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1943–George Harrison, of The Beatles, is born at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, England. He was the fourth child in his family. In December 1992, Harrison himself told Billboard magazine that he had recently discovered that he had been born on February 24th, shortly before midnight (11:42 p.m.). But George's birth certificate bears the date of February 25th, which is the date that has been traditionally observed as his birthday. In the early days of Beatlemania, he was nicknamed “The Quiet One.” Officially the “third Beatle,” he was the band’s lead guitarist, sang harmony on a majority of their records, and usually provided one song per LP. By the mid-1960s, Harrison had become an admirer of Indian culture and mysticism, introducing it to the other Beatles. And in 1968, they all traveled to Rishikesh in northern India, to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. By late 1969, Harrison embraced the Hare Krishna tradition, particularly japa-yoga, chanting with beads, and he became a lifelong devotee. Harrison’s songs include Don’t Bother Me, I Need You, I Want to Tell You, Within You Without You, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, My Sweet Lord, What Is Life, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), All Those Years Ago, and When We Was Fab.


138–Roman Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor.

449–Emperor Qianfei of the Liu Song dynasty is born Liu Ziye in China. His brief reign, while a teenager, was known for his violent and impulsive acts, including the slaughter of many high-level officials and his sexually immoral behavior. He was assassinated just a year after becoming emperor.

493–Odoacer surrenders Ravenna after a three-year siege and agrees to a mediated peace with Theoderic the Great.

628–Khosrau II is overthrown by his son, Kavadh II.

805–Emperor Dezong of Tang dies at age 62. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang Dynasty.

1246–Welsh King, Dafydd ap Llywelyn, dies in Abergwyngregyn, Wales, at age 34. He was the first ruler to claim the title Prince of Wales.

1259–Infanta Branca of Portugal is born in Santarem, Kingdom of Portugal. She was the daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile.

1336–Four thousand defenders of Pilenai, led by the Duke Margiris, commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights. When the inhabitants of Pilenai, a fortress in medieval Lithuania, realized that it was impossible to defend themselves any longer against the much larger enemy force, they made the decision to set the castle on fire in order to destroy all of their possessions, and anything of value to the enemy.

1337–Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg, is born in Prague (present-day Czech Republic).

1570–Pope Pius V excommunicates Britain's Queen Elizabeth I due to her embracing the Church of England, a Protestant sect based on Catholicism which was founded by her father, Henry VIII. Henry was a devoted follower of Catholicism, with one exception that he could not live with, and that was the inability to divorce his Queens. Henry founded the Church of England as a close replica to Catholicism, with the major differences that it does not require celibacy of its clerics, and does accept divorce, allowing for Henry to practice his religion and to change his wives at will, without the continued necessity of beheading them, the fate of Elizabeth’s mother, Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn.

1601–Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, is executed for treason by order of Elizabeth I, his sovereign and his lover. She had warned him numerous times about giving the appearance of standing against her authority.

1631–François de Bassompierre, a French courtier, is arrested on Richelieu's orders and thrown into the Bastille.

1643–Ottoman sultan, Ahmed II, is born at Topkapi Palace in Constantinople.

1713–Frederick I of Prussia dies in Berlin, Prussia, at age 55. He was the paternal grandfather of Frederick the Great.

1723–Architect, Sir Christopher Michael Wren, dies in London, Kingdom of Great Britain, at age 91. One of the most revered English architects in history, Wren is credited with rebuilding 52 churches after the Great Fire of London, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral. It was during a visit to St. Paul's that Wren caught the chill that would ultimately kill him. He was interred in St. Paul's Cathedral, where an inscription is carved in Latin in a black marble circle on the main floor. It translates: “Here in its foundations lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond 90 years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument: look around you.”

1751–The first performing monkey in America is exhibited in New York.

1778–José de San Martín, first President of Peru, is born José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras in Yapeyú, Corrientes, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina).

1793–George Washington holds his first Cabinet meeting as President of the United States. The meeting takes place in his home.

