of Lou Rawls, Singer.


Feastdays & Holidays

Latin Christianity - Epiphany.

January 7th
 

1610 ~ The astronomer Galileo Galilei sighted the four moons of Jupiter which are now known as the “Galilean moons”.

1899 ~ Birthday of Francis Poulenc, French composer.

1916 ~ Birthday of Paul Keres, Estonian chess player.

1922 ~ Birthday of Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flutist.

1943 ~ Death of Nikola Tesla, Inventor & Electrical Engineer.

1953 ~ President Truman, in his State of the Union address, announced that the U.S. had developed a hydrogen bomb.

1979 ~ Vietnamese forces captured Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

1980 ~ The Carter Administration authorized giving a $1.5 billion loan to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.

1990 ~ The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public.

1999 ~ President Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate. (He was later acquitted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.)

January 8th
 

1642 ~ Death of Galileo Galilei, Astronomer.

1918 ~ President Wilson announced his "Fourteen Points" for the aftermath of World War I.

1925 ~ Birthday of Gerald Durrell, Naturalist & Writer.

1942 ~ Birthday of Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist.

1958 ~ Bobby Fischer won the U.S. Chess Championship.

1981 ~ The Trans-en-Provence UFO case.

1983 ~ Birthday of Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

1994 ~ Valeri Polyakov began his record setting 437 days in space.

1996 ~ Death of Francois Mitterrand, French president.

2002 ~ President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.

January 9th
 

1839 ~ The Daguerreotype photography process publicly demonstrated.

1861 ~ The "Star of the West" was fired upon as it attempted to deliver supplies to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. This was the "Casus belli" of the American Civil War.

1903 ~ Hallam Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, became the second Governor-General of Australia.

1913 ~ Birthday of Richard Nixon, U.S. President.

1941 ~ Birthday of Joan Baez, Singer & Activist.

1951 ~ United Nations headquarters officially opened.

1951 ~ Birthday of Crystal Gayle, Singer, songwriter and producer.

1968 ~ The Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon,.

2005 ~ Mahmoud Abbas won the election for a successor to Yasser Arafat.

2007 ~ Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the original IPhone.

January 10th
 

1776 ~ Thomas Paine published Common Sense.

1862 ~ Death of Samuel Colt, Inventor.

1927 ~ The film Metropolis by Fritz Lang premiered.

1929 ~ Tintin, a comic book character created by Hergé, made his debut.

1945 ~ Birthday of Rod Stewart, English Rocker.

1946 ~ The first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.

1949 ~ Birthday of Linda Lovelace, Pornographic Actress.

1951 ~ Death of Sinclair Lewis, Author.

1994 ~ Lorena Bobbitt went on trial for cutting off the penis of her husband, John.

2003 ~ North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.

January 11th
 

1693 ~ Eruption of Mt. Etna.

1787 ~ William Herschel discovered the first two moons of Uranus, Titania & Oberon.

1801 ~ Death of Domenico Cimarosa, Italian Composer.

1843 ~ Death of Francis Scott Key, Lawyer.

1935 ~ Amelia Earhart began a trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.

1938 ~ Birthday of Arthur Scargill, Union Leader.

1962 ~ An avalanche in Peru killed some 4,000 people.

1973 ~ American League baseball teams voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule on a trial basis.

1980 ~ Nigel Short became the youngest chess player, at 14 years old, to be awarded the degree of International Master.

2008 ~ Death of Sir Edmund Hillary, the 1st man to reach the top of Mount Everest.

Less known as a lawyer ... better known as the man who wrote a poem that became the lyrics to the Star-Spangled banner during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. (The tune, chosen later, was actually an old English drinking song ... or so I understand. :) )

It's always surprised me that a lot of folks I know born and bred in the Midwest don't really know about Ft. McHenry or Francis Scott Key. Kind of sad, I think. :shrug:

January 12th
 

1893 ~ Birthday of Hermann Göring, Nazi official.

