On February 29th 1940, Gone with the Wind won eight Academy Awards, the most momentous of them being that of Hattie McDaniel, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Mammy," a housemaid and former slave. She became the first African-American to win an Oscar. McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1895, and … Continue reading February 29 1940 Hattie McDaniel First African-American To Win Academy Award

On February 28th 1993, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided the Branch Davidian cult compound in Waco, Texas, prompting a gun battle in which four agents and six cult members were killed. The federal agents were attempting to arrest the leader of the Branch Davidians, David Koresh, on information that the … Continue reading February 28 1993 ATF Raid Branch Davidian In Waco Texas

On February 27th 1827, a group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the beginning of the city's famous Mardi Gras celebrations. The celebration of Carnival, or the weeks between Twelfth Night on January 6 and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian period of Lent, spread from … Continue reading February 27 1827 First Mardi Gras In New Orleans

On February 26th 1919 and 1929, two national parks were established in the United States 10 years apart; the Grand Canyon in 1919 and the Grand Teton in 1929. Located in north-western Arizona, the Grand Canyon is the product of millions of years of excavation by the mighty Colorado River. The chasm is exceptionally deep, … Continue reading February 26 1919 and 1929 Grand Canyon and Grand Teton National Parks Established

On February 25th 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocked the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston, who had twice demolished former champ Floyd Patterson in one round, was an 8-to-1 favorite. However, Clay predicted victory, boasting that he would "float like a butterfly, sting like … Continue reading February 25 1964 Cassius Clay Knocks Out Sonny Liston

On February 24th 1836, in San Antonio, Texas, Colonel William Travis issued a call for help on behalf of the Texan troops defending the Alamo, an old Spanish mission and fortress under attack by the Mexican army. A native of Alabama, Travis moved to the Mexican state of Texas in 1831. He soon became a … Continue reading February 24 1836 Alamo Defenders Call For Help

On February 23rd 1940, folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote one of his best-known songs, "This Land is Your Land." Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, in 1912, Guthrie lived and wrote of the real West, a place of hard-working people and harsh environments rather than romantic cowboys and explorers. Though he was a son of a successful … Continue reading February 23 1940 Woody Guthrie Writes “This Land Is Your Land”

On February 22nd 1732, George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner. An initially loyal British subject, Washington eventually led the Continental Army in the American Revolution and became known as the “father” of the United States. Washington rose to eminence on his … Continue reading February 22 1732 George Washington Born

On February 21st 1848, The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx with the assistance of Friedrich Engels, was published in London by a group of German-born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League. The political pamphlet, arguably the most influential in history, proclaimed that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of … Continue reading February 21 1848 Karl Marx Publishes Communist Manifesto

On February 20th 1962, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Hershel Glenn Jr was successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut. Glenn, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was among the seven men chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in … Continue reading February 20 1962 John Glenn First American To Orbit Earth

On February 19th 1945, Operation Detachment, the US Marines' invasion of Iwo Jima, was launched. Iwo Jima was a barren Pacific island guarded by Japanese artillery, but to American military minds, it was prime real estate on which to build airfields to launch bombing raids against Japan, only 660 miles away. The Americans began applying … Continue reading February 19 1945 US Marines Invade Iwo Jima

On February 18th 1885, Mark Twain published his famous and controversial novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Though Twain saw Huck's story as a kind … Continue reading February 18 1885 Mark Twain Publishes Huckleberry Finn

On February 17th 1904, Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly premiered at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy. It was not received well, and lasted only one performance. The young Puccini had decided to dedicate his life to opera after seeing a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in 1876. In his later life, he would … Continue reading February 17 1904 Madame Butterfly Premieres

On February 16th 1923, in Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter entered the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into the afterlife. In … Continue reading February 16 1923 King Tut’s Tomb Opened

On February 14th around the year 278 AD, Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers … Continue reading February 14 278 St Valentine Beheaded

On February 14th 1779, Captain James Cook, the great English explorer and navigator, was killed by natives of Hawaii during his third visit to the Pacific island group. In 1768, Cook, a surveyor in the Royal Navy, was commissioned a lieutenant in command of the HMS Endeavour and led an expedition that took scientists to … Continue reading February 14 1779 Captain Cook Killed In Hawaii

On 13th February 1633, Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome to face charges of heresy for advocating Copernican theory, which holds that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo officially faced the Roman Inquisition in April of that same year and agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. … Continue reading February 13 1633 Galileo In Rome For Inquisition

On February 12th 1912, Hsian-T'ung, the last emperor of China, was forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only six years old, was allowed to keep up his residence … Continue reading February 12 1912 Last Emperor Of China Abdicates

On February 11th 1990, Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end South African apartheid, was released from prison after 27 years. In 1944, Mandela, a lawyer, joined the African National Congress (ANC), the oldest black political organization in South Africa, where he became a leader of Johannesburg's youth wing of the ANC. In 1952, … Continue reading February 11 1990 Nelson Mandela Released From Prison

On February 10th 1962, American spy pilot Francis Gary Powers was released by the Soviets in exchange for Soviet Colonel Rudolf Abel, a senior KGB spy who was caught in the United States five years earlier. The two men were brought to separate sides of the Glienicker Bridge, which connects East and West Berlin across … Continue reading February 10 1962 Francis Gary Powers Spy Swap

On February 9th 1900, the solid silver trophy known today as the Davis Cup was first put up for competition when American collegian Dwight Filley Davis challenged British tennis players to come across the Atlantic and compete against his Harvard team. Davis, born in St Louis, Missouri, won the intercollegiate tennis singles championship in 1899. … Continue reading February 9 1900 Davis Cup Competition Established

On February 8th 1587, after 19 years of imprisonment, Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England for her complicity in a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth I. In 1542, while just six days old, Mary ascended to the Scottish throne upon the death of her father, King James V. Her mother … Continue reading February 8 1587 Mary Queen Of Scots Beheaded

On February 7th 1992, after suffering through centuries of bloody conflict, the nations of Western Europe finally united in the spirit of economic cooperation with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty of European Union. The treaty, signed by ministers of the European Community, called for greater economic integration, common foreign and security policies, and cooperation … Continue reading February 7 1992 European Union Established