On This Day in History.....

1130 Gregorio de' Papareschi elected as Pope Innocent II
1349 Jews are expelled from Burgsordf Switzerland
1510 Charles of Gelre conquerors Oldenzaal
1545 Willem of Nassau becomes prince of Orange
1566 St Augustine FL founded
1601 John Lancaster leads 1st East India Company voyage from London
1633 Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before Inquisition for professing belief that earth revolves around the Sun
1635 Oldest US public institution, Boston Latin School founded
1651 Flemish missionary Joris van Geel departs to Congo
1668 Treaty of Lisbon Spain recognizes Portugal
1678 Tycho Brahe 1st sketches "Tychonic system" of solar system
1689 British Parliament adopts Bill of Rights
1692 MacDonald clan murdered on orders of King William III
1693 College of William & Mary opens
1706 Battle at Fraustadt Swedish army beats Russia/Saksen
1741 Andrew Bedford publishes 1st American magazine (The American Magazine)
1755 Rebel leader Mangkubuni signs Treaty of Gianti Java
1777 Marquis de Sade arrested without charge, imprisoned in Vincennes fortress
1782 French fleet occupies St Christopher
1786 Abraham Baldwin selected president of University of Georgia
1795 1st state university in US opens, University of North Carolina
1799 1st US law regulating insurance passed, by Massachusetts
1809 French take Saragossa, Spain after a long siege
1816 Teatro San Carlo in Naples destroyed by fire
1826 American Temperance Society, forms in Boston
1832 1st appearance of cholera at London
1837 Riot in New York over high price of flour
1858 Sir Richard Burton & John Speake explore Lake Tanganyika, Africa
1860 King Basse Kajuara departs Boni South-Celebes
1861 1st military action to result in Congressional Medal of Honor, Arizona
1861 Abraham Lincoln declared President
1861 Colonel Bernard Irwin attacks & defeats hostile Chiricahua Indians
1862 Siege of Ft Donelson TN
1864 Meridian Campaign fighting at Chunky Creek & Wyatt MS
1866 Jesse James holds up his 1st bank, Liberty MO ($15,000)
1867 Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" waltz premieres in Vienna
1886 Painter Thomas Eakins resigns from Philadelphia Academy of Art after controversy over use of male nudes in a coed art class
1895 Moving picture projector patented
1899 -1ºF (-18ºC) New Orleans LA
1899 -2ºF (-19ºC) Tallahassee FL (state record)
1899 -16ºF (-27ºC), Minden LA (state record)
1905 -29ºF (-34ºC) Pond AR (state record)
1905 -40ºF (-40ºC) Lebanon KS (state record)
1905 -40ºF (-40ºC) Warsaw MO (state record)
1907 English suffragettes storm British Parliament & 60 women are arrested
1912 England regains cricket's Ashes
1914 American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers-ASCAP forms in New York NY
1920 National Negro Baseball League organized
1920 League of Nations recognizes perpetual neutrality of Switzerland
1920 Switzerland rejoins League of Nations
1923 1st Black pro Basketball team, "Renaissance", organizes
1924 King Tut's tomb opened
1925 US Congress makes Surpreme Court appeal more difficult
1927 Uprising against Portuguese regime of General Carmona defeated
1929 Cruiser Act OKs construction of 19 new cruisers & an aircraft carrier
1929 Vladimir Mayakofsky's "Klop" premieres in Moscow
1932 "Free Eats" introduces George "Spanky" McFarland to "Our Gang"
1934 Austrian Dollfuss government bans socialistic party
1935 1st US surgical operation for relief of angina pectoris, Cleveland OH
1935 Bruno Hauptmann found guilty of kidnap & murder of Lindbergh's infant
1937 "Prince Valiant" comic strip appears; known for historical detail
1937 Maribel Vinson wins her 9th US figure skating championship
1937 NFL Boston Redskins move to Washington DC
1937 Bradman scores 123 South Africa vs Queensland, 165 minutes, 10-4 1-6 in cricket
1937 US female Figure Skating championship won by Maribel Vinson
1937 US male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee
1940 Bradman scores 209 in 161 minutes for South Australia at the WACA
1941 Nazi leaders attack Dutch Jewish Council
1942 Hitler's Operation Seelöwe (invasion of England) cancelled
1943 German assault on Sidi Bou Zid Tunisia, General Eisenhower visits front
1943 Women's Marine Corps created
1945 Allied planes bomb Dresden Germany; 135,000 die
1945 USSR captures Budapest, after 49-day battle with Germany; 159,000 die
1946 "Duchess Misbehaves" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 5 performances
1948 Wright Flyer, 1st plane to fly, returns to US from England
1948 Andy Ganteaume scores 112 for W Indies in only Test Cricket innings
1948 Ice Pairs Championship at Davos won by Lannoy & Baugniet of Belgium
1948 Men's Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Richard Button USA
1952 Rocky Marciano defeated Lee Savold for his 39th straight win
1953 A's change name of Shibe Park to Connie Mack Stadium
1954 Furman basketball star Frank Selvy scores 100 points in a game vs Newberry
1954 Frank Selvey scores 100 points for Furman beating Newberry 149-95
1955 Israel acquires 4 of 7 Dead Sea scrolls
1955 KRCG TV channel 13 in Jefferson City MO (CBS) begins broadcasting
1955 Patty Berg wins LPGA St Petersburg Golf Open
1956 KYW-AM in Philadelphia PA gives calls to WTAM (now WWWE) Cleveland
1957 Southern Christian Leadership Conference organizes in New Orleans
1959 Barbie doll goes on sale
1959 Miro Cardon, premier of Cuba, resigns