1915 ~ The U.S. House of Representatives defeated a proposal to give women the right to vote.

1969 ~ On a day that will be long remembered in infamy, Joe Namath and the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III, and became the first team from the American Football League to win American Football's championship.

1976 ~ Death of Agatha Christie, Mystery Writer.

1991 ~ U.S. Congress authorized the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

1990 ~ Birthday of Sergey Karjakin, Ukrainian chess Grandmaster.

1992 ~ In the film ”2001: A Space Odyssey”, the computer HAL 9000 was activated on this date.

2003 ~ Death of Maurice Gibb, Bee Gee.

2003 ~ Death of Leopoldo Galtieri, Dictator of Argentina.

2006 ~ A stampede broke out during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, killing 363 people.

January 13th
 

1898 ~ Émile Zola's J'accuse exposes the Dreyfus affair.

1929 ~ Death of Wyatt Earp.

1939 ~ The Black Friday bush fires burn 20,000 square kilometres in Australia, killing 71 people.

1941 ~ Death of James Joyce, Irish novelist (Dubliners, Ulysses, Finnegans Wake).

1942 ~ The United States began Japanese American internment.

1978 ~ Death of Hubert H. Humphrey, U.S. Vice President & Minnesota Senator.

1990 ~ Douglas Wilder took office as the first elected African American governor.

1992 ~ Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.

1993 ~ American, British and French fighter jets bomb Iraq.

2009 ~ Death of Patrick McGoohan, Actor (The Prisoner).

January 14th
 

2005 ~ The Huygens probe landed on Saturn's moon Titan.

Hard to believe it's been 9 years already. :faint:

What a remarkable mission! :thumbs:

January 15th
 

1892 ~ James Naismith published the rules for basketball.

1908 ~ Birthday of Edward Teller, Physicist.

1918 ~ Birth of Gamal Abdal Nasser, President of Egypt.

1929 ~ Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights leader, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1964.

1953 ~ East German authorities began a purge of senior Jewish officials.

1967 ~ The first Super Bowl was played.

1972 ~ Birthday of Kobe Tai, Porn actress.

1973 ~ President Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam, citing progress in peace negotiations.

1989 ~ Birthday of Tasha Reign, Porn actress.

2001 ~ Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia, formally put online.

January 16th
 

1605 ~ The first edition of “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes was published in Madrid.

1794 ~ Death of Edward Gibbon, Historian.

1909 ~ Ernest Shackleton's expedition found the magnetic South Pole.

1920 ~ Prohibition began in the U.S. as the 18th Amendment to the Constitution took effect.

1923 ~ Birthday of Dian Fossey, American zoologist.

1970 ~ Muammar al-Qaddafi was proclaimed premier of Libya.

1977 ~ The Marx Brothers were inducted into the Motion Picture Hall of Fame.

1979 ~ The Shah of Iran went into exile in Egypt.

1991 ~ The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm.

2003 ~ The Space Shuttle Columbia took off on its final mission, STS-107.

January 17th
 

1893 ~ Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown when Queen Liliuokalani was forced to abdicate.

1929 ~ Popeye the Sailor Man first appeared in the "Thimble Theatre" comic strip.

1942 ~ Birthday of Muhammad Ali, the world's greatest heavyweight Boxer.

1964 ~ Death of T.H. White, author.

1977 ~ Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore was executed at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.

1984 ~ Birthday of Sophie Dee, Porn Actress.

1995 ~ A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the city of Kobe, Japan; more than 6,000 people were killed.

1997 ~ Death of Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto.

2001 ~ Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.

2008 ~ Death of Bobby Fischer, chess player extraordinaire.

U.S. 1938 U.S.A. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Thursday, 4th February, 1938 : The animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released and had major success in the box-office, making more money than any other motion picture up till that point .

