FEBRUARY 14TH
- TODAY IS VALENTINE’S DAY
- TODAY IS ASH WEDNESDAY
- TODAY IS NATIONAL ORGAN DONOR DAY
- TODAY IS NATIONAL FERRIS WHEEL DAY
- TODAY IS NATIONAL CREAM FILLED CHOCOLATES DAY
BIRTHDAYS:
- FREDERICK DOUGLASS (1818-1895)
- MARGARET E. SMITH (1838-1914)
- JACK BENNY (1894-1974)
- HUGH DOWNS (1921, 97)
- FLORENCE HENDERSON (1934-2016)
- PAUL TSONGAS (1941-1997)
- MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (1942, 76)
- CARL BERNSTEIN (1944, 74)
- GREGORY HINES (1945, 73)
- RAYMOND TELLER (OF PENN & TELLER) (1948, 70)
- PAT O’BRIEN (1948, 70)
- RICHARD NEAL (1949, 69)
- JIM KELLY (1960, 58)
- DREW BLEDSOE (1972, 46)
- ROB THOMAS (1972, 46)
- FREDDIE HIGHMORE (1992, 26)
ON THIS DAY:
- IN 270, ST. VALENTINE DIES, MARKING THE BEGINNING OF ST. VALENTINE’S DAY
- IN 1400, KING RICHARD II OF ENGLAND IS MURDERED AT 33
- IN 1779, EXPLORER JAMES COOK IS KILLED IN A BATTLE IN HAWAII AT 50
- IN 1803, CHIEF JUSTINCE JOHN MARSHALL DECLARED THAT ANY ACT OF CONGRESS THAT CONFLICTS WITH THE CONSTITUTION SHALL BE DEEMED VOID
- IN 1849, PRESIDENT JAMES POLK IS THE FIRST SITTING PRESIDENT PHOTOGRAPHED
- IN 1859, OREGON BECOMES THE 33RD STATE OF THE US
- IN 1867, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE OPENS IN AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
- IN 1876, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL APPLIES FOR A PATENT FOR THE TELEPHONE
- IN 1883, NEW JERSEY IS THE FIRST STATE TO ALLOW ORGANZINED LABOR UNIONS
- IN 1891, GENERAL WILLIAM SHERMAN DIES AT 71
- IN 1895, OSCAR WILDE’S “THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST” OPENS IN LONDON
- IN 1903, CONGRESS AUTHORIZES THE US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND COMMERCE
- IN 1912, ARIZONA BECOMES THE 48TH US STATE
- IN 1918, THE ORIGINAL TARZAN MOVIE IS RELEASED
- IN 1919, THE UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (UPS) BEGINS BUSINESS
- IN 1919, ALBERT EINSTEIN DIVORCES HIS WIFE OS 16 YEARS, MILEVA MARIC
- IN 1924, THOMAS WATSON CHANGES THE NAME OF HIS COMPANY FROM COMPUTING TABLET RECORDING COMPANY TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)
- IN 1929, AL CAPONE ORDERS THE ST. VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE WHICH KILLS 7
- IN 1931, BELA LUGOSI’S “DRACULA” IS RELEASED FOR THE FIRST TIME
- IN 1939, VICTOR FLEMING REPLACES GEORGE CUKOR AS THE DIRECTOR OF “GONE WITH THE WIND”
- IN 1945, ALLIED BOMBING OF DRESDEN CONTINUES FOR A SECOND DAY. ADDITIONAL BOMBING IN PRAGUE IS THOUGHT TO BE AN ACCIDNTAL MISTAKE IN ORIENTATION
- IN 1949, THE KNESSET MEETS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ISRAEL
- IN 1951, SUGAR RAY ROBINSON DEFEATS JAKE LAMOTTA FOR THE MIDDLEWEIGHT BOXING TITLE
- IN 1952, THE 6TH WINTER GAMES BEGIN IN OSLO, NORWAY