1960 "Beg, Borrow or Steal" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 5 performances
1960 "Saratoga" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 80 performances
1960 France performs 1st nuclear test at Reggane Proving Grounds Algeria
1961 Frank Sinatra launches Reprise label under Warner Brothers Records
1961 Soviet Union fires a rocket from Sputnik V to Venus
1965 US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming
1965 US male Figure Skating championship won by Gary Visconti
1966 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1968 US sends 10,500 additional soldiers to Vietnam
1969 Mary Hopkin's Postcard album on Apple is released
1969 Suriname government of Pengel resigns
1970 Man-eating tiger is reported to have killed 48, 80 km from New Delhi
1970 NL offices begins move from Cincinnati to San Francisco (completed Feb 23)
1971 Golfing Vice President Spiro Agnew hits 2 tee shots into the crowd, injuring 2
1971 12,000 South Vietnamese troops cross into Laos
1972 "1776" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 1,217 performances
1972 "Grease" opens on Broadway
1972 11th Winter Olympics games close at Sapporo, Japan
1973 Musical "El Grande de Coca-Cola" premieres in New York NY
1973 US dollar devalues 10%
1974 Dissident Nobel writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn expelled from USSR
1974 "Rainbow Jones" opens & closes at Music Box Theater NYC
1974 James "Cool Papa" Bell is named to baseball's Hall of Fame
1975 Cyprus premier Denktash proclaims Turkish-Cypriot Federation
1976 Dorothy Hamill wins Olympics figure-skating gold, Innsbruck, Austria
1976 Peter Casserly of New Zealand hand-sheers record 353 lambs in 9 holes
1977 Eric Heiden is 1st American to win world speed skating championship
1977 "Guys & Dolls" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 239 performances
1977 "Ipi Tombi" closes at Harkness Theater NYC after 39 performances
1977 "Robber Bridegroom" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 145 performances
1977 Pam Higgins wins LPGA American Cancer Society Golf Classic
1978 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1979 Washington State's Hood Canal Bridge breaks up in windstorm
1979 2nd Emmy Sports Award presentation
1980 Apollo Computer Inc incorporated
1980 New Zealand beats West Indies by one wicket in cricket at Dunedin
1981 Longest sentence published by New York Times-1286 words
1982 Islander's Bryan Trottier scores 5 goals against the Flyers
1982 Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" is on the charts for 402nd week
1983 World Boxing Council becomes 1st to cut boxing from 15 to 12 rounds
1983 "Merlin" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 199 performances
1983 33rd NBA All-Star Game East beats West 132-123 at Los Angeles CA
1983 Australia beats New Zealand 2-0 to win World Series Cup
1983 Donna White wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic
1983 E Bernstein, Levinson & Link's musical "Merlin" premieres in New York NY
1984 Konstantin Chernenko succeeds Yuri Andropov as USSR leader
1984 6 year old Texan Stormie Jones gets 1st heart & liver transplant
1985 Dow Jones closes at 1297.92 (record high) after topping 1300 earlier
1985 Polish police arrests 7 Solidarity leaders
1987 Tigers' Jack Morris awarded $1.85 million salary by arbitrator
1988 15th Winter Olympics games open at Calgary, Canada
1988 Christine Wachtel runs world record 800 meter indoor (1 minute 56.40 seconds)
1988 European Community plans removal of inner boundaries on Jan 1, 1992
1988 Heike Dreschler long jumps world record indoor (7.37 meters)
1988 Ronald Weigel runs unofficial world record speed walking (18 minutes 11.41 seconds)
1989 Oklahoma football player Charles Thompson is charged with selling cocaine; he is later sentenced to 2 years in prison
1989 Salvadoran army attacks Encuentros hospital, rapes, kills patients
1989 Kidnapped Belgian Premier Vanden Boeynants freed
1990 Larry Bird (Celtics) ends NBA free throw streak of 71 games
1990 US, England, France & England give Germany the OK to re-unify
1990 50 killed at Inkatha-UDF battle in Natal, South Africa
1991 Syria tells Germany they are ready to recognize Israel
1991 US bombs Iraqi air raid shelter, killing 334
1992 West beats East 14 to 9 in Major Soccer League all star game
1992 "Most Happy Fella" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 229 performances
1992 Jose Canseco repeatedly rams his Porsche into wife Esther's BMW
1993 Ljubow Kremljowa runs world record 1000 meter indoor (2 minutes 34.84 seconds)
1993 Merlene Ottey runs world record 200 meter indoor (21.87 seconds)
1993 Sergei Bubka pole vaults indoor record (6.14 meters)
1994 44th NBA All-Star Game East beats West 127-118 at Minneapolis MN
1994 Inna Lassovskaya jumps world record 14.9m
1994 Johann Olav Koss skates world record 5000 meter 6 34,96
1994 Ship disaster near Ranong Thailand, kills 200
1995 Howard Stern radio show premieres in San Diego CA on KIOZ 105.3 FM
1995 West Indies beat New Zealand by innings & 332, Courtney Walsh 13-55
1996 Howard Stern announces he will be making the film "Private Parts"
1996 Rock musical "Rent", by Jonathan Larson, opens off-Broadway
1997 "Three Sisters" opens at Criterion Theater NYC
1997 Discovery captures Hubble Space Telescope
2000 US female Figure Skating championship
2000 US male Figure Skating championship
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Missing In Action....