U.S.
1959 U.S.A. Barbie Doll Wednesday, 4th February, 1959 : Today was the first day of the invention of the Barbie Doll. This doll was created by Ruth Handler, who was one of the founders of the Mattel Company. Barbie was named after Ruth’s daughter. Later on, when the Ken doll was made, it was named after Ruth’s son.

U.S. 1920 U.S.A. Prohibition Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 1920 : Someone had stolen 21 barrels of whiskey which was held at a Pennsylvania brewery. The person who had taken this liquor was sentenced a fine of $7,000. This particular crime had taken place during the Prohibition Era, during a time when the sale of alcohol was not allowed.
By the way, liquor licenses were still being granted during this time. However, beverages could not contain more than one-half percent of alcohol in them.

U.S. 1922 U.S.A. Lincoln / Ford Saturday, Feb. 4th, 1922 : Lincoln purchased the Ford Company for $8 million dollars on this day. During the time of this transition, Henry Ford had assumed position of president of Lincoln.

U.S. 1931 U.S.A. Banks Go Bust Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 1931 : As banks continue to close across the US when depositors ask for their deposits back, the problems continue to escalate as most small banks had large amounts invested in the stock market and with the crash of wall street in late 1929 many banks do not have sufficient funds left to meet current members deposits. Many are going into receivership with little help for investors. The government is looking at schemes to bail the banks out and help consumer confidence

U.S. 1932 U.S.A. Winter Olympics Thursday, Feb. 4th, 1932 : The first Winter Olympics was held in the United States. These games took place in Lake Placid, New York.

U.S. 1937 U.S.A. Floods Thursday, Feb. 4th, 1937 : Restrictions were lifted from flood quarantine areas on this day. People could return to these areas that were originally prohibited from entering without any further threat of disease or sickness.
A main concern regarding the possible spread of disease epidemic applied to those unregistered refugees who had not yet been immunized. They had been confined to one specific area for as long as was decided was necessary.

U.S. 1943 U.S.A. Olds Thursday, 4th February, 1943 : Ransom Eli Olds, the creator of one of the first internal combustion engine designs, received his last patent on this day. Olds was noted for creating the first automobile production line, through a company that has made cars such as the Olds Runabout.

Sri Lanka 1948 Ceylon Independence Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 1948 : Ceylon now Sri Lanka gains independence from British rule and becomes an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.

UK 1950 UK British Atomic Scientist Saturday, Feb. 4th, 1950 : On this day a British Atomic scientist was arrested and charge of gathering information that would be useful to enemy forces. He was the holder of some of the most classified (top secret) information regarding the A-bomb. He was found out by American FBI agents, and these agents reported the info to the Scotland Yard.

U.S. 1957 U.S.A. Smith-Corona Monday, Feb. 4th, 1957 : This was the first day of the sale of Smith-Corona portable typewriters. This company had been producing typewriters since 1886, when it created the first upper and lower-case typing model.

U.S. 1964 U.S.A. Poll Tax Tuesday, 4th February, 1964 : As of this date, it was no longer legal to charge a poll tax for voting. This action was repealed upon the passing of the 24th Amendment.

Kenya 1968 Kenya Sunday, Feb. 4th, 1968 : The continued persecution of Asians in Kenya is forcing many thousands to leave the country and many are choosing Britain for their future . Kenya has introduced new tough immigration laws which only allow work permits to Kenyan Citizens.

Palestine 1969 Palestine PLO Formed Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 1969 : The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded on this day. It was an organization that was established to represent the Palestinian people while Yasir Arafat was in office.

UK 1974 UK Bombing Sunday, Feb. 4th, 1974 : A bomb believed to have been set by the IRA kills 11 including soldiers and children when the coach they were travelling in is blown up by a bomb.


U.S. 1974 U.S.A. Patricia Hearst 4th February, 1974 : Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is kidnapped in Berkeley, California by the Symbionese Liberation Army

Honduras 1976 Guatemala Earthquake Wednesday, 5th February, 1976: In Guatemala and Honduras a 7.5 magnitude earthquake centered about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City kills more than 22,000. The quake caused major landslides which blocked transport routes leaving food and water supplies were severely reduced. Some of the areas were without electricity and communication for up to 1 week and the main shock was followed by thousands of aftershocks, some of the larger ones causing additional loss of life and damage.

