Author: gil7

Today in History for 17th February 2026

Historical Events

1865 – Union forces led by William T. Sherman capture the state capital of Columbia, South Carolina. The city is ablaze by nightfall, fanned by high winds devastating much of the city. It is not known which side started the fires.
1955 – KTVF TV channel 11 in Fairbanks, AK (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting
1967 – Kosmos 140 (Soyuz Test) launches into Earth orbit
1987 – New York Yankees Don Mattingly wins highest salary arbitration ($1,975,000 per year)
2017 – Discovery of a new mostly underwater continent, Zealandia, in the South Pacific is announced in the research journal “GSA Today”

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Famous Birthdays

1774 – Raphaelle Peale, American painter (After the Rain, 1823), born in Annapolis, Maryland (d. 1825)
1945 – Roy Black, American defense attorney known for representing William Kennedy Smith and Jeffrey Epstein, born in Forest Hills, New York (d. 2025)
1950 – Rickey Medlocke, American rock guitarist, vocalist, and drummer (Blackfoot, 1969-97 – “Highway Song”‘ “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme”; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1971-72 and 1996-present), born in Jackson, Florida
1968 – Aaron Blaise, American animator, painter, and film director (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Brother Bear, The Lion King), born in Burlington, Vermont
1969 – David Klingler, American NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders, Cin Bengals), born in Houston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1612 – Ernest of Bavaria, Prince-elector-archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne, dies at 57
1951 – Nikoghayos Fadeyi Tigranyan, Armenian composer, dies at 94
1997 – Zein Isa, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter
2003 – Frank Thistlethwaite, English academic and Vice Chancellor (University of East Anglia), dies at 87
2025 – Gerd Stern, American poet of the Beat era, multi-media artist (USCO), and cheese monger, dies at 96

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Famous Deaths for 16th February 2026

1279 – Afonso III, King of Portugal (1248-79), dies at 68
1834 – Lionel Lukin, British life boat pioneer, dies at 91
1899 – Félix Faure, 6th President of the French Third Republic (1895-99), dies at 57
1928 – Eddie Foy Sr. [Edwin Fitzgerald], Irish-American actor, singer and dancer (A Favorite Fool), dies at 71
1992 – Janio Quadros, president of Brazil (1961), dies
1996 – Edmund Gerald “Pat” Brown, American politician and Governor of California (D: 1959-67), dies at 90
1999 – Michael Larson, American “Press Your Luck” scandal big-winning contestant, dies of cancer at 49
1999 – Betty Roché [Mary Elizabeth Roach], American jazz singer (Duke Ellington – “Take The ‘A’ Train”), dies at 81
2002 – Walter Winterbottom, England soccer manager (first manager England national football team 1946–62; FA Director of Coaching), dies at 88
2025 – Luis Estaba, Venezuelan boxer (WBC light flyweight champion 1975-78), dies at 86

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Historical Events for 16th February 2026

1900 – Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Montreal Shamrocks beat Winnipeg Victorias, 5-4 to take challenge series, 3-1
1942 – Bangka Island massacre: Japanese soldiers machine-gun 22 Australian Army nurses and 60 Australian and British soldiers and crew members from two sunken ships. Only one nurse and two soldiers survive.
1966 – Australian cricket batsman Bob Cowper makes a patient 307 (727 mins, 20 x 4s) in drawn 5th Test v England in Melbourne
1969 – “Andrei Rublev”, Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Anatoly Solonitsyn and Ivan Lapikov, premieres in Moscow after a limited release in 1966
1972 – American guitar legend Chuck Berry and former Beatle John Lennon perform together, with Yoko Ono, on ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ TV program
1985 – Largest NBA crowd to date, 43,816, sees Philadelphia at Detroit
1999 – O.J. Simpson’s 1968 Heisman Trophy is sold for $230,000 to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgement against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend
2021 – Athens and parts of Greece covered in unusual heavy snowfall

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Today in History for 16th February 2026

Historical Events

1840 – American Charles Wilkes discovers the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Antarctica
1959 – Leonard Spigelgass’ “Majority of One” premieres in NYC
1965 – Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors
1973 – West Indies v Australia at Kingston, 1st time since 1955 without Garfield Sobers
2021 – Athens and parts of Greece covered in unusual heavy snowfall

