Thursday, February 20, 2014

History for February 20

History for February 20 - On-This-Day.com
World Day for Social Justice (United Nations)


In 1895, Frederick Douglass died. He was born probably in February 1817.
Birth anniversaries of Ansel Adams (1902-84), Robert Altman (1925-2006), Carl E. Stotz, founder of Little League baseball (1920-92).

Happy Birthday! Jennifer O’Neill, Sidney Poitier, Bobby Unser

1792 - U.S. President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act thereby creating the U.S. Post Office. 


1809 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the power of the federal government was greater than that of any individual state. 


1839 - The U.S. Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia. 










1872 - Luther Crowell received a patent for a machine that manufactured paper bags. 


1872 - Silas Noble and J.P. Cooley patented the toothpick manufacturing machine. 



1944 - "Big Week" began as U.S. bombers began raiding German aircraft manufacturing centers during World War II. 

1962 - John Glenn made space history when he orbited the world three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes. He was the first American to orbit the Earth. He was aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.
 

1987 - A bomb exploded in a computer store in Salt Lake City, UT. The blast was blamed on the Unabomber. 


1998 - American Tara Lipinski, at age 15, became the youngest gold medalist in winter Olympics history when she won the ladies' figure skating title at Nagano, Japan. 


2003 - In West Warwick, RI, 99 people were killed when fire destroyed the nightclub The Station. The fire started with sparks from a pyrotechnic display being used by Great White. Ty Longley, guitarist for Great White, was one of the victims in the fire.

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