UK 1988 UK Seamen Strike Thursday, Feb. 4th, 1988 : Ferry ports in the UK are causing major congestion on roads on the south coast as British Seamen continue their strike without union backing. The strike is because of the increase of cheaper low-cost Third World crews, while making British Seamen redundant .

U.S. 1997 U.S.A. O.J. Simpson Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 1997 : A civil jury panel in Santa Monica, California had determined that O.J. Simpson was guilty of the deaths of both his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He had originally been acquitted in the year 1995.

Afghanistan 1998 Afghanistan Earthquake Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 1998 : An earthquake in northern Afghanistan has left up to 4000 dead, and tens of thousands more injured or 4th homeless. The earthquake epicenter was close to the city of Rostaq in the remote province of Takhar, close to the border with Tajikistan.

Yugoslavia 2003 Yugoslavia Country Dissolved Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 2003 : Lawmakers formally dissolve Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose union of Serbia and Montenegro.

U.S. 2004 U.S.A. Gay Marriage Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 2004 : The Massachusetts high court declare that gays are entitled to get married.

U.S. 2004 U.S.A. Facebook 4th February, 2004 : Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.

Syria 2006 Syria Danish and Norwegian Embassies Destroyed Saturday, 4th February, 2006 : Following the publishing of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad Muslim protesters torched and destroyed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. And in Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags.

United States 2007 United States U.S. generals warn against a military strike on Iran Sunday, Feb. 4th, 2007 : Three former military officers have warned against a military strike on Iran, and said that such action would have 'disastrous consequences' for the security in the Middle-east, and for coalition forces in Iraq. They agree that the crisis over Iran's nuclear program should be resolved through diplomacy, and urge Washington to start direct talks with that country. These warnings were published in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, and signed by: Lieutenant-General Robert Gard, a former military assistant to the U.S. Defense Secretary, General Joseph Hoar, a former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command and Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, a former Director of the Center for Defense Information.

China 2008 China Snow Storm Monday, 4th February, 2008 : China has been hit by the worst snow storms in 50 years and some of the worst affected are the poorest in China. The Chinese rural population of farmers do not have the high tech farm machinery needed to weather these type of conditions and are living very close to poverty so when a natural disaster occurs like this which ruins the crops many are forced into near starvation.

A little bit of Canadian history...
 

February 8, 1604 - Pierre de Gua de Monts forms the de Monts Trading Company with Champlain and Gravé du Pont; Canada's First chartered company; with capital from Rouen, St. Malo and La Rochelle merchants. Paris, France

February 8, 1631 - King Charles I grants Cape Breton Island to Robert Gordon of Lochinvar and his son Robert. London, England

February 8, 1631 - King Louis XIII names Charles de La Tour Governor and Lieutenant-General of New France and Acadia; commission partly restored after peace treaty in 1632; La Tour builds Fort Ste-Marie at the mouth of the Saint John River, rich fur region. Paris, France

February 8, 1690 - Louis de Buade et de Palluau, Comte de Frontenac organizes an attack on the Mohawks to retaliate for the Lachine massacre; sends Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville with more than 160 French Canadians and 100 Iroquois warriors to Schenectady, New York; 60 people killed, 30 captured, and the village put to the torch. Schenectady, New York

February 8, 1839 - American and Canadian loggers clash in Aroostook lumber war over undefined boundary with Maine along the St. Croix River; Maine and New Brunswick call out the militia; Nova Scotia passes an appropriation for defense, and British troops are called from Halifax to guard the border; the US Congress votes $10 million to raise a force of 50,000 men if needed; a truce is struck on March 25 and the border eventually settled by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty signed signed August 9, 1842. Aroostook, New Brunswick