1797–Colonel William Tate and his force of 1,000 to 1,500 soldiers surrender after the Battle of Fishguard, termed “the last invasion of Britain.”

1804–Thomas Jefferson is nominated for President of the United States at the Democratic-Republican caucus.

1831–The Battle of Olszynka Grochowska takes place as part of the Polish November Uprising against the Russian Empire.

1836–Samuel Colt receives a patent for the Colt revolver.

1836–American showman, P.T. Barnum, exhibits African American slave, Joice Heth.

1837–The first electric printing press is patented by Thomas Davenport.

1841–Painter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, is born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France. He and several of his fellow students and artists, including Monet, Cézanne, and Pissarro, began to break away from the traditions of 19th-century painting. They got out of the studio and painted directly from nature, employing a style characterized by short brush strokes of bright colors to represent the effect of light on objects. The style was at first considered revolutionary, and was not accepted. Over time, the style came to be known as Impressionism. Renoir was a prolific artist, leaving a legacy of several thousand paintings.

1843–Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain.

1848–Provisional government in revolutionary France, by Louis Blanc's motion, guarantees workers' rights.

1850–Daoguang, Emperor of China, dies at Old Summer Palace, Beijing, China, at age 67.

1852–Poet, Thomas Moore, dies at Sloperton Cottage in Bromham, Wiltshire, England, at age 72. He was a singer, songwriter, and entertainer, best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer.

1856–A Peace conference opens in Paris, France, after the Crimean War.

1857–Politician, Sir Robert Bond, first Prime Minister of Newfoundland, is born in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

1860–Lexicographer, Chauncey Allen Goodrich, dies in Middletown, Connecticut, at age 69. He was an American clergyman and educator, and the son-in-law of Noah Webster. Soon after the publication of the American Dictionary by his father-in-law, Dr. Goodrich was entrusted by its author with power to oversee an abridgment of the work, conforming it to a more common standard. At the time of his death, Dr. Goodrich was engaged on a radical revision of the dictionary, but he died before the work received its final form, and it was published under the supervision of Noah Porter in 1864.

1861–Austrian philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, is born Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner in Murakirály, Austria-Hungary (present-day Donji Kraljevec, Croatia). Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the 19th century as a literary critic, and published philosophical works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the 20th century, he founded a spiritual movement, Anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His other influences include Goethean science and Rosicrucianism.

1862–The U.S. Congress forms the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Paper currency is then introduced in America by President Abraham Lincoln.

1864–Anna Harrison, wife of President William Henry Harrison, dies in North Bend, Ohio, at age 88. She was the ninth First Lady of the United States.

1866–Miners in Calaveras County, California, discover what is now called the Calaveras Skull: human remains that indicated that man, mastodons, and elephants had co-existed.

1868–Andrew Johnson is impeached for violation of the Tenure of Office Act.

1870–Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the U.S. Senate, becoming the first African American in the U.S. Congress.

1873–Operatic tenor, Enrico Caruso, is born in Naples, Italy. Caruso made approximately 290 commercially released recordings from 1902 to 1920. Caruso's 25-year career included 863 appearances at the New York Metropolitan Opera before he died at the age of 48. He was one of the first examples of a global media celebrity: beyond records, Caruso's name became familiar to millions through newspapers, books, magazines, cinema, the telephone, and the telegraph.

1875–Guangxu, Emperor of China, begins his reign of the Qing dynasty under Empress Dowager Cixi's regency.

1882–Playwright, actor, and theater manager, Steele MacKaye, dies in Buffalo, New York. MacKaye patented more than 100 theatrical inventions, including folding theater seats.

1885–Princess Alice of Battenberg is born at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England. She was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a great-grandaughter of Queen Victoria.

1888–John Foster Dulles, soldier, lawyer, and politician, is born in Washington, D.C. He was the 52nd United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. Dulles was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world.