1967 CARLSON PAUL V. MINNEAPOLIS MN
1969 HERLIK QUERIN E GREEN BAY WI 03/12/69 RELEASED BY SIHANOUK

Births which occurred on February 13:

1440 Hartmann Schedel German physician/humanist/historian
1480 Hieronymus Aleander [Girólamo Aleandro], Italian diplomat/cardinal
1599 Alexander VII [Fabio Chigi], Siena Italy, pope (1655-67)
1610 Jean de la Badie French divine, founder of the Lagardists
1622 Adam Pijnacker landscape painter/etcher, baptized
1658 Jan B Wellekens Dutch poet/painter
1660 Johann Sigismund Kusser composer
1682 Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Venice, painter (Fortune Teller)
1713 Domingo Miguel Bernaube Terradellas composer
1721 John Reid composer
1755 François Alexander Sallantin composer
1756 Joannes van der Linden lawyer/judge (Ware Pleiter)
1757 John C Hespe Dutch journalist/politician
1766 Thomas Malthus Rookery Surrey UK, economist/demographer/population expert (Law of Malthus)
1768 Édouard Mortier French general, duke, prime minister (1834-35)
1778 Fernando Sor composer
1787 James P Carrell composer
1805 David Dudley Field lawyer/law codifier
1805 Peter G L Dirichlet Germany, number theorist/analyst
1807 Bartolommea Capitanio Italian monastery founder (Liefdezusters)
1813 Charles Pierre Schimpf Governor of Suriname (1855-59)
1820 Bela Albrecht Pal Keler composer
1822 Lev A Mej Russian nobleman/poet
1829 Gerard Keller writer (Netherlands Spectator)
1831 John Aaron Rawlins Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1869
1833 William Whedbee Kirkland Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1915
1837 Valentin de Zubiaurre y Unionbarrenechea composer
1840 Georg Jacobi composer
1849 Lord Randolph Churchill England, politician, Winston's father
1852 Johan L E Dreyer Danish astronomer (New generation catalogue of nebulae)
1859 Frank van de Goes Dutch writer/marxist theorist
1859 William Strang Scottish painter/engraver
1861 Uchimura Kanzo Tokyo, religious writer (How I Became a Christian)
1862 Karel Weis composer
1870 Leopold Godowsky Lithuania, virtuoso pianist/composer
1874 Hendrik Spiekman Dutch politician (social-democratic)
1875 Kanouse quintuplets Watertown WI, 1st quintuplets in US, born to Edna Kanouse
1877 Jazeps Medins composer
1881 Eleanor Farjeon English writer (Martin Pippin)
1883 Harold "Hal" Chase baseball player/manager
1883 Bainbridge Crist composer
1885 Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman 1st lady (1945-53)
1886 Ricardo Güiraldes Argentina, novelist/poet (Don Segundo Sombra)
1887 Alvin York famed US soldier with 25 kills in WWI
1888 Georgios Papandreou Greek prefect of Lesbos/minister/premier
1888 Heintje Davids [Hendrika], Dutch revue star
1892 Grant Wood US, painter (American Gothic)
1892 Robert Houghwout Jackson 84th Supreme Court justice (1941-54)
1893 Ana Pauker-Rabensohn Romania, communist/foreign minister (1945-52)
1895 Fred Essler Austria, actor (Unsinkable Molly Brown, Saratoga Trunk)
1898 Neville Pearson English publisher
1902 Blair Moody New Haven CT, (Senator-MI)
1902 Karl Menger Austria/US mathematician (theory of dimension)
1903 Georges Simenon Belgium, mystery writer (Snow Was Black)
1908 Gerald Strang Claresholm Canada, composer
1908 Sulo Nurmela Finland, 4 X 100K relay skier (Olympics-gold-1936)
1908 Pauline Frederick journalist/correspondent (UN, NBC TV)