February 8, 1853 - Place Name - J. B. Turgeon, the Mayor of Bytown, petitions town Council to change name of Bytown to Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario

February 8, 1853 - Oregon Territory split into Oregon and Washington Territories. Isaac Ingalls Stevens appointed governor of the latter, John P. Gaines remains as the elected governor of the former. Oregon

February 8, 1858 - Railway opens to Truro and Windsor. Halifax, Nova Scotia

February 8, 1879 - Sandford Fleming First proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time, by dividing the world into 24 equal time zones, with standard time within each zone; in lecture at the Canadian Institute in Toronto; idea adopted by North American railways four years later, and by 24 countries at a conference in 1884. Toronto, Ontario (CBC Archives)

February 8, 1887 - Hugh Nelson commissioned lieutenant-governor of British Columbia

February 8, 1895 - Daniel Greene resigns as Liberal Prime Minister of Newfoundland; replaced by former PM William Whiteway. St. John's, Newfoundland

February 8, 1905 - James Whitney takes office as Premier of Ontario, replacing George Ross; first Conservative government in Ontario since 1872. Toronto, Ontario

February 8, 1911 - Kettle Valley Railway track-laying crews westbound from Midway, BC, arrive at Rock Creek, BC.

February 8, 1913 - Last game of the NHA (National Hockey Association) played with a seven man team between the Toronto Blueshirts and the Montréal Canadiens. Toronto, Ontario

February 8, 1918 - George Eulas Foster chairs new War Trade Board. Ottawa, Ontario

February 8, 1918 - Lieutenant-Governor Roberta MacAdams becomes the First woman in the British Empire to introduce a piece of legislation. Edmonton, Alberta

February 8, 1923 - First hockey game broadcast on the radio from Toronto's Mutual Street Arena; hosted by Norman Albert; Foster Hewitt took over the job, on the Toronto Star's own radio station, CFCA, on March 22. Toronto, Ontario
February 8, 1934 - Hart House Glee Club gives its First concert in Hart House at the University of Toronto; will perform in the Hart House Sunday evening concert series until 1970; disband in 1972. Toronto, Ontario

February 8, 1936 - Hockey - Charlie Conacher notches the First successful Toronto Maple Leaf penalty shot, against the New York Rangers. Toronto, Ontario

February 8, 1943 - World War II - HMCS Regina sinks the Italian submarine Avorio in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea

February 8, 1944 - World War II - Sgt Tommy Prince of the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion successfully poses as an Italian farmer tending his crops while fixing Army communication lines as Germans troops look on.

February 8, 1945 - World War II - Battle of the Rhineland - Gen Harry Crerar leads the First Canadian Army in attacking German positions in the Rhineland area of Holland and the German Reichswald, on the west bank of the Rhine; part of Operation Veritable to February 21, a joint amphibious offensive by the 1st Canadian Army and with XXX British Corps under command
.
February 8 - World War II - Royal Winnipeg Rifles take part in Operation Veritable, the invasion of Nazi Germany.

February 8, 1948 - Fifth Winter Olympic games close at St Moritz. The RCAF Flyers defeat Switzerland 3-0 for the Gold, Ottawa's Barbara Ann Scott takes home the Gold Medal in Figure Skating, and Suzanne Morrow & Wallace Diestalmeyer win the Bronze in Pairs Figure Skating. St. Moritz, Switzerland

February 8, 1952 - Queen Elizabeth II takes the Oath of Accession to the Throne, following the death two days earlier of her father, King George the Sixth. London, England

February 8, 1958 - Lucile Wheeler of St-Jovite, Québec, wins downhill and giant slalom titles at the World Ski championships; started skiing at Mont Tremblant at age 2; 1956 won Canada's First Olympic ski medal, a bronze in the downhill. Kitzbuhel, Austria

February 8, 1959 - Hillcrest Miners' Literary and Athletic Association's hall burns down. Hillcrest, Alberta