- IN 1954, SENATOR JOHN F. KENNEDY APPEARS ON “MEET THE PRESS” FOR THE 1ST TIME
- IN 1957, THE GEORGIA STATE SENATE BANS BLACK PLAYERS FROM PLAYING BASEBALL WITH WHITE PLAYERS
- IN 1958, THE ARAB FEDERATION OF IRAQ AND JORDAN IS FORMED
- IN 1961, THE FIRST CLASS GRADUATES FROM MCDONALD’S HAMBURGER UNIVERSITY
- IN 1962, FIRST LADY JACKIE KENNEDY GIVES A TELEVISED TOUR OF THE WHITE HOUSE
- IN 1966, WILT CHAMBERLAIN BREAKS THE NBA SCORING RECORD WITH 20,884 POINTS
- IN 1967, ARETHA FRANKLIN RECORDS “RESPECT”
- IN 1971, “BEN HUR” IS SHOWN ON TELEVISION FOR THE FIRST TIME
- IN 1971, PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON INSTALLS A SECRET RECORDING SYSTEM IN THE WHITE HOUSE
- IN 1972, JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO CO-HOST “THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW”
- IN 1978, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS PATENTS THE “MICRO ON A CHIP”
- IN 1980, WALTER KRONKITE ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT FROM CBS NEWS
- IN 1984, ELTON JOHN MARRIES HIS “GIRLFRIEND” RENATE BLAUEL IN AUSTRALIA
- IN 1985, WHITNEY HOUSTON RELEASES HER DEBUT SELF TITLED ALBUM
- IN 1986, FRANK ZAPPA GUEST STARS ON MIAMI VICE AS CRIME BOSS “MR. FRANKIE”
- IN 1989, THE AYATOLLAH KNOMEINI ISSUES A FATWA CALLING FOR THE DEATH OF SALMAN RUSHDIE OVER THE PUBLICATION OF “SATANIC VERSES”
- IN 1989, ROBIN GIVENS IS GRANTED A DIVORCE FROM MIKE TYSON
- IN 1989, THE FIRST GPS SATELLITE IS PUT INTO ORBIT
- IN 1991, “THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS” IS RELEASED
- IN 1991, MEG RYAN MARRIES DENNIS QUAID
- IN 1992, “WAYNE’S WORLD” OPENS
- IN 1995, ROSANNE MARRIES HER THIRD HUSBAND AND BODYGUARD, BEN THOMAS
- IN 1996, PRINCE MARRIES BELLY DANCER MAYTE GARCIA
- IN 1999, PRINCE DIVORCES BELLY DANCER MAYTE GARCIA
- IN 2003, DOLLY THE SHEEP DIES AT SIX YEARS OLD
- IN 2008, A GUNMAN OPENS FIRE AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY KILLING SIX AND INJURING 18 OTHERS
- IN 2009, SALMA HAYEK WEDS BILLIONAIRE FRANCOIS-HENRI PINAULT
- IN 2013, SPECIAL OLYMPIAN OSCAR PISTORIUS IS CHARGED WITH MURDERING HIS GIRLFRIEND REEVA STEENKAMP AFTER HE SHOT HER THROUGH THE BATHROOM DOOR
- IN 2014, ACTRESS ELLEN PAGE COMES OUT IN A SPEECH TO THE HRC
TRIVIA:
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT ASH WENESDAY AND VALENTINE’S DAY FELL ON THE SAME DAY?
MARGARET E. KNIGHT OF FRAMINGHAM, MA, BORN ON THIS DAY IS 1838, WAS KNOWN AS THE FEMALE THOMAS EDISON AND OWNED OVER 20 PATENTS INCLUDING THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, LID REMOVAL PLIERS, AND WINDOW FRAME. HER MOST FAMOUS INVENTION WAS SOMETHING SO SIMPLE YOU’D NEVER REALIZE IT NEEDED TO ACTUALLY BE INVENTED. WHAT WAS HER FIRST AND BIGGEST PATENT?