1910 William B Shockley London, US physicist (Nobel 1956 - for research on semiconductors and discovery of the transistor effect along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain)
1911 Jean Muir Fullarton actress
1912 Jose de Capriles US, fencer (Olympics-1936, 48, 52)
1912 French J Van den Brande Flemish actor
1912 Margaretta Scott actress (Crescendo, Where's Charley, Counterblast)
1913 Arthur Carleton Hetherington public servant
1913 Guiseppe Dossetti politician/priest
1914 Earl Cadogan British large landowner (Military Cross)
1914 George Kleinsinger San Bernardino CA, composer (Tubby the Tuba)
1915 Lyle Betther Philadelphia PA, actor (Harry-Grand Jury, Lone Ranger)
1916 James Griffith Los Angeles CA, actor (Sheriff of Cochise)
1917 Polly Rose actress (Myrtle-Love That Jill)
1918 Helen Stephens Fulton MO, 100 meter runner (Olympics-gold-1936)
1918 Patty Berg Minneapolis MN, LPGA golfer (1938 US Amateur, 1943, 1955 AP Sports Woman of the Year)
1919 Eddie Robinson winningest college football coach (Grambling)
1919 Joan Edwards New York NY, singer (Joan Edwards Show)
1919 Tennessee Ernie Ford Bristol TN, country singer/actor (pea picker)
1920 Bryant Boudleaux Shellman GA, rock writer (Bye Bye Love)
1920 Eileen Farrell Willimantic CT, opera soprano (Interrupted Melody)
1921 Henk van Galen Last Dutch journalist
1921 Zao-Wou-Ki Chinese/French painter/graphic artist
1922 Lord Pym of Sandy British minister of foreign affairs
1923 Chuck Yeager US test pilot (1st man to break sound barrier)
1924 Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber French economist/politician
1925 Gene Ames singer
1925 Jan Arends Dutch poet/author
1926 Barney Childs composer
1927 Harry Wich Dutch set designer
1929 Omar Torrijos Herrera President of Panamá
1930 Dotty McGuire Middletown OH, singer (McGuire Sisters)
1931 Marjorie Jackson Austria, 100 meter/200 meter dash (Olympics-gold-1952)
1933 Emanuel Ungaro France, fashion designer (Neiman-Marcus Award-1969)
1933 Paul Biya President of Cameroon (1982- )
1933 Caroline Blakiston actress (At Bertram's Hotel)
1933 Kim Novak [Marilyn], Chicago IL, actress (Vertigo, Of Human Bondage)
1934 George Segal actor/banjo player (Carbon Copy, Fun with Dick & Jane)
1935 Tommy Jacobs golfer
1936 John Harris British cricket player
1936 Leamon King Tulare CA, 4X100 meter relayer (Olympics-gold-1956)
1937 Sigmund Jähn German DR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 31/29)
1937 Susan Oliver New York NY, actress (Ann-Peyton Place, Star Trek-Cage)
1938 Oliver Reed London England, actor (Big Sleep)
1939 Valery Illych Rozhdestvensky USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 23)
1941 Bo Svenson Göteborg Sweden, actor (North Dallas 40, Walking Tall)
1942 Carol Lynley New York NY, actress (Night Stalker, Fantasy Island, Immortal)
1942 Donald E Williams Lafayette IN, Captain USN/astronaut (STS 51D, STS 34)
1942 Peter Tork [Peter Halsten Thorkelson] Washington DC, singer/actor (Monkees-Last Train to Clarksville)
1943 F C Delius writer
1943 Geoff Edwards Westfield NJ, actor (Jeff-Petticoat Junction, Jackpot)
1943 Leo Frankowski US, sci-fi author (High Tech Knight, Flying Warlord)
1944 Stockard Channing New York NY, actress (Grease, The Big Bus, Without a Trace)
1944 Jerry Springer London England, talk show host (Jerry Springer Show)
1944 Sal Bando baseball player (Oakland A's)
1945 Keith Nichols jazz pianist
1945 King Floyd rocker