1894–Indian spiritual leader, Meher Baba, is born Merwan Sheriar Irani in Poona (present-day Pune), British India (present-day India). From July 10, 1925, to the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence, communicating by means of an alphabet board or by unique hand gestures. In 1966, Baba became concerned with the increasingly prevalent drug culture in the West. He began a correspondence with several Western academics, including Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, in which he strongly discouraged the use of all hallucinogenic drugs for spiritual purposes. He gave practical advice for the aspirant who wished to attain Self-realization and thereby escape the wheel of births and deaths. His teachings are recorded in his principal books Discourses and God Speaks.

1897–Chef, restaurateur and the father of modern French cuisine, Fernand Point, is born in Louhans, Saône-et-Loire, France. His restaurant, La Pyramide, opened shortly after World War I, and from its kitchens issued the sumptuous, yet delicate sauces, baby vegetables, and regional dishes which characterize nouvelle cuisine. The restaurant was awarded three Michelin Stars, and trained a generation of master chefs.

1899–Paul Julius Reuter, founder of the British news agency, Reuters, dies in Villa Reuter, Nice, France, at age 82.

1901–J.P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.

1901–Actor, Zeppo Marx, is born Herbert Manfred Marx in New York, New York. He was the youngest of the five Marx Brothers. He appeared in the first five Marx Brothers feature films, from 1929 to 1933, but then left the act to start his second career as an engineer and theatrical agent.

1904–Nutritionist and writer, (Daisie) Adelle Davis, is born in Lizton, Indiana. Although her ideas were considered somewhat eccentric in the 1940s and 1950s, the change in culture with the 1960s brought her stance, especially against anti-food processing, into the mainstream in a time when anti-authority sentiment was growing. Some of her nutritional ideas such as the need for exercise, the dangers of vitamin deficiencies, and the need to avoid hydrogenated fat, saturated fat, and excess sugar consumption, remain relevant to modern nutritionists. Her books include You Can Stay Well, Let’s Cook It Right, and Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit.

1908–A railway tunnel under the Hudson River opens in New York.

1910–The Dali Lama flees from Chinese troops in Tibet to the British-Indies.

1912–William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, dies at Berg Castle, Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, at age 59. Marie-Adélaïde becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

1913–The 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is ratified, authorizing income tax.

1913–Actor, Jim Backus, is born James Gilmore Backus in Cleveland, Ohio. Among his most famous roles are the voice of nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, and Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island. He appeared in the films Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town, His Kind of Woman, Here Come The Nelsons, Pat and Mike, Don’t Bother to Knock, I Love Melvin, Rebel Without a Cause, The Opposite Sex, Macabre, Boy’s Night Out, Sunday in New York, The Wheeler Dealers, Billie, and Hello Down There.

1916–In World War I, the Germans capture Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun.

1917–Novelist, Anthony Burgess, is born John Anthony Burgess Wilson in Harpurhey, Manchester, England. The author of more than 50 books and dozens of musical compositions, he's best known as the author of A Clockwork Orange. In 1971, it was adapted into a highly controversial film by director, Stanley Kubrick.

1918–Tennis player, Bobby Riggs, is born Robert Larimore Riggs in Los Angeles, California. As a professional, Riggs won the U.S. Pro titles in 1946, 1947, and 1949. At the age of 55, he competed in a challenge match against Billie Jean King, one of the top female tennis players in the world. "The Battle of the Sexes" match was one of the most famous tennis events of all time, with a $100,000 winner-take-all prize: King beat Riggs, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

1919–Oregon becomes the first state to tax gasoline at 1¢ per gallon.

1920–Sun Myung Moon, South Korean religious leader, is born Mun Yong-myeong in Jeong-ju, North P'yong’an, Japanese Korea (present-day North Pyongan, North Korea). A self-proclaimed messiah, he was the founder of the Unification Church. In 1982, The Washington Times was founded by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with Moon, which also owns newspapers in South Korea, Japan, and South America, as well as the news agency United Press International.

1921–Tbilisi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, is occupied by Bolshevist Russia.

