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February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar . There are 326 days remaining until the end of the year (327 in leap years ).
Events
421 - Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire .1575 - Universiteit Leiden founded, and given the motto "Praesidium Libertatis".1587 - Mary, Queen of Scots was executed at suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England .1601 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , rebels against Elizabeth I of England - revolt is quickly crushed.1622 - King James I of England disbands the English Parliament .1692 - A doctor in Salem Village , Massachusetts Bay Colony suggests that two girls in the family of the village minister may be suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials .1693 - The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II .1726 - The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.1807 - Battle of Eylau - Napoleon defeats Russians under General Benigssen .1817 - Las Heras crosses the Andes with an army to join San Martín and liberate Chile from Spain.1837 - Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate .1849 - New Roman Republic established.1855 - The Devil's Footprints mysteriously appear in southern Devon .1865 - In the U.S. , Delaware voters reject the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , and vote to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratifies the amendment on February 12 , 1901 .)1867 - The Ausgleich Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary .1879 - Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute .1887 - The Dawes Act authorized the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments.1900 - British troops are defeated by Boers at Ladysmith , South Africa .1904 - Battle of Port Arthur : A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur , China starts the Russo-Japanese War .1910 - The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce .1915 - D.W. Griffith 's controversial film The Birth of a Nation Los Angeles .1918 - The Stars and Stripes newspaper publishes for the first time.1922 - President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House .1924 - Capital punishment : The first state execution using gas in the United States takes place in Nevada .1943 - World War II : Battle of Guadalcanal ends after the Japanese Imperial Army evacuated their remaining forces with a United States victory.1949 - Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary sentenced for treason .1952 - Elizabeth II is proclaimed Queen of the UK .1955 - The Government of Sindh abolished Jagirdari system in the province. One million acres (4000 km²) of land thus acquired is to be distributed among the landless peasants .1960 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council , stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor , and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor ".1962 - Charonne massacre . 9 trade unionists are killed by French police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon , then chief of the Paris Prefecture of Police .1963 - Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.1968 - American civil rights movement : The Orangeburg massacre , a mass killing in Orangeburg, South Carolina of black students from South Carolina State University who were protesting segregation at the town's only bowling alley.1969 - Allende meteorite falls near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua , Mexico .1971 - The Nasdaq stock market index debuts.1974 - After 84 days in space , the crew of the first American space station Skylab return to Earth .1974 - Military coup in Upper Volta .
1978 - Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.1979 - Denis Sassou-Nguesso became the President of the Republic of the Congo for the first time.1983 - The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia 's second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, the 320m deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night.1986 - 1984 Summer Olympics head of the LAPD bomb squad, Arleigh McCree , and his partner Officer Ronald Ball of the Firearms and explosives unit were killed while trying to dismantle two pipe bombs when they responded to a call. McCree was recognized as one of the top explosive experts in the world.1989 - An Independent Air Boeing 707 crashes into Santa Maria mountain in Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal , killing 144.1993 - General Motors sues NBC after Dateline NBC GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the next day.1996 - The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act .1996 - The massive Internet collaboration "24 Hours in Cyberspace " takes place.
1998 - First female ice hockey game in Olympic history: Finland beats Sweden 6-0.2005 - Israel and Palestinians agree to cease-fire.2008 - Nebraska bans electric chair as sole execution method.
Births