1945 Roy Dyke Liverpool, rock drummer (Ashton, Gardner & Dyke)
1946 Rainer Werner Fassbinder German director/actor (Ehe der Maria Braun)
1947 Mike Krzyzewski basketball coach
1947 Tony Butler rock bassist (Big Country-It's a Big Country, Wonderland)
1950 Leonard Pascoe cricketer (dynamic Aussie quick 1977-82)
1950 Peter Gabriel Surrey England, rock vocalist (Genesis, In Your Eyes)
1951 David Naughton Hartford CT, actor (My Sister Sam, Seperate Vacations)
1952 David Puilum Choi Hong Kong, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
1952 Ed Gagliardi New York NY, rock bassist (Foreigner-Cold As Ice)
1953 Sharon Wyatt Lebanon TN, actress (Tiffany-General Hospital)
1953 Suleiman Nyambui Tanzanian runner (world record 5k indoor)
1955 Jan de Ligt Dutch saxophonist (I've Got the Bullets)
1955 Scott Smith rock bassist (Loverboy-Get Lucky)
1956 Liam Brady British soccer player
1956 Peter Hook English rock bassist (New Order-Round & Round, Run)
1956 Richard Eden actor (Brick-Santa Barbara, Solar Crisis, Robocop)
1957 Doris King Nashville TN, vocalist (Girls Next Door-Don't Be Cruel)
1957 Thelston Payne cricket wicket-keeper (West Indies 1986)
1958 Mark Fox congas/percussionist (Haircut 100-Nobody's Fool)
1959 Ali Campbell rocker (UB40-Red Red Wine)
1960 Michael Craig rock bassist (Culture Club-Do You Want to Hurt Me)
1960 Kelly McCormick Anaheim CA, diver (Olympics-silver-1984)
1960 Matt Salinger Windsor VT, actor (Captain America, Deadly Deception)
1961 Les Warner rocker (Cult-Fire Woman)
1961 Henry Rollins US vocalist/poet (Black Flagg, Rollins Band)
1961 Kyi Hla Han Yangon, Australasia golfer
1962 Jackie Silva Rio de Janeiro Brazil, volleyballer (Pan Am-bronze)
1963 Roberta Vasquez Los Angeles CA, playmate (November, 1984)
1963 Penelope Ann Miller actress (Awakenings, Chaplin, Freshman)
1964 Evi Strasser Bavaria German, equestrian (Olympics-96)
1965 Stephen Manley Los Angeles CA, actor (Donny-Married the 1st Year)
1965 Kenny Harrison Milwaukee WI, triple jumper
1966 Freedom Williams rock vocalist (C&C Music Factory-Everybody Dance Now)
1966 Tally Chanel Tel Aviv Israel, actress (Warrior Queen)
1967 Melanie Denise Bridges Derry NH, Miss New Hampshire-America (1990)
1967 Bas Roorda soccer player (FC Groningen)
1967 Eddie Pye US baseball infielder (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1968 Matt Mieske US baseball outfielder (Milwaukee Brewers)
1969 Subroto Banerjee cricketer (Indian quickie & Dennis Lillee protégé)
1970 Kevin Stocker US baseball infielder (Philadelphia Phillies)
1970 Ruben Brown NFL guard (Buffalo Bills)
1970 Vernon Patao 141 lbs (64 kg) US weightlifter (alternate-Olympics-1996)
1971 Jim Reid NFL tackle (Houston Oilers)
1971 Mats Sundin Bromma Sweden, NHL center (Team Sweden, Toronto Maple Leafs)
1971 Shelly Hammonds NFL safety (Minnesota Vikings)
1971 Todd Williams US baseball pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1972 Charlie Garner NFL running back (Philadelphia Eagles)
1972 Juha Ylonen Helsinki Finland, NHL forward (Olympics-bronze-1998, Phoenix)
1973 Willie Smith NFL linebacker (Detroit Lions)
1974 Anthony Mortas hockey forward (Team France 1998)
1975 Mark Gerald Keddell Christchurch New Zealand, 200 meter (Olympics-96)
1979 Julie Nagle Miss North Dakota Teen-USA (1997)
1980 Kristy Powell Florida, gymnast (Olympics-96)
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Deaths which occurred on February 13:

