1885 – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in the United States on the 18th February 1885.

1898 – Enzo Ferrari the Italian race car driver and founder of Ferrari was born on the 18th February 1898 (d. 1988).

1906 ~ Hans Asperger the Austrian pediatrician, medical theorist and medical professor was born on the 18th February 1906 (died 1980). Hans Asperger was best known for his early studies on mental disorders, especially in children. There was a resurgence of interest in Hans Asperger’s work in the 1980s, regarding autism spectrum disorders and Asperger syndrome (AS), which was named after him.

1911 – The 1st official flight with air mail took place on the 18th February 1911, from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivered 6,500 letters to Naini, 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.

1913 – Pedro Lascuráin became President of Mexico for 45 minutes on the 18th February 1913, becoming the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.

1933 – Yoko Ono the Japanese-American singer-songwriter was born on the 18th February 1933.

1947 ~ Dennis DeYoung the American singer, songwriter, musician and founding member of STYX was born on the 18th February 1947. Dennis DeYoung was the lead vocalist and keyboardist in Styx from 1961 to 1999, and wrote many Styx songs such as the 1980 hit song Babe . YouTube video: Styx ~ Babe (1979) ~ Number 1 in the US and Canada, number 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and number 6 in the UK (written by Dennis DeYoung)…

1950 – Cybill Shepherd the American actress and singer was born on the 18th February 1950.

1952 – Juice Newton the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 18th February 1952.

1954 – John Travolta the American actor, singer, and producer was born on the 18th February 1954.

1957 ~ John Pankow the American actor best known as Ira Buchman in Mad About You was born in St. Louis, Missouri on the 18th February 1957.

1965 – Dr. Dre the American rapper and producer was born on the 18th February 1965.

1968 – Molly Ringwald the American actress was born on the 18th February 1968.

1864 – Banjo Paterson the Australian poet was born on the 17th February 1864 (died 1941).

1904 – Madama Butterfly received its première at La Scala in Milan on the 17th February 1904.

1933 – The Blaine Act ended Prohibition in the United States on the 17th February 1933.

1934 – Barry Humphries the Australian comedian, actor, and author was born on the 17th February 1934.

1940 – Gene Pitney the American singer-songwriter was born on the 17th February 1940 (died 2006).

1959 – Vanguard 2 the first weather satellite was launched to measure cloud-cover distribution on the 17th February 1959.

1962 – David McComb the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Triffids and The Blackeyed Susans was born on the 17th February 1962 (died 1999).

1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips the American actor and director was born on the 17th February 1962.

1963 – Michael Jordan the American basketball player and actor was born on the 17th February 1963.

1965 – The Ranger 8 probe was launched on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon on the 17th February 1965, in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis aka Sea of Tranquility became the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

1971 – Denise Richards the American model and actress was born on the 17th February 1971.

1972 – Billie Joe Armstrong the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Green Day was born on the 17th February 1972.

1972 – Taylor Hawkins the American singer-songwriter and drummer  from the Foo Fighters was born on the 17th February 1972.

1972 – Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceeded those of the Ford Model-T on the 17th February 1972.

1981 – Paris Hilton the American model, actress and singer was born on the 17th February 1981.

1991 – Ed Sheeran the English singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 17th February 1991.

2008 – Kosovo declared independence on the 17th February 2008.

2010 ~ Ruby Hunter the Australian singer and songwriter died on the 17th February 2010, aged 54 (born 31st October 1955). Ruby Hunter was a member of the Ngarrindjeri nation of Aboriginal tribes, and often performed with her partner Archie Roach, whom both met as homeless teenagers. Ruby was forcibly taken from her family at the age of 8 as part of the Stolen Generation. Ruby Hunter received two ARIA Award nominations, for Best Indigenous Release for Thoughts Within (1995), and Best Blues & Roots Album for Feeling Good (2000).

1852 – Studebaker Brothers wagon company, the precursor of the automobile manufacturer, was established on the 15th February 1852.

1852 ~ Charles Taze Russell the founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement, from which Jehovah’s Witnesses emerged, was born in Allegheny on the 16th February 1852 (died 31st October 1916 aged 64). Jehovah’s Witnesses official website: www.jw.org 

1874 – Silver Dollar became legal US tender on the 15th February 1874.

1921 ~ Vera-Ellen the American actress and dancer on the 15th February 1921 (died 30th August 1981).

1923 – Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun on the 15th February 1923.

1934 – The Austrian Civil War ended on the 15th February 1934, with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund.

1978 – The first computer bulletin board system was created on the 15th February 1978, (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).

1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia killed 75 people on the 15th February 1983.