412 - Proclus , Greek philosopher (d. 487 )1191 - Yaroslav II of Russia (d. 1246 )1291 - King Afonso IV of Portugal (d. 1357 )1405 - Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last reigning Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (d. 1453 )1487 - Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1550 )1552 - Agrippa d'Aubigné , French poet and soldier (d. 1630 )1577 - Robert Burton , English cleric and writer (d. 1640 )1586 - Jacob Praetorius , German composer (d. 1651 )1649 - Gabriel Daniel , French Jesuit historian (d. 1728 )1677 - Jacques Cassini , French astronomer (d. 1756 )1685 - Charles-Jean-François Hénault , French historian (d. 1770 )1700 - Daniel Bernoulli , Dutch-born mathematician (d. 1782 )1720 - Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (d. 1750 )1792 - Caroline Augusta of Bavaria , queen of Hungary and Bohemia (d. 1873 )1804 - Richard Lemon Lander , British explorer (d. 1834 )1807 - Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins , English sculptor and naturalist (d. 1889 )1819 - John Ruskin , English author (d. 1900 )1820 - William Tecumseh Sherman , American Union general (d. 1891 )1822 - Maxime Du Camp , French photographer and journalist (d. 1894 )1828 - Jules Verne , French author (d. 1905 )1834 - Dmitri Mendeleev , Russian chemist (d. 1907 )1847 - Hugh Price Hughes , English social reformer (d. 1902 )1850 - Kate Chopin , American author (d. 1904 )1878 - Martin Buber , German philosopher (d. 1965 )1880 - Franz Marc , German painter (d. 1916 )1882 - Thomas Selfridge , First person to die in an airplane crash (d. 1908 ).1883 - Joseph Alois Schumpeter , Austrian economist (d. 1950 )1884 - Reginald Baker , Australian athlete and actor (d. 1953 )1886 - Charles Ruggles , American actor (d. 1970 )1888 - Dame Edith Evans , British actress (d. 1976 )1890 - Claro M. Recto , Filipino nationalist (d. 1960 )1893 - Ba Maw , Burmese politician (d. 1977 )1894 - Ludwig Marcuse , German author and philosopher (d. 1971 )1894 - King Vidor , American film director (d. 1982 )
1895 - Hermann Florstedt , Nazi leader (d. 1945 )1900 - Ivan Ivanov-Vano Soviet animator and Russian animation director (d. 1987 )1902 - Demchugdongrub , Mongolian politician (d. 1966 )1903 - Greta Keller , Austrian-born cabaret singer and actress (d. 1977 )1906 - Chester Carlson , American physicist and inventor (d. 1968 )1911 - Elizabeth Bishop , American poet (d. 1979 )1913 - Betty Field , American actress (d. 1973 )1918 - Fred Blassie , American professional wrestler (d. 2003 )1921 - Lana Turner , American actress (d. 1995 )1922 - Audrey Meadows , American actress (d. 1996 )1925 - Jack Lemmon , American actor and film director (d. 2001 )1926 - Neal Cassady , American writer (d. 1968 )1930 - James Deetz , American anthropologist (d. 2000 )1930 - Alejandro Rey , Argentine actor (d. 1987 )
1931 - James Dean , American actor (d. 1955 )1932 - Cliff Allison , British racing driver (d. 2005 )1932 - John Williams , American composer and conductor
1933 - Elly Ameling , Dutch soprano1933 - Jack Larson , American actor
1936 - Larry Verne , American singer1937 - Manfred Krug , German actor1939 - José Maria Sison , Filipino communist1940 - Ted Koppel , American journalist1941 - Nick Nolte , American actor1941 - Tom Rush , American singer and songwriter
1942 - Robert Klein , American comedian1942 - Terry Melcher , American musician and record producer (d. 2004 )
1943 - Creed Bratton , American actor and musician1943 - Pirzada Qasim , Pakistani poet and VC of Karachi University
1944 - Roger Lloyd-Pack , English actor1944 - Sebastião Salgado , Brazilian documentary photographer
1948 - Lynda Lyon Block , American convicted murderer (d. 2002 )1948 - Dan Seals , American singer
1948 - Ron Tyson , American singer (The Temptations )
1949 - Brooke Adams , American actress1950 - Cristina Ferrare , American former supermodel and actress1951 - Z'EV , American text/sound artist (born Stefan Weisser)1953 - Roger Clavet , Québécois politician1953 - Mary Steenburgen , American actress
1955 - John Grisham , American writer1955 - Nancy Oliver , American playwright and television writer
1956 - Dave Meros , American bassist (Spock's Beard )1958 - Sherri Martel , American professional wrestler (d. 2007 )1960 - Dino Ciccarelli , Canadian ice hockey player1961 - Vince Neil , American singer (Mötley Crüe )1961 - Bruce Timm ,TV Producer (DC Animated Universe )
1963 - Mohammad Azharuddin , Indian cricketer1963 - Joshua Kadison , American pianist and songwriter
1964 - Trinny Woodall , British fashion guru1966 - Kirk Muller , Canadian ice hockey player1966 - Hristo Stoichkov , Bulgarian footballer
1968 - Gary Coleman , American actor1968 - Claudette Pace , Maltese singer
1969 - Mary McCormack , American actress1969 - Shiva Rose , American actress
1970 - John Filan , Australian footballer1970 - Alonzo Mourning , American basketball player
1971 - Mika Karppinen , Finnish drummer (HIM )1971 - Andrus Veerpalu , Estonian cross-country skier
1972 - Paul Wight , American professional wrestler1973 - Keith McDonald , American baseball player1974 - Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo , French disc jockey (Daft Punk )1974 - Ulises de la Cruz , Ecuadorian footballer
