On February 6th 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland died in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king's two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father's death; she was … Continue reading February 6 1952 Elizabeth Becomes Queen

On February 5th 1783, a massive earthquake in southern Italy destroyed villages and triggered a tsunami and landslides. In all, about 34,000 people lost their lives and 180 communities were destroyed. The estimated 7.5 to 8.0-magnitude quake struck at about 1 pm in the Calabria province. Within a minute, over 100 villages were leveled throughout … Continue reading February 5 1783 Earthquake Devastates Southern Italy

On February 4th 1976, in the very early morning hours, a massive earthquake leveled much of Guatemala City, killing 23,000 people and leaving 1 million others homeless. It was 3:04 a.m. when the first large tremor, centered six miles under the Earth’s surface 120 miles northwest of Guatemala City, struck. The 7.5 magnitude quake was … Continue reading February 4 1976 Earthquake Rocks Guatemala City

On February 3, 2005, Alberto Gonzales won Senate confirmation as the nation's first Hispanic Attorney General despite protests over his record on torture. The Senate approved his nomination on a largely party-line vote of 60-36, reflecting a split between Republicans and Democrats over whether the administration's counterterrorism policies had led to the abuse of prisoners … Continue reading February 3 2005 Gonzales First Hispanic US Attorney General

On February 2nd 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, was celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring. … Continue reading February 2 1887 First Groundhog Day

On February 1st 1884, the first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, was published. Today, the OED is the definitive authority on the meaning, pronunciation and history of over half a million words, past and present Plans for the dictionary began … Continue reading February 1 1884 Oxford Dictionary Debuts

On January 31st 1968, as part of the Tet Offensive, a squad of Viet Cong guerillas attacked the US Embassy in Saigon. The soldiers seized the embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of US paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and routed the Viet Cong. The Tet Offensive … Continue reading January 31 1968 Viet Cong Attack US Embassy

On January 30th 1948, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement, was assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu fanatic. Born the son of an Indian official in 1869, Gandhi's Vaishnava mother was deeply religious and early on exposed her son to Jainism, a morally rigorous Indian religion that … Continue reading January 30 1948 Mahatma Gandhi Assassinated

On January 29th 1979, Brenda Spencer killed two men and wounded nine children as they entered the Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. Spencer blazed away with rifle shots from her home directly across the street from the school. After 20 minutes of shooting, police surrounded Spencer's home for six hours before she surrendered. … Continue reading January 29 1979 School Shooting In San Diego (I Don’t Like Mondays)

On January 28th, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary US civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew … Continue reading January 28 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes

On January 27th 1888, the National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, DC, for "the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge." The 33 men who originally met and formed the National Geographic Society were a diverse group of geographers, explorers, teachers, lawyers, cartographers, military officers and financiers. All shared an interest in scientific and geographical … Continue reading January 27 1888 National Geographic Society Founded

On January 26th 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guided a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship, the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date with great fanfare. Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally … Continue reading January 26 1788 First British Settlement In Australia

On January 25th 1919, the League of Nations, the forerunner to the United Nations, was formed. The league was formed out of the reconciliation process of World War I at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The use of such a league marked a significant departure from the inter-national relations of the previous 100 years, … Continue reading January 25 1919 The League Of Nations Formed

On January 24 1925, Alfred Hitchcock's first feature film, The Pleasure Garden. The film was a commercial failure, however it propelled the aspiring director into the thriller genre, which would make him one of the most influential directors of the 20th century. Hitchcock landed the film after being turned down for another film, The Rat, … Continue reading January 24 1925 Alfred Hitchcock’s First Film

On January 23rd 1943, the first armed insurgency orchestrated by the Jewish, as part of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, came to an end. The Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland had been in existence since 1939 and was the largest such ghetto formed by the German government under Nazi administration. With the beginning of deportations to … Continue reading January 23 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Ends

On January 22nd 1840, New Zealand was officially annexed to Britain, marking the transformation of the country's tribal society into a unified British colony. The annexation is historically significant not only for the country's own pride, but also in terms of global diplomacy. In contrast to Australia and many other British colonies, New Zealand was … Continue reading January 22 1840 Annexation of New Zealand

On January 21st 1977, US President Jimmy Carter granted an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some … Continue reading January 21 1977 President Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers

On January 20th 1783, the British and U.S. commissioners signed a preliminary "Cessation of Hostilities," which led to the Treaty of Paris and Treaty of Versailles, thus ending the Revolutionary War. The agreement: Declarations for Suspension of Arms and Cessation of Hostilities, signed at Versailles January 20, 1783. Both original declarations in French, and American … Continue reading January 20 1783 Cessation Of Hostilities Signed During American Revolutionary War

On January 19th 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. By the time he was three years old, both of Poe's parents had died, leaving him in the care of his godfather, John Allan, a wealthy tobacco merchant. After attending school in England, Poe entered the University of … Continue reading January 19 1809 Edgar Allan Poe Is Born

On January 18th 1919, in Paris, France, some of the most powerful people in the world met to begin the long, complicated negotiations that would officially mark the end of the First World War. Leaders of the victorious Allied powers (France, Great Britain, the United States and Italy) would make most of the crucial decisions … Continue reading January 18 1919 Post World War I Peace Conference Begins In Paris

On January 17th 1950, 11 men stole more than $2 million from the Brinks Armored Car depot in Boston, Massachusetts. It was almost the perfect crime, as the culprits weren't caught until January 1956, just days before the statute of limitations for the theft expired. The robbery's mastermind was Anthony "Fats" Pino, a career criminal … Continue reading January 17 1950 Boston Thieves Commit Historic Robbery

On January 16th 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes," is ratified, and becomes the law of the land. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began … Continue reading January 16 1919 Prohibition Takes Effect

On January 15th 1967, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first-ever world championship game of American football. In the mid-1960s, the intense competition for players and fans between the National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football League (AFL) led to talks of a … Continue reading January 15 1967 Packers Face Chiefs In First Super Bowl

On January 14th 1875, the theologian, musician, philosopher and Nobel Prize-winning physician Albert Schweitzer was born in Upper-Alsace, Germany (now Haut-Rhin, France). The son and grandson of ministers, Schweitzer studied theology and philosophy at the universities of Strasbourg, Paris and Berlin. After working as a pastor, he entered medical school in 1905 with the dream … Continue reading January 14 1875 Albert Schweitzer Born

On January 13th 1128, Pope Honorius II granted a papal sanction to the military order known as the Knights Templar, declaring it to be an army of God. Led by the Frenchman Hughes de Payens, the Knights Templar organisation was founded in 1118. Its self-imposed mission was to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to … Continue reading January 13 1128 Pope Recognises Knights Templar