2006 – The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army on the 15th February 2006.

1493 – While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus wrote an open letter on the 15th February 1493, which was widely distributed upon his return to Portugal, describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.

1764 – The city of St. Louis, Missouri was established on the 15th February 1764.

1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, was formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on the 15th February 1946.

1948 – Art Spiegelman the American cartoonist was born on the 15th February 1948.

1951 – Jane Seymour the English actress was born on the 15th February 1951.

1954 – Matt Groening the American cartoonist, screenwriter, producer and author was born on the 15th February 1954. Matt Groening created the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012) as well as 2 successful television series The Simpsons and Futurama.

1952 – King George VI was buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on the 15th February 1952.

1959 – Ali Campbell the English singer-songwriter and guitarist from UB40 was born on the 15th February 1959.

1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design was adopted as the flag of Canada on the 15th February 1965, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.

1971 – The decimalisation of British coinage was completed on Decimal Day on the 15th February 1971.

1972 – Sound recordings were granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time on the 15th February 1972.

2001 – First draft of the complete human genome was published in Nature on the 15th February 2001.

2003 – Protests against the Iraq war took place in over 600 cities worldwide on the 15th February 2003. It was estimated that between 8 million to 30 million people participated, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.

1400 – Richard II dies, most likely from starvation, in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke.

1779 – James Cook was killed by Native Hawaiians on the 14th February 1779, near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.

1799 – Walenty Wańkowicz the Polish painter was born on the 14th February 1799 (died 1842).

1812 – Alfred Thomas Agate the American painter was born on the 14th February 1812 (died 1846).

1819 – Christopher Latham Sholes the American inventor that invented the typewriter was born on the 14th February 1819 (died 1890).

1838 – Margaret E. Knight the American inventor was born on the 14th February 1838 (died 1914).

1846 – Julian Scott the American soldier, painter and Medal of Honor recipient was born on the 14th February 1848 (died 1901).

1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk became the 1st serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken on the 14th February 1849.

1859 – Oregon was admitted as the 33rd U.S. state on the 14th February 1859.

1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. the American engineer and designer of the Ferris Wheel was born on the 14th February 1859 (died 1896).

1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson the Scottish physicist, meteorologist and Nobel Prize laureate was born on the 14th February 1869 (died 1959).

1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone on the 14th February 1876, as does Elisha Gray.

1890 – Nina Hamnett the Welsh painter was born on the 14th February 1890 (died 1956).

1894 – Jack Benny the American actor and comedian was born on the 14th February 1894 (died 1974).

1898 – Fritz Zwicky the Swiss-American physicist and astronomer was born on the 14th February 1898 (died 1974).

1898 – Bill Tilman the English mountaineer and explorer was born on the 14th February 1898 (died 1977).

1912 – Arizona was admitted as the 48th U.S. state on the 14th February 1912.

1922 – Murray the K the American radio host was born on the 14th February 1922 (died 1982).

1934 ~ Florence Henderson the American actress best known for her role of Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch was born on the 14th February 1934.

1937 – Magic Sam the American singer and guitarist was born on the 14th February 1937 (died 1969).

1941 – Big Jim Sullivan the English guitarist was born on the 14th February 1941 (died 2012).

1943 – Maceo Parker the American saxophonist from Parliament-Funkadelic was born on the 14th February 1943.

1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein was born on the 14th February 1945.

1947 – Tim Buckley the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 14th February 1947 (died 1975).

1946 – The Bank of England was nationalized on the 14th February 1946.

1949 – The Asbestos Strike began in Canada on the 14th February 1949. The strike marked the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.

1950 – Roger Fisher the American guitarist from Heart was born on the 14th February 1950.

1952 ~ Simon Woodroffe (OBE) the English motivational speaker and entrepreneur was born on the 14th February 1952. He started the sushi chain YO! Sushi in 1997, and has appeared on the Dragons’ Den.

1958 – Grant Thomas the Australian footballer was born on the 14th February 1958.

1962 – First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy took television viewers on a tour of the White House on the 14th February 1962.

1962 – Kevyn Aucoin the American make up artist and photographer was born on the 14th February 1962 (died 2002).

1966 – Australian currency was decimalised on the 14th February 1966.

1967 – Mark Rutte the Dutch politician and Prime Minister of the Netherlands was born on the 14th February 1967.

1968 – Latifa the Tunisian singer and actress was born on the 14th February 1968.

1972 – Rob Thomas the American singer-songwriter from Matchbox Twenty was born on the 14th February 1972.

1975 – Scott Owen the Australian bassist from The Living End was born on the 14th February 1975.

1977 – Cadel Evans the Australian cyclist was born on the 14th February 1977.

