On February 11th...

links will open in a new window

1531 King Henry VIII was made supreme head of the Church in England.

1535 Pope Gregory XIV was born.

1650 Philosopher René Descartes died.

1766 The Stamp Act was declared unconstitutional by Virginia.

1790 The Society of Friends petitioned the U. S. Congress to abolish slavery.

1808 Anthracite coal was first burned as fuel, experimentally, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

1809 Robert Fulton patented his steamboat.

1812 Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting bill that gave his party an unfair advantage in elections.
1812 Alexander Hamilton Stephens, U. S. Congressman and Vice-President of the Confederate States of America, was born.

1826 London University (now University College London) was founded.

1828 De Witt Clinton, Governor of New York who oversaw construction of the Erie Canal, died.

1832 Businessman and inventor Daniel Spill was born.

1837 The American Physiological Society was organized.

1847 Inventor Thomas Alva Edison was born.

1861 The U. S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.

1878 The Boston Bicycle Club was formed.
1878 Gideon Welles, U. S. Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War, died.

1895 Georgetown, Maryland, became part of Washington, D. C.

1909 Boxer Max Baer was born.

1916 The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presented its first concert.

1917 Author Sidney Sheldon was born.

1919 Actress Eva Gabor was born.

1920 King Farouk of Egypt was born.

1926 Actor Leslie Nielsen was born.

1928 The 2nd Winter Olympic Games opened in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

1929 Vatican City became a sovereign state, and the world's smallest country.
1929 Watkins Aircraft Company was organized.

1931 Charles Parsons, inventor of the steam turbine engine, died.

1934 Actress Tina Louise was born.

1935 Singer Gene Vincent was born.

1936 Actor Burt Reynolds was born.

1938 Singer Boris Pickett was born.

1942 The first "Archie" comic book was issued.

1957 The NHL Players Association was formed.

1959 Six states in the Aden Protectorate formed the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South.
1959 A United States Army weather balloon rose 146,000 feet over Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, setting a new world balloon altitude record.

1962 Singer Sheryl Crow was born.

1963 The French Chef, starring Julia Child, debuted on Boston public television station WGBH.
1963 Poet Sylvia Plath died.

1964 The Beatles gave their first live U.S. concert, at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C.
1964 American politician Sarah Palin was born.

1968 The current Madison Square Garden opened its doors.

1974 Twins pitcher Dick Woodson became the first Major League player to take advantage of arbitration.

1986 Author Frank Herbert died.

1990 Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa.

1994 Actor William Conrad died.

2006 Novelist Peter Benchley died.

2012 Singer Whitney Houston died.

Questions or comments about this page?

This page was last updated on February 24, 2018.