Historical Events
1827 – 1st Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans
1943 – The Rosenstrasse protest starts in Berlin
1974 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1981 – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder record the single “Ebony and Ivory”
1992 – Larry Smith named 9th Commissioner of the CFL
2005 – 77th Academy Awards: “Million Dollar Baby”, Jamie Foxx, and Hilary Swank win
Famous Birthdays
272 – Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome (306-37) who adopted Christianity, born in Naissus (d. 337)
1899 – Charles Best, American-Canadian medical scientist and co-discoverer of insulin, born in West Pembroke, Maine (d. 1978)
1901 – Horatio Luro, American horse trainer (43 x stakes winners; Decidedly, Northern Dancer), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1991)
1933 – Geoffrey Maitland Smith, CEO (Sears)
1933 – Edward Lucie-Smith, British poet and poetry critic, born in Kingston, Jamaica
1942 – Michel Forget, French Canadian actor, born in Montreal, Quebec
Famous Deaths
1844 – Nicholas Biddle, US lawyer/diplomat/statesman/financier, dies at 85
1921 – Schofield Haigh, English cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 24 wickets, BB 6/11; Yorkshire CCC), dies from a stroke at 49
1958 – Harry Cohn, CEO (Columbia Pictures), dies of a heart attack
1994 – Harold Acton, English-Italian historian and art collector, dies at 84
2008 – Myron Cope, American sports broadcaster (b. 1929)
2023 – Ricou Browning, American film stuntman (Creature from the Black Lagoon), stunt co-ordinator (Thunderball), director, and producer (Flipper), dies at 93