1925–Glacier National Monument (now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve) is established in Alaska.

1928–Charles Jenkins Laboratories, of Washington, D.C., is the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission.

1928–Screenwriter-producer, Larry Gelbart, is born Lawrence Simon Gelbart in Chicago, Illinois. He is most famous as creator and producer of the record-breaking hit TV show M*A*S*H. His writing credits include The Thrill of It All, The Wrong Box, Oh God!, Movie Movie, Neighbors, Tootsie, and City of Angels.

1929–Actor, Christopher (John) George, is born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He is best known for his starring role in the 1966–1968 TV series The Rat Patrol. He appeared in numerous TV shows and the films El Dorado, Chisum, Midway, and The Shootist. He was married to actress, Lynda Day George.

1929–Tommy Newsom, bandleader for The Tonight Show, is born Thomas Penn Newsom in Portsmouth, Virginia.

1931–Actor, Christopher (John) George, is born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He is best known for his starring role in the TV series The Rat Patrol. He appeared in numerous TV shows and the films El Dorado, Chisum, Midway, and The Shootist. He was married to actress, Lynda Day George.

1932–Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, providing him the opportunity to run in the 1932 election for Reichspresident.

1932–Country singer, Faron Young, is born in in Shreveport, Louisiana. His biggest hit was Hello Walls. In 2000, Young was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1933–The USS Ranger is launched. It is the first U.S. Navy ship to be built solely as an aircraft carrier.

1935–TV talk show host, Sally Jessy Raphael, is born Sally Lowenthal in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is most famous for hosting the TV talk show, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, which ran in first-run syndication from 1983 to 2002. As competition in the talk show arena intensified, her show moved toward more sensationalistic topics. She is remembered for her bright red glasses, as well as her colorful guests.

1937–Actor, Tom Courtenay, is born Thomas Daniel Courtenay in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. He appeared in the films The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Billy Liar, King Rat, Doctor Zhivago, A Dandy in Aspic, The Dresser, A Rather English Marriage, and Last Orders.

1938–Actress, Diane (Carol) Baker, is born in Hollywood, California. She appeared in the films The Diary of Anne Frank, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Best of Everything, The Prize, Marnie, The Silence of the Lambs, The Joy Luck Club, The Cable Guy, and Courage Under Fire.

1939–The first of 2.5 million Anderson air raid shelters appears in North London, England.

1941–In occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.

1941–David Puttnam, film producer and CEO of Columbia Pictures, is born in London, England.

1942–Actress, Karen (Trust) Grassle, is born in Berkeley, California. She is best known for the role of Caroline Ingalls in the TV series Little House on the Prairie.

1943–Musician, George Harrison, of The Beatles, is born at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, England. He was the fourth child in his family. In December 1992, Harrison himself told Billboard magazine that he had recently discovered that he had been born on February 24th, shortly before midnight (11:42 p.m.). But George's birth certificate bears the date of February 25th, which is the date that has been traditionally observed as his birthday. In the early days of Beatlemania, he was nicknamed “The Quiet One.” Officially the “third Beatle,” he was the band’s lead guitarist, sang harmony on a majority of their records, and usually provided one song per LP. By the mid-1960s, Harrison had become an admirer of Indian culture and mysticism, introducing it to the other Beatles. And in 1968, they all traveled to Rishikesh in northern India, to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. By late 1969, Harrison embraced the Hare Krishna tradition, particularly japa-yoga, chanting with beads, and he became a lifelong devotee. Harrison’s songs include Don’t Bother Me, I Need You, I Want to Tell You, Within You Without You, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, My Sweet Lord, What Is Life, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), All Those Years Ago, and When We Was Fab.

1945–Turkey declares war on Germany.

1947–The formal abolition of the State of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council. The Prussian government had already been abolished in 1934, by the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich.

1948–The Communist Party takes control of the government in Czechoslovakia, and the period of the Third Republic ends.

1950–The Federal State of East Java, part of United States of Indonesia, is abolished and reunites as the Republic of Indonesia.