February 8, 1959 - Music - Cantata Singers make their debut in Christ Church Cathedral, singing Bach's Mass in B-Minor; 40-voice mixed choir under Hugh McLean, founding conductor 1958-67. Vancouver, BC

February 8, 1960 - Federal-provincial conference on the Centennial backs Montréal bid for 1967 World's Fair. Montréal, Québec

February 8, 1967 - Hockey - Toronto Maple Leaf mired in their longest losing streak in team history (10 games). Toronto, Ontario

February 8, 1969 - FLQ terrorists explode bomb on McGill St. in Montréal. Montréal, Québec

February 8, 1979 - French Premier Raymond Barre visits Québec. Québec

February 8, 1980 - Former NHL president Clarence Campbell found guilty of conspiring to give Senator Louis Giguère a benefit in connection with a contract for airport duty-free shops; the Sky Shop affair. Montréal, Québec

February 8, 1983 - Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores all-star record four goals, all in the third period, as the Campbell Conference beats the Wales 9-3 at Nassau Coliseum. Uniondale, New York

February 8, 1984 - Canadian team attends ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame to open the 14th Olympic Winter Games in Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia; with 1, 579 athletes representing 49 other countries. Nearly all the Olympic facilities will be destroyed during the civil war in Bosnia. Sarajevo, Bosnia

February 8, 1985 - Frank Miller becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Bill Davis after the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election. Toronto, Ontario

February 8, 1986 - Disaster - Nine-car VIA Rail passenger train collides head-on with a CN freight, killing 29, injuring 93. Hinton, Alberta

February 8, 1987 - Trial of Québec's Levesque sisters begins in Rome; charged with possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking; acquitted
Feb. 12 Rome, Italy

February 8, 1990 - Daniel Lanois ends his 9-country European tour with a concert at London's Royal Festival Hall; the singer and record producer plays from his First album, Acadie; in the audience are clients and friends composer Brian Eno, U2 guitarist Dave Evans and singer Peter Gabriel. London, England

February 8, 1990 - Jean Chrétien announces he will run for the Leadership of the federal Liberal party; on resignation of John Turner Ottawa, Ontario

February 8, 1992 - Albertville Olympics - Canadian team attends opening of the 16th Winter Olympic Games in Albertville; to February 23. Canada finishes ninth in the medal count. Albertville, France

February 8, 1994 - Ottawa slashes tobacco taxes to reduce rampant cigarette smuggling; Québec, Ontario and the Maritime provinces follow; failure to control smuggling. Ottawa, Ontario

February 8, 1995 - Romeo LeBlanc sworn in as Canada's 25th Governor General; former teacher, journalist, federal Cabinet Minister; First native Acadian to hold the position. Ottawa, Ontario

February 8, 1996 - US bookstore chain Borders says it will invest in a chain of bookstores in Canada; Ottawa's Investment Review Division will block the plan in May under the cultural exemption of NAFTA. New York, New York
February 8, 1997 - Jean-Luc Brassard wins gold medal in free-style skiing at the World Championships in Nagano. Nagano, Japan

February 8, 1998 - NHL stops season until Feb. 24th to accommodate the Nagano Olympic games. North America

February 8, 1998 - Olympics - Ross Reblagliati wins the Olympic gold medal at Nagano in the first-ever Snowboarding event held at a Winter Games. Nagano, Japan

February 8, 2000 - BC government says province's film and TV production industry earned over $1 billion in 1999, ranking British Columbia third in North America after Los Angeles and New York. Victoria, BC


February 8, 2001 - Lorne Calvert becomes premier of Saskatchewan, replacing Roy Romanow

February 8, 2005 - Edmonton police chief Fred Rayner is fired after news of a police sting targeting a journalist and the chair of the city's police board comes to light. Edmonton, Alberta

February 8, 2005 - Julian Fantino is appointed Ontario's new commissioner of emergency management; former Toronto police chief

February 8, 2010 - Justice - CFB Trenton Base Commander Colonel Russell Williams charged with two counts of murder against two women and two counts of sexual assault of another two women. Belleville, Ontario

February 10th
 

1840 ~ Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

1898 ~ Birthday of Bertolt Brecht, Author.