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Famous Birthdays

1953 – André St. Laurent, Canadian NHL hockey forward, 1973-90 (New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, and 2 other teams), born in Rouyn, Quebec
1953 – George Martin, NFL defensive end, 1975-88 (NY Giants), born in Greenville, South Carolina
1958 – Ice-T [Tracy Marrow], American rapper (“O.G. Original Gangster”), and actor (New Jack City; Tank Girl; Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), born in Newark, New Jersey
1961 – Andy Taylor, British rock guitarist (Duran Duran – “Hungry Like the Wolf”; The Power Station), born in Tynemouth, England
1965 – Lucinda Riley, Northern Irish historical fiction and romance author (The Seven Sisters series, The Hidden Girl, The Italian Girl, The Angel tree), born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1531 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer, dies at 78
1857 – Auguste-Gaspard-Louis Desnoyers, French engraver, dies at 77
1933 – Archie Jackson, Australian cricket batsman (8 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 164; NSWCA), dies from tuberculosis at 23
1968 – (James) Healey Willan, British-Canadian organist, composer, and educator, dies at 87
2023 – Chuck Jackson, American pop and RandB singer (“Any Day Now”; “I Don’t Want to Cry”; “I Keep Forgettin'”), dies at 85

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Famous Deaths for 15th February 2026

1835 – Henry Hunt, British politician, radical reformer (universal suffrage), dies at 61
1841 – Sibrandus Stratingh, Dutch phyisican and chemist (electrical car), dies at 53
1865 – Nicholas Wiseman, 1st Archbishop of Westminster (1850-65), dies at 62
1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer, and conductor (New York Oratorio Society. 1873-85; New York Symphony, 1878-85), dies at 52
1896 – E. J. Nicholson [Eliza Jane], American publisher (New Orleans’ “Daily Picayune”), dies at 47
1967 – William C Bullitt, 1st US ambassador in USSR, dies at 76
1996 – Oscar Abrams, Guyanese-born British architect and community organizer (Keskidee Centre – UK’s 1st Black arts center), dies at 58
2004 – Jan Miner, American actress (Crime Photographer), dies at 86
2012 – Lina Romay, Spanish actress (Conan the Barbarian), dies at 57
2025 – Gran Hamada [Hiroaki Hamada], Japanese professional wrestler (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), dies at 74

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Historical Events for 15th February 2026

1898 – USS Maine sinks in Havana harbor, cause unknown, 258 sailors die
1933 – Social-democratic newspaper “Vorwarts” banned again in Berlin
1956 – Pirates and KC As cancel an exhibition game in Birmingham, Alabama, due to a local ordinance barring Black players from playing against White players
1959 – Antonio Segni forms Italian government
1985 – World chess championship match abandoned with Anatoly Karpov 25 leading Garry Kasparov 23
2000 – Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails
2001 – First draft of the complete human genome is published in the journal “Nature”
2002 – At the Tri-State Crematory in La Fayette, Georgia, investigators find uncremated bodies disposed of in the woods and buildings on crematorium’s property. One of the worst incidents of abuse in the funeral service industry.

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Today in History for 15th February 2026

Historical Events

1764 – St. Louis, Missouri founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclède
1804 – New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery
1991 – Freighter with dynamite explodes in Phang Nga Thailand, 120 die
1991 – Daily market volatility as Hussein mentions withdrawal, but Bush calls his offer a “cruel hoax”
2018 – German figure skaters Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot set new ISU best free skating score of 159.31 on their way to pairs gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Alexander Stuart Webb, American Union general (medal for gallantry at Battle of Gettysburg), born in New York City (d. 1911)
1883 – Sax Rohmer [Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward], English author (Dr Fu Manchu novels), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1959)
1909 – Harold Beeley, British diplomat to the Arab world, born in Manchester, England (d. 2001)
1923 – Yelena Bonner, Soviet dissident and wife of Andre Sakharov, born in Merv, Turkmenistan, Soviet Union (d. 2011)
1968 – Axelle Red [Fabienne Demal], Belgian pop and soul singer-songwriter (“Sensualité”, “Parce que c’est toi”),human rights activist, and UNICEF ambassador, born in Hasselt, Belgium

