1828 – More than 100 vessels destroyed in a storm, Gibraltar
1879 – Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi is awarded a patent for his design for the Statue of Liberty
1899 – San Francisco named as a port of dispatch for Army transports
1918 – Germany renews its offensive against the Russians, making dramatic gains against disorganized and dispirited Russian troops
1928 – USA 2 beats USA 1 by 0.5s for the 5-man bobsleigh gold medal at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; Germany 2 takes bronze
1951 – 3 City College of NY basketball players admit to accepting bribes
1964 – Muriel Resnik’s “Any Wednesday” premieres in NYC
1965 – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom
1973 – Belgian Emiel Puttemans runs 3,000m indoor record 7:39.2
1973 – 54-kg octopus measuring 7m across captured in Hood Canal, Washington