1130 Honorius II [Lamberto], Pope (1124-30), dies
1199 Stefanus Nemanja (Symeon) monk, dies
1237 Jordanus of Saxon 2nd general of Dominicans, drowns
1315 Jean I of Chalon-Arlay mayor of Neuchâtel, dies
1332 Andronicus II Paleologus Byzantine emperor (1282-1328)/monk, dies
1542 Catherine Howard queen of England/5th wife of Henry VIII, is beheaded
1602 Alexander Nowell English churchman, dean of St Paul's, dies
1629 Girolamo Giacobbi composer, dies at 61
1635 Georg R Weckerlin German poet, dies at 50
1660 Charles X Gustaaf king of Sweden (1654-60), dies at 37
1662 Elisabeth Stuart English daughter of James I, dies at 65
1693 Johann Kaspar von Kerll German composer, dies at 65
1724 Francisco Jose Coutinho composer, dies at 43
1741 Johann Joseph Fux Austrian composer/music theorist, dies at about 80
1784 Charles Gravier French earl of Vergennes/Minister of Foreign Affairs, dies
1798 Wilhelm H Wackenroder German writer (Fantasies of Art), dies at 24
1814 Augustin Holler composer, dies at 69
1818 George Rogers Clark frontier military leader in Revolutionary War, dies
1841 Thomas Ainsworth English/Dutch industrialist, dies at 45
1849 Christian Rummel composer, dies at 61
1873 Petrus AS van Limburg Brouwer [Abraham van Luik], literary, dies
1882 Henry Highland Garnet diplomat, dies in Monrovia Liberia at 66
1883 Pavel Melnikov [Petsjerski], Russian historian, dies at 64
1883 Wilhelm Richard Wagner German composer (Die Walküre), dies in Venice at 69
1891 David Dixon Porter US Rear Admiral (Union Army-Civil War), dies at 77
1893 Ignacio M Altamirano Mexican author (El Zarco), dies at 58
1894 Franjo Racki Croatian historian/politician, dies at 65
1896 Karl Reinthaler composer, dies at 73
1907 Marcel Bertrand French mine engineer, dies at 59
1917 Joel Angel Russian musicologist/composer, dies at 48
1921 Willem P C Knuttel Dutch bibliography/librarian, dies at 67
1927 Brooks Adams US philosopher (New Empire), dies at 78
1935 Violet Paget British author (Gospels of Anarchy), dies at 78
1937 C A Bernoulli writer, dies
1941 Naomi Uemura Japanese mountain climber, dies on Mt McKinley
1943 William Walraven journalist/writer (Neglected Grouser), dies at 55
1945 George Studd cricketer (4 Tests with brother vs Australia 1882-83), dies
1952 Alfred Einstein German/US musicologist, dies at 71
1958 Georges Rouault French painter (Christ aux outrages), dies at 86
1959 William L Axt composer, dies at 70
1960 Delmar G Roos designer of the jeep, dies at 79
1963 Harry Steers bowling hall of famer, dies
1965 Jerry Burke pianist (Lawrence Welk Show), dies
1965 William H Kilpatrick US mathematician/philosopher, dies at 93
1966 Elio Vittorini writer, dies
1968 Ildebrando Pizzetti Italian composer, dies at 87
1968 Mae Marsh actress (Birth of a Nation, Intolerance), dies at 72
1970 Herbert Strudwick cricketer (28 Tests for England, ct 60 stp 12), dies
1975 Dagmar Godowsky actress (Common Law, Red Lights), dies at 78
1975 Eric Harding Thiman composer, dies at 74
1975 Henry P Van Dusen US protestant theologist, dies at 77
1976 General Murtala Mohammed head of Nigeria, killed during a coup
1976 Lily Pons French/US soprano/opera diva (Met Opera), dies at 71
1977 Jack Gardner actor (Wild Bill Hickok, 3 Russian Girls), dies at 77
1979 Jean Renoir actor/director (Rules of the Game), dies at 84
1980 David Janssen [Meyer], actor (Fugitive, Harry O), dies at 49
1982 Zeng Jinlian Hunan China, grew to 8'1" (tallest woman), dies at 17
1983 Marian Nixon actress (Dr Bull, Sweepstakes), dies of cancer at 78
1987 M L "Curly" Page cricketer (New Zealand Test captain 1933), dies
1990 Ken Lynch actor (Paratroop Command, Legend of Tom Dooley), dies at 79
1991 Bernard Sauer Yiddish actor, dies of heart attack at 67
1991 Eddie Bartell actor (Every Night at Eight), dies at 83
1992 Bob den Uyl Dutch journalist/writer (Restless Travel), dies at 61
1993 Agatha Hagtingius-Seger Dutch author (Sparkles Chain), dies at 91
1994 Jack Kirby cartoonist (Marvel Comics), dies at 76
1994 Michael Francis Morris Lindsay orientalist, dies at 84
1994 Theo Bitter Dutch painter/set designer, dies at 79
1995 Abdelhafid Said Algerian student leader, murdered
1995 Alberto Burri Italian physician/sculptor/painter), dies at 79
1995 Azeddine Medjoubi head Algerian nationally theater, murdered at 49
1995 Joan A C Ramsey nee Hamilton lady Ramsey of Canterbury, dies at 84
1995 Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair saxophonist, dies at 68
1996 Daniel K Womack singer/guitarist, dies at 91
1996 Martin Balsam actor (Archie's Place), dies at 76
1998 Jo Clayton author, (Cancer Died, Drums of Chaos), dies at 58