1974 - Seth Green , American actor
1974 - Kimbo Slice , American mixed martial artist
1976 - Khaled Mashud , Bangladeshi cricketer1976 - Adam Piatt , American baseball player
1977 - Dave Farrell , American musician (Linkin Park )1977 - Barry Hall , Australian rules footballer
1977 - Bridgette Kerkove , American actress
1977 - Yucef Merhi , Venezuelan artist
1977 - Mathieu Turcotte , Canadian short-track speed skater
1979 - Aaron Cook , American baseball player1979 - Josh Keaton , American actor and singer
1980 - Ralf Little , English actor/comedian1980 - Cameron Muncey , Australian guitarist (Jet )
1980 - Stephen Wright , English footballer
1981 - Myriam Montemayor Cruz , Mexican singer1982 - Eric Alexander , American football player1982 - Satomi Kōrogi , Japanese voice actress
1982 - Sousuke Takaoka , Japanese actor
1982 - Danny Tamberelli , American actor1983 - Jim Verraros , American singer1984 - Panagiotis Vasilopoulos , Greek basketball player1987 - Carolina Kostner , Italian European champion figure skater1988 - Keegan Meth , Zimbabwean cricketer1989 - Danielle Harmer , English actress1995 - Jordan Todosey , Canadian actress
Deaths
1204 - Alexius IV Angelus , deposed Eastern Roman Emperor (b. circa 1182 )1250 - Robert I of Artois , French crusader (b. 1216 )1250 - William II Longespee
1265 - Hulagu Khan , Mongol ruler (b. 1217 )1296 - King Przemysł II of Poland (b. 1257 )1529 - Baldassare Castiglione , Italian writer and diplomat (b. 1478 )1587 - Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1542 )1599 - Robert Rollock , Scottish educator1623 - Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter , English politician (b. 1546 )1696 - Tsar Ivan V of Russia (b. 1666 )1709 - Giuseppe Torelli , Italian composer (b. 1658 )1725 - Tsar Peter I of Russia (b. 1672 )1749 - Jan van Huysum , Dutch painter (b. 1682 )1750 - Aaron Hill , English writer (b. 1685 )1768 - George Dance the Elder , English architect (b. 1695 )1772 - Augusta of Saxe-Gotha , Princess of Wales (b. 1719 )1849 - France Prešeren , Slovenian poet (b. 1800 )1849 - François Antoine Habeneck , French violinist (b. 1781 )
1856 - Agostino Bassi , Italian entomologist (b. 1773 )1907 - Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom , Dutch chemist (b. 1854 )1910 - Hans Jæger , Norwegian writer and political activist (b. 1854 )1921 - Peter Kropotkin , Russian anarchist (b. 1842 )1921 - George Formby (Senior) , English entertainer (b. 1876 )
1929 - Maria Christina , Queen Regent of Spain (b. 1858 )1932 - Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll , New York City gangster from County Donegal in Ireland (b. 1908 )1956 - Connie Mack , American baseball manager and executive (b. 1862 )1957 - Walther Bothe , German physicist and inventor, Nobel laureate (b. 1891 )1957 - John von Neumann , Hungarian-born mathematician and physicist (b. 1903 )
1960 - Giles Gilbert Scott , British architect (b. 1880 )1960 - John Langshaw Austin , British philosopher, (b. 1911 )
1963 - George Dolenz , American actor, father of Micky Dolenz (b. 1908 )1964 - Ernst Kretschmer , German psychiatrist (b. 1888 )1972 - Markos Vamvakaris , Greek musician and songwriter (b. 1905 )1975 - Robert Robinson , British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1886 )1977 - Eivind Groven , Norwegian composer and ethnomusicologist (b. 1901 )1980 - Nikos Xilouris , Greek singer (b. 1936 )1982 - John Hay Whitney , American financier (b. 1904 )1984 - Karel Miljon , Dutch boxer (b. 1903 )1985 - William Lyons , British automobile manufacturer (b. 1901 )1987 - Harriet E. MacGibbon , American actress (b. 1905 )1990 - Del Shannon , American entertainer (suicide) (b. 1934 )1992 - Denny Wright , British jazz guitarist (b. 1924 )1993 - N. Shanmugathasan , Sri Lankan communist leader1994 - Raymond Scott , American composer (b. 1908 )1996 - Del Ennis , American baseball player (b. 1925 )1998 - Halldór Laxness , Icelandic author, Nobel laureate (b. 1902 )1998 - Julian Lincoln Simon , American economist and author (b. 1932 )
1998 - Enoch Powell , British Conservative MP and shadow cabinet member (b.1912 )
1999 - Iris Murdoch , Irish author (b. 1919 )2000 - Sid Abel , Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1918 )2000 - Bob Collins , American radio broadcaster (b.1942 )
2000 - Derrick Thomas , American football player (b. 1967 )
2001 - Ivo Caprino , Norwegian animated film director (b. 1920 )2002 - Joachim Hoffmann , German historian (b. 1930 )2002 - Ong Teng Cheong , President of Singapore (b. 1936 )
2004 - Julius Schwartz , American comic book and science fiction editor (b. 1915 )2005 - Jimmy Smith , American jazz musician (b. 1925 )2005 - Keith Knudsen , American drummer, vocalist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers ) (b. 1948 )
2006 - Elton Dean , English musician (Soft Machine ) (b. 1945 )2006 - Akira Ifukube , Japanese composer (b. 1914 )
2007 - Anna Nicole Smith , American model, actress, and entertainer (b. 1967 )2007 - Ian Stevenson , Canadian-American professor and reincarnation expert (b. 1918 )
2008 - Chua Ek Kay , Singaporean painter (b. 1947 )
Holidays and observances
External links