1950–The television series, Your Show of Shows, with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, debuts on NBC-TV. Writers for the program include Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen.

1950–Singer-songwriter-musician, Emitt Rhodes, is born in Decatur, Illinois. His solo recordings of the early 1970s show a clear Paul McCartney influence in both vocals and musicianship. Rhodes began his career in the Los Angeles based group, The Merry-Go-Round. His solo songs include Fresh as a Daisy, With My Face on the Floor, and Live Till You Die. His biggest selling album was the self-titled, Emitt Rhodes, in 1970. In January and February 2009, Italian director, Cosimo Messeri, shot a documentary movie about Emitt Rhodes' vicissitudes: life, past, present, troubles, and hopes. The movie, entitled, The One Man Beatles, was selected for the International Rome Film Festival 2009, receiving standing ovations.

1951–The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1952–The VI Winter Olympic Games close in Oslo, Norway.

1954–Gamal Abdel Nasser is made Premier of Egypt.

1956–In his speech “On the Personality Cult and its Consequences,” Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.

1957–Buddy Holly and the Crickets record That'll Be the Day in Clovis, New Mexico. The single sells more than one million copies and tops the Billboard pop chart.

1963–VeeJay Records, the small Chicago-based label, releases the first Beatles record in the U.S., Please Please Me, backed with From Me to You. In spite of being a smash in the U.K., it goes unnoticed in America.

1964–North Korean Prime Minister, Kim Il-sung, calls for the removal of feudalistic land ownership, aimed at making all cooperative farms state-run.

1964–Author, Grace Metalious, dies from cirrhosis of the liver in Boston, Massachusetts, at age 39. She wrote the controversial novel, Peyton Place. It sold 20 million copies in hardcover and another 12 million as a Dell paperback. Hollywood lost no time in cashing in on the book's success: a year after its publication, Peyton Place was a major box office hit. The prime time TV series, Peyton Place, that aired on ABC-TV (1964-1969) was a ratings success, as well.

1965–Comedian, Carrot Top, is born Scott Thompson in Rockledge, Florida.

1966–Actress, Tea Leoni, is born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni in New York, New York. She has appeared in the films A League of Their Own, Wyatt Earp, Flirting with Disaster, Deep Impact, The Family Man, and Spanglish. She was married to actor, David Duchovny.

1967–ABC-TV's The Hollywood Palace broadcasts two promo videos by The Beatles: they are for the songs Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane.

1968–One hundred thirty-five unarmed citizens of Ha My village in South Vietnam's Quang Nam Province are killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Ha My massacre.

1970–John Lennon cancels his participation in the planned Toronto Peace Festival after a dispute over admissions policy. John wanted the festival to be completely free to those attending.

1970–German astrologer, Walter Koch, dies in Göppingen, Germany, at age 74. He founded the Koch House System (also known as the Birthplace House System) in Astrology.

1970–Abstract expressionist painter, Mark Rothko, dies from suicide in New York, New York, at age 66. In 1928, Rothko exhibited works with a group of other young artists at the appropriately named Opportunity Gallery. His paintings included dark, moody, expressionist interiors, as well as urban scenes, and were generally well accepted among critics and his peers.

1971–The first unit of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, the first commercial nuclear power station in Canada, goes online. The Ontario Hydro plant will become one of the largest single producers of electricity in the world.

1971–The stage play, Oh! Calcutta!, opens at the Belasco Theater in New York City for 1,316 performances.

1971–Actor, Sean Astin, is born Sean Patrick Duke in Santa Monica, California. He has appeared in the films The Goonies, The War of the Roses, Memphis Belle, Encino Man, Rudy, Safe Passage, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and 50 First Dates. He is the son of actress, Patty Duke, and actor, John Astin, is his stepfather.

1975–Elijah Muhammad, leader of Nation of Islam, dies of congestive heart failure in Chicago, Illinois, at age 78. He was a mentor to Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad Ali, and his son, Warith Deen Mohammed.

