1713 – French invade under Jacques Cassard on Curacao
1857 – Chinese residents in the fledging state of Sarawak rebel against the “White Rajah” James Brooke
1885 – Mark Twain publishes the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in the US
1908 – 1st US postage stamps in rolls issued
1913 – French modernist painting “Nude Descending a Staircase” by Marcel Duchamp causes an uproar when shown in New York
1918 – Germany renews its offensive against the Russians, making dramatic gains against disorganized and dispirited Russian troops
1979 – Mini-series “Roots: Next Generations” premieres on ABC TV
1980 – East German cross country skier Barbara Petzold wins first of 2 gold medals at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in women’s 10k; also takes gold as part of 4 x 5k relay team
1994 – Dan Jansen skates world record 1000m (1:12.43)
2020 – President Donald Trump commutes the 14-year sentence of former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich’s corruption conviction