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Famous Deaths

1713 – Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician and philosopher, dies at 41
1839 – Chevalier de Lorimier, Quebec notary (b. 1803)
1943 – Victor Harris, American organist, composer, conductor (St. Cecilia Society, 1902-36), vocal coach, and educator, dies at 73
1961 – Maribel Vinson, American figure skater (9 time US National Champion) and coach, dies in a plane crash at 49
2025 – Gran Hamada [Hiroaki Hamada], Japanese professional wrestler (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), dies at 74

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Famous Deaths for 14th February 2026

1820 – Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, son of French King Charles X, assassinated by a Bonapartist at 42
1846 – Cornelis Felix van Maanen, Dutch Minister of Justice (1807-42), dies at 76
1955 – Charles Cuvillier, French composer of operetta (The Naughty Princess), dies at 77
1974 – Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricket batsman (10 Tests, 2 x 100s; Wellington CA, Leicestershire CCC, Warwickshire CCC), dies at 70
1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English-American writer (Bertie Wooster novels), dies at 93
1984 – Elmer Keith, American firearms enthusiast and author (Guns and Ammo), dies at 84
1988 – Gerard Holt, Dutch architect (municipal theatres Tilburg and Nijmegen, St. Joseph’s Church), dies at 83
1996 – Ivan William Hannaford, British sociologist and author (Race: The History of an Idea in the West), dies at 64
1996 – Lady Caroline Blackwood, British journalist and writer (The Last of the Duchess), dies at 64
2001 – Alan Ross, British poet and editor (London Magazine), dies at 78

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Historical Events for 14th February 2026

1896 – George Lohmann takes a hat-trick for England v South Africa, 8-7 for inning – their lowest ever
1952 – Giant slalom event for women debuts at the Winter Olympics at Oslo Games; American skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence wins gold ahead of Dagmar Rom of Austria and German Annemarie Buchner
1953 – “Trionfo di Afrodite (Triumph of Aphrodite)”, the final work of Carl Orff’s Trionfi trilogy premieres at La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy
1979 – Revival of Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn’s musical comedy “Whoopee!” opens at ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 204 performances
2010 – America’s Cup: Team USA defeats Alinghi 2-0 to win in Spain
2016 – 69th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): “The Revenant” Best Film, and Best Director – Alejandro González Iñárritu
2018 – South African President Jacob Zuma resigns from office
2024 – Indonesian presidential election: Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto appears to win by significant margin (full results 20 March)

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Today in History for 14th February 2026

Historical Events

1804 – Karadjordje leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire
1992 – Kieren John Perkins swims world record 800m freestyle (7:46.60)
1998 – Authorities in the United States announce that Eric Robert Rudolph is a suspect in an Alabama abortion clinic bombing
2013 – A suicide bombing kills 4 police officer and injures 5 in Dagestan
2023 – Rapper and musician Pharrell Williams appointed menswear designer for Louis Vuitton

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Famous Birthdays

1870 – Bob Quinn, American baseball executive (owner Boston Red Sox 1923–33; part owner Boston Braves 1936–45; President National Baseball Hall of Fame 1948–51), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 1954)
1932 – Peter Ball, British Church of England clergyman (Bishop of Gloucester. 1992-93; Bishop of Lewes, 1977-92), and convicted sex offender, born in West Sussex, England (d. 2019)
1941 – Donna Shalala, American educator and politician, US Secretary of Health under Bill Clinton (Rep-Florida 2019-21), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1953 – Wayne Siegel, American electro-acoustic contemporary classical composer, based in Denmark, born in Los Angeles, California
1994 – Becky Hill, English singer (The Voice UK, 2012; “Remember”), born in Bewdley, England

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Famous Deaths

1820 – Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, son of French King Charles X, assassinated by a Bonapartist at 42
1831 – Henry Maudslay, English inventor of the metal lathe, dies at 59
1857 – Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch violinist, composer and conductor, dies at 56
1990 – Tony Holiday, German singer, dies of complications from AIDS at 38
2021 – Peter Martinček van Grob, Slovakian contemporary classical composer and conductor, dies at 58

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