1776 Patrick Henry named colonel of First Virginia battalion

On this day in 1776, Patrick Henry becomes colonel of the First Virginia battalion in defense of the state’s supply of gunpowder.

A Virginia lawyer, Henry gained fame as a member of the House of Burgesses with his passionate speeches against British rule and what he saw as their unfair taxation policy. First elected in 1765, he promptly proposed five resolutions opposing the Stamp Act that became models for other colonies. Henry’s was the first, and often the loudest and most articulate, voice raised against “taxation without representation.”

Henry was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and quickly became the group’s most outspoken member. As a member of the Second Continental Congress, Henry attended the Second Virginia Convention to show solidarity with Bostonians suffering under British military occupation in March 1775. On March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, Henry gave his most famous speech, in which he urged Virginians to ally themselves with besieged Boston with the words “give me liberty or give me death!”

Less than a month later, on April 20, Virginia’s Royal Governor Lord Dunmore attempted to take the gunpowder from the Williamsburg magazine as part of his attempt to hold on to power in the colony. In response, Henry led the Patriot militia in a standoff with Dunmore’s troops until fellow Virginian Patriot Carter Braxton negotiated a settlement. The incident is known as the “Gunpowder Affair.”

From 1776 to 1779, Henry served as the first governor of the state of Virginia. He held the post again from 1784 to 1786. After serving as governor, Henry continued to influence American politics. Among his most important work was his fight for the addition of the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantee basic freedoms, such as the freedoms of speech and religion, to American citizens.
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1831 John Rawlins born

Union General John Rawlins is born in Galena, Illinois. Rawlins was a close personal aide to General Ulysses S. Grant and was reported to have kept Grant from drinking heavily during the war.

Rawlins' family was originally from Virginia but had settled in Illinois shortly before Rawlins' birth. When Rawlins was a teenager, his father abandoned the family and headed for the gold fields of California. The younger Rawlins received little formal education, but he studied law and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1854. He became the city attorney in 1857 and became involved in state politics. He was an avid supporter of Senator Stephen Douglas and served as an elector for Douglas in 1860.

When the war began, Rawlins became the aide de camp to Grant. He was Grant's principle staff officer throughout the war, and Grant said that Rawlins was nearly indispensable. Grant was known to be a heavy drinker when he served on the frontier in the 1850s, and there were rumors that he continued to drink during the early stages of the war. Rawlins appears to have been instrumental in keeping Grant from imbibing during the Civil War.

After the war, Rawlins served in the west. He helped General Greenville Dodge survey the route for the Union Pacific Railroad, which later became part of the first transcontinental line. For his efforts, the town of Rawlins, Wyoming, was named after him. When Grant became president in 1869, Rawlins became secretary of war. His health declined after taking office, and he died just six months later. Rawlins is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
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1920 League of Nations recognizes perpetual Swiss neutrality

The League of Nations, the international organization formed at the peace conference at Versailles in the wake of World War I, recognizes the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland on this day in 1920.

Switzerland was a loose confederation of German-, French-, and Italian-speaking communities until 1878, when the French, under Napoleon Bonaparte, unified the country as the Helvetic Republic and imposed a constitution, which was enforced by French occupation troops. Bitterly resented by the Swiss people, the French occupation ended in 1803, when Napoleon agreed to a new Swiss-approved constitution and withdrew his troops. The Congress of Vienna in 1815, which would determine Europe’s borders until the outbreak of World War I nearly a century later, recognized the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland.