1977–An oil tanker explosion west of Honolulu, Hawaii, spills 31 million gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean.

1980–The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.

1981–The U.S. conducts a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

1981–The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards announces its winners. Record of the Year: Christopher Cross for Sailing; Album of the Year: Christopher Cross for Christopher Cross; Song of the Year: Christopher Cross (songwriter) for Sailing; Best Vocal Performance, Male: Kenny Loggins for This Is It; Best Vocal Performance, Female: Bette Midler for The Rose; Best Performance by a Vocal Group: The Doobie Brothers for Minute by Minute; Best Country & Western Performance: George Jones for He Stopped Loving Her Today; Best Rhythm & Blues Performance: Stephanie Mills for Never Knew Love Like This Before; Best Rock Performance: Billy Joel for Glass Houses; Best Instrumental Performance: Bob James and Earl Klugh for One on One; Best New Artist: Christopher Cross. The ceremonies are held at Radio City Music Hall in New York. There is no host. Christopher Cross became the first artist to win all four general-field awards in one night: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.

1982–The final episode of the TV series, The Lawrence Welk Show, is broadcast.

1983–Author, Tennessee Williams, dies of acute seconal intolerance in New York, New York, at age 71. His works include The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Rose Tattoo, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Baby Doll, Suddenly, Last Summer, The Fugitive Kind, Sweet Bird of Youth, Period of Adjustment, and The Night of the Iguana. A favorite of Hollywood, most of his works have been made into popular motion pictures.

1986–President Ferdinand Marcos, of the Philippines, flees the nation after 20 years of rule. Corazon Aquino is then elected the first Filipino female President.

1986–The 28th Annual Grammy Awards announces its winners. Record of the Year: USA for Africa for We Are the World; Album of the Year: Phil Collins for No Jacket Required; Song of the Year: Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (songwriters) for We Are the World; Best Vocal Performance, Male: Phil Collins for No Jacket Required; Best Vocal Performance, Female: Whitney Houston for Saving All My Love for You; Best Performance by a Vocal Group: USA for Africa for We Are the World; Best Country & Western Performance: Ronnie Milsap for Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night); Best Rhythm & Blues Performance: Aretha Franklin for Freeway of Love; Best Rock Performance: Don Henley for The Boys of Summer; Best Instrumental Performance: Jan Hammer for Miami Vice Theme; Best New Artist: Sade. The ceremonies are held at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. The host is Kenny Rogers.

1987–Southern Methodist University's football program is the first to receive the death penalty by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. It was revealed that athletic officials and school administrators had knowledge of a "slush fund" used to make illegal payments to the school's football players as far back as 1981.

1987–Frank Sinatra guest stars on an episode of the TV series Magnum P.I.

1987–Actor, James Coco, dies of a heart attack in New York, New York, at age 56. He appeared in the films Ensign Pulver, The Strawberry Statement, Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, Such Good Friends, Man of La Mancha, Murder by Death, and Only When I Laugh.

1989–Boxer, Mike Tyson, knocks out Frank Bruno in the 5th Round, winning the Heavyweight Boxing Championship.

1991–An Iraqi Scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.

1991–The Warsaw Pact is disbanded.

1992–About 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

1992–The 34th Annual Grammy Awards announces its winners. Record of the Year: Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole for Unforgettable; Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love by Natalie Cole; Song of the Year: Irving Gordon (songwriter) for Unforgettable; Best Vocal Performance, Male: Michael Bolton for When a Man Loves a Woman; Best Vocal Performance, Female: Bonnie Raitt for Something to Talk About; Best Performance by a Vocal Group: R.E.M. for Losing My Religion; Best Country & Western Performance: Garth Brooks for Ropin' the Wind; Best Rhythm & Blues Performance: Luther Vandross for Power of Love; Best Rock Performance: Bonnie Raitt for Luck of the Draw; Best Instrumental Performance: Michael Kamen for Robin Hood–Prince of Thieves; Best Rap Performance: LL Cool J for Mama Said Knock You Out; Best New Artist: Marc Cohn. The ceremonies are held at Radio City Music Hall, New York. The host is Whoopi Goldberg. James Brown is presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

1994–In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 others before he is subdued and beaten to death by survivors.