1927 ~ Birthday of Leontyne Price, Soprano.

1933 ~ The first singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegram Co. in New York. Sic transit gloria mundi.

1954 ~ President Eisenhower warned against United States intervention in Vietnam.

1962 ~ Captured American spy pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.

1984 ~ Birthday of Brent Everett , Canadian porn actor and director.

1996 ~ Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov for the first time. :(

2005 ~ Death of Arthur Miller, playwright .

2007 ~ Sen. Barack Obama announced his bid for president.

February 11th
 

1650 ~ Death of René Descartes, Philosopher.

1898 ~ Birthday of Leó Szilárd, Physicist & Peace Activist.

1938 ~ BBC Television produced the first science fiction television program, an adaptation of the Karel Capek play R.U.R. (This play coined the term 'robot.')

1941 ~ Birthday of Sergio Mendes, Brazilian musician (Brazil '66).

1945 ~ President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement.

1961 ~ The trial of Adolf Eichmann began in Jerusalem.

1979 ~ Followers of Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, after the religious leader returned to his home after his exile.

1986 ~ Death of Frank Herbert, Science Fiction author.

1990 ~ South African black activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.

2011 ~ Arab Spring: Hosni Mubarak resigned as President of Egypt.

February 12th
 

1809 ~ Birthday of Charles Darwin, Naturalist.

1924 ~ George Gershwin's ''Rhapsody in Blue'' premiered in New York City.

1938 ~ Anschluss: German troops enter Austria.

1942 ~ Birthday of Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel.

1976 ~ Birthday of Silvia Saint, Czech Porn Actress.

1984 ~ Birthday of Lolly Badcock, former Porn Actress.

1994 ~ Edvard Munch's "The Scream" was stolen from a museum in Norway.

1999 ~ The U.S. Senate voted to acquit President Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

2000 ~ Death of Charles M. Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip.

2002 ~ The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic began in The Hague.

February 13th
 

1883 ~ Death of Richard Wagner, Composer.

1923 ~ Birthday of Chuck Yeager, pilot of first supersonic flight.

1935 ~ A jury found Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh.

1945 ~ The RAF & USAAF created a firestorm in Dresden, Germany which killed tens of thousands of civilians.

1960 ~ France tested its first nuclear weapon.

1974 ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in literature, was exiled from the Soviet Union.

1997 ~ Birthday of Jayden Jaymes, Porn Actress.

1988 ~ Winter Olympic Games opened in Calgary, Alberta.

1991 ~ Hundreds of Iraqi civilians were killed when a pair of laser-guided bombs destroyed an underground facility in Baghdad identified by U.S. officials as a military installation, but which Iraqi officials said was a bomb shelter.

2002 ~ Death of Waylon Jennings, American musician.

February 14th
 

1895 ~ First performance of Oscar Wilde's last play "The Importance of Being Earnest”.

1929 ~ The St. Valentine's Day Massacre took place in a Chicago garage.

1943 ~ Death of David Hilbert, Mathematician & Physicist. Interestingly, one of his doctoral students was Emanuel Lasker, who was World Chess Champion for 27 years.

1945 ~ U.S. President Roosevelt met with King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially starting the US-Saudi diplomatic relationship.

1950 ~ Death of Karl Jansky, Discoverer of cosmic radio waves.

1962 ~ Birthday of Porsche Lynn , Dominatrix and Porn Actress.

1989 ~ The first of the 24 Global Positioning System satellites was placed into orbit.

1989 ~ Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of ''The Satanic Verses,'' a novel Khomeini condemned as blasphemous.

2003 ~ Death of Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal.

Feastdays & Holidays

Catholicism ~ Feast day of Saint Valentine.