The Swiss considered preserving this neutrality essential to Switzerland’s economic and political development. A new constitution, adopted in 1848, reinforced the neutrality principle by outlawing Swiss service in foreign armies or the acceptance of pensions from foreign governments. Neither the unification of Italy in 1861 nor the birth of the German empire in 1871 shook the loyalty of the nation’s Italian or German population to Switzerland. With industrialization, fueled largely by hydroelectric power, and the construction of an efficient railroad network, Switzerland’s economy continued to grow, spawning a thriving tourism industry by the end of the 19th century.

Though Switzerland maintained its neutrality during World War I, with German, French and Italian Swiss standing firm to preserve their country’s solidarity, a costly military mobilization to protect the Swiss borders diverted most of the working population to war-related work and brought economic hardship. After the war ended, membership in the League of Nations—the international organization established at the Versailles peace conference—was narrowly approved by Swiss voters after a federal council opposed it. In February 1920, the League voted to recognize the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland. The League also established its headquarters in the Swiss city of Geneva, a tribute to the country’s neutrality as well as its relative economic and political stability, which has continued to the present day.
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1945 Firebombing of Dresden

On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the "Florence of the Elbe" to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 135,000 people. It was the single most destructive bombing of the war--including Hiroshima and Nagasaki--and all the more horrendous because little, if anything, was accomplished strategically, since the Germans were already on the verge of surrender.

Among the conclusions reached at the February 1945 Yalta Conference of the Allied powers was the resolution that the Allies would engage in concerted strategic bombing raids against German cities known for war-production and manufacturing, in an effort to bring the Nazi war machine to a crashing halt. The tragic irony of the raid on Dresden, a medieval city renowned for its rich artistic and architectural treasures, is that during the war it had never been a site of war-production or major industry. Both Allies and Germans alike have argued over the real purpose of the firebombing; the ostensible "official" rationale was that Dresden was a major communications center and bombing it would hamper the German ability to convey messages to its army, which was battling Soviet forces at the time. But the extent of the destruction was, for many, disproportionate to the stated strategic goal--many believe that the attack was simply an attempt to punish the Germans and weaken their morale.

More than 3,400 tons of explosives were dropped on the city by 800 American and British aircraft. The firestorm created by the two days of bombing set the city burning for many more days, littering the streets with charred corpses, including many children. Eight square miles of the city was ruined, and the total body count was between 35,000 and 135,000 (an approximation is all that was possible given that the city was filled with many refugees from farther east). The hospitals that were left standing could not handle the numbers of injured and burned, and mass burials became necessary.

Among the American POWs who were in Dresden during the raid was novelist Kurt Vonnegut, who conveyed his experience in his classic antiwar novel Slaughterhouse Five.
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1965 Johnson approves Operation Rolling Thunder

President Lyndon B. Johnson decides to undertake the sustained bombing of North Vietnam that he and his advisers have been contemplating for a year.

Earlier in the month, the president had ordered Operation Flaming Dart in response to communist attacks on U.S. installations in South Vietnam. These retaliatory raids did not have the desired effect of causing the North Vietnamese to cease support of Viet Cong forces in South Vietnam, and out of frustration, Johnson turned to a more extensive use of airpower.

Called Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing campaign was designed to interdict North Vietnamese transportation routes in the southern part of North Vietnam and slow infiltration of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam. The first Rolling Thunder mission took place on March 2, 1965, when 100 U.S. Air Force and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) planes struck the Xom Bang ammunition dump 100 miles southeast of Hanoi.

In July 1966, Rolling Thunder was expanded to include North Vietnamese ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities, and in the spring of 1967, it was further expanded to include power plants, factories, and airfields in the Hanoi-Haiphong area.

Operation Rolling Thunder was closely controlled by the White House and at times targets were personally selected by President Johnson. From 1965 to 1968, about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam. A total of nearly 900 U.S. aircraft were lost during Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation continued, with occasional suspensions, until President Johnson, under increasing domestic political pressure, halted it on October 31, 1968.
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1968 Additional troops ordered to South Vietnam

As an emergency measure in response to the 1968 communist Tet Offensive, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara approves the deployment of 10,500 troops to cope with threats of a second offensive. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had argued against dispatching any reinforcements at the time because it would seriously deplete the strategic reserve, immediately sent McNamara a memorandum asking that 46,300 reservists and former servicemen be activated. Not wanting to test public opinion on what would no doubt be a controversial move, Johnson consigned the issue of the reservists to "study." Ultimately, he decided against a large-scale activation of the reserve forces.