1994–Phil Rizzuto is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1994–Jersey Joe Walcott, Heavyweight Boxing Champ (1951-1952), dies in Camden, New Jersey, at age 80.

1995–Frank Sinatra take the stage, for what would be the last time, singing his hits for 1,200 guests at a private party at his golf tournament, the “Frank Sinatra Desert Classic,” in Palm Springs, California. The last song he performs is The Best is Yet to Come.

1996–Actor, Haing S. Ngor, is murdered by gunshot in the Chinatown section of Los Angeles, California, at age 55. He was a Cambodian-American physician and author. He is best known for winning the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his debut performance in the movie The Killing Fields, in which he portrayed Cambodian journalist and refugee, Dith Pran.

1997–Yi Han-yong, a North Korean defector, is murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea.

1998–Switzerland opens its first legal brothel in Zurich.

1998–Actress, Pamela Anderson Lee, has her husband, Tommy Lee, arrested on battery charges.

1998–The 40th Annual Grammy Awards announces its winners. Record of the Year: Shawn Colvin for Sunny Came Home; Album of the Year: Bob Dylan for Time Out of Mind; Song of the Year: John Leventhal and Shawn Colvin (songwriters) for Sunny Came Home; Best Vocal Performance, Male: Elton John for Candle in the Wind 1997; Best Vocal Performance, Female: Sarah McLachlan for Building a Mystery; Best Performance by a Vocal Group: Jamiroquai for Virtual Insanity; Best Country & Western Performance: Trisha Yearwood for How Do I Live; Best Rhythm & Blues Performance: R. Kelly for I Believe I Can Fly; Best Rock Performance: Fiona Apple for Criminal; Best Instrumental Performance: The Chemical Brothers for Block Rockin' Beats; Best Rap Performance: Will Smith for Men in Black; Best New Artist: Paula Cole. The ceremonies are held at Radio City Music Hall, New York. The host is Kelsey Grammer. When presenting the nominees for Album of the Year, Usher mistakenly refers to Bob Dylan as “Bill Dylan.”

1999–Chemist, Glenn T. Seaborg, dies from a stroke in Lafayette, California, at age 86. His involvement in the synthesis, discovery, and investigation of 10 transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work in this area also led to his development of the actinide concept and the arrangement of the actinide series in the periodic table of the elements.

2000–The Swedish political party, New Democracy, is declared financially bankrupt.

2003–Financier, Ralph Whitworth, pays Paul McCartney $1 millon to play at the 50th birthday party for his wife, Wendy. McCartney presents the CNN executive with a dozen roses after singing The Beatles’ song, Birthday, to her. As agreed, Paul donates the full amount he received to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield.

2004–Music entrepreneur, Estelle Axton, dies in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 85. She was the co-founder, with her brother Jim Stewart, of Stax Records. Axton was actively involved with selecting and developing the artists on the label, who included Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, Booker T & the M.G.s, and Isaac Hayes.

2004–Donald Hings, inventor the Walkie-talkie, dies in Burnaby, British Columbia, at age 96.

2005–Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International, dies of pneumonia in Oxford, England, at age 83.

2006–The estimated population of the entire world reaches 6.5 billion.

2006–Actor, Darren McGavin, dies in Los Angeles, California, at age 83. He is well known for the title role in the TV suspense series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He appeared in the films The Man with the Golden Arm, The Delicate Delinquent, Tribes, No Deposit, No Return, Airport ‘77, The Martian Chronicles, A Christmas Story, The Natural, and Turk 182.

2007–The 79th Annual Academy Awards announces its winners. Best Picture: The Departed; Best Actor: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland; Best Actress: Helen Mirren for The Queen; Best Director: Martin Scorsese for The Departed; Best Foreign Film: The Lives of Others (Germany). The ceremonies are held at the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, California. The host is Ellen DeGeneres.

2009–Members of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including more than 50 army officials.

2009–President Barack Obama presents Stevie Wonder with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.

2009–Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashes during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter. Nine passengers and crew, including all three pilots, are killed.

2010–Marie Osmond’s son, Michael Blosil, leaps to his death from the eighth-floor window of his apartment in Los Angeles, California. Marie Osmond is a talk show host and member of the musical Osmond family.

2011–Rick Coonce, drummer for The Grass Roots, dies of heart failure at his home on Vancouver Island, Canada, at age 64.

2012–An Al Qaeda suicide bombing kills at least 26 people in Mukalla, Yemen.

2012–Bluesman, Louisiana Red, dies from a stroke in Hanover, Germany, at age 79. His first album, Lowdown Back Porch Blues, was recorded in New York with Tommy Tucker and released in 1963, with a second album, Seventh Son, released later the same year. He had a hit single with I'm Too Poor To Die on the Glover label in 1964.

2013–Cuban President Raul Castro announces he will not seek another term in 2018.

2013–C. Everett Koop, 13th Surgeon General of the United States, dies in Hanover, New Hampshire, at age 96. Koop was known for his work to prevent tobacco use, AIDS, and abortion, and for his support of the rights of disabled children. He was the only Surgeon General to become a “household name.”

2013–Dan Toler, of The Allman Brothers Band and Gregg Allman Band, dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Manatee County, Florida, at age 64.

2014–TV show host, Jim Lange, dies of a heart attack in Mill Valley, California, at age 81. He is best remembered for hosting the swinging 1960s game show, The Dating Game.

2015–At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.

2015–Film and televison producer, Harve Bennett, dies of a burst embolism in Medford, Oregon, at age 84. His work in TV includes The Mod Squad, Rich Man Poor Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman. He produced several films in the "Star Trek" franchise, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

2016–Three people are killed and 14 others are injured in a series of shootings in the towns of Newton and Hesston, Kansas.

2017–President Donald Trump announces he will not attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner, following recent friction between his administration and various news organizations.

2017–A suspected drunken driver plows his car into a crowd watching the Krewe of Endymion parade at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dozens of people are injured and 28 people (including a child and a police officer) taken to seven hospitals.

2017–Shifa Gardi, a female reporter for Rudaw Media Network, is killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb while reporting on the battle for Mosul.

2017–Actor and basketball player, Neil Fingleton, dies of a heart attack in England, at age 36. He was the tallest British-born man and the tallest man in the European Union (at 7 feet 7.56 inches in height). He was among the 25 tallest men in the world. He is best known for his role in the TV series Game of Thrones. He appeared in the films X-Men: First Class, 47 Ronin, and Jupiter Ascending.

2017–Actor, Bill Paxton, dies from complications following heart surgery in Los Angeles, California, at age 61. He appeared in the films Crazy Mama, Stripes, The Lords of Discipline, Streets of Fire, Impulse, Terminator, Weird Science, Aliens, Next of Kin, Boxing Helena, Tombstone, True Lies, Apollo 13, Twister, The Evening Star, Titanic, Mighty Joe Young, and Frailty.

2018–The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposes that the country's constitution be amended to abolish term limits for the posts of President and Vice President.


PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: Commemorative stamps for the defenders of Pilenai; Sir Christopher Michael Wren; Daoguang, Emperor of China; Rudolf Steiner; the Calavaras Skull; Meher Baba; Zeppo Marx; cover of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess; Glacier Bay National Monument poster; Faron Young; George Harrison; Emitt Rhodes; picture sleeve for The Beatles Please Please Me; Carrot Top; Oh! Calcutta! art; the Christopher Cross album; Tennessee Williams; James Coco; Haing S. Ngor; Darren McGavin; Louisiana Red; and Bill Paxton.
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