1977 – Jim Jefferies the Australian comedian and actor was born on the 14th February 1977.

1981 ~ Luke Jacobz the Australian actor and television presenter was born Luke Jacob Ashwood on the 14th February 1981. Twitter: www.Twitter.com/LukeJacobz

1988 – Asia Nitollano the American singer from The Pussycat Dolls was born on the 14th February 1988.

2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker entered orbit around asteroid 433 Eros on the 14th February 2000, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.

1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral fell on the night of 12th-13th February 1322.

1462 – Treaty of Westminster was finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles on the 13th February 1462.

1542 – Catherine Howard, the 5th wife of Henry VIII of England, was executed on the 13th February 1542, for adultery.

1668 – Spain recognized Portugal as an independent nation on the 13th February 1668.

1689 – William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England on the 13th February 1689.

1692 – Massacre of Glencoe: 78 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland were killed early in the morning on the 13th February 1692, for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange.

1880 – Thomas Edison observed the Edison effect on the 13th February 1880.

1914 – Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers was established on the 13th February 1914, to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.

1931 – New Delhi became the capital of India on the 13th February 1931.

1947 – Kevin Bloody Wilson the Australian comedian was born on the 13th February 1947.

1949 ~ Tim Storrier (AM) the Australian artist was born on the 13th February 1949. Tim Storrier won the 2012 Archibald Prize with a self portrait entitled The Histrionic Wayfarer (after Bosch).

1955 – Israel obtained 4 of the 7 Dead Sea scrolls on the 13th February 1955.

1961 – A 500,000-year-old rock was discovered near Olancha, California, US, on the 13th February 1961, that appeared to anachronistically encase a spark plug.

1967 – American researchers discovered the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain on the 13th February 1967.

1978 – Hilton bombing: a bomb exploded in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia on the 13th February 1978, killing 2 rubbish collectors and a policeman.

2000 – The last original “Peanuts” comic strip appeard in newspapers on the 13th February 2000, one day after Charles M. Schulz died.

2001 – An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale hit El Salvador on the 13th February 2001, killing at least 400.

2004 – The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced the discovery of the universe’s largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093 on the 13th February 2004. Astronomers named this star “Lucy” after The Beatles‘ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds“.

2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd mades a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations on the 13th February 2008.

2009 – At 23:31:30 on the 13th February 2009 UTC the Unix system time (time t) number reached 1234567890 seconds.

2012 – The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the 1st launch of the European Vega rocket  on the 13th February 2012, from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

1502 – Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon, Portugal on the 12th February 1502, on his second voyage to India.

1541 ~ Santiago, Chile was founded on the 12th February 1541, by Pedro de Valdivia. Santiago is the largest city and capital of Chile, with a population of 7 million.

1951 ~ Cory Lerios the American pianist, voclist and founding members of the platinum-record selling band Pablo Cruise was born on the 12th February 1951. For the past 30 years Cory Lerios has scored music for film and television. Pablo Cruise performing their No.6 hit single Love Will Find A Way from their most successful album Worlds Away in 1978. This YouTube video is from the ‘It’s Good To Be Live’ CD/DVD greatest hits, which are the first new recordings from Pablo Cruise in over 25 years, recorded at a concert in Northern California by the 3 original founding members of the band: David Jenkins (guitar/vocals), Cory Lerios (piano/keyboards/vocals) and Steve Price (drums), along with Larry Antonino (Jeff Beck, Air Supply, Kenny Loggins) on bass/vocals.

1953 ~ Joanna Kerns the American actress and director best known as Maggie Seaver on Growing Pains was born in San Francisco, California on the 12th February 1953.

1959 – Sigrid Thornton the Australian actress was born on the 12th February 1959.

1968 – Chynna Phillips the American singer from Wilson Phillips was born on the 12th February 1968.

1980 – Christina Ricci the American actress was born on the 12th February 1980.

1531 – Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England on the 11th February 1531.

1752 – Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, was opened on the 11th February 1752, by Benjamin Franklin.

1794 – First session of United States Senate open to the public on the 11th February 1794.

1847 – Thomas Edison the American businessman, inventer of the light bulb and phonograph was born on the 11th February 1847 (died 1931).

1903 – Anton Bruckner‘s 9th Symphony received its 1st performance on the 11th February 1903, in Vienna, Austria.

1935 – Gene Vincent the American singer and guitarist was born on the 11th February 1935 (died 1971).

1936 – Burt Reynolds the American actor and director was born on the 11th February 1936.

1938 – BBC Television produced the world’s 1st ever science fiction television program on the 11th February 1938, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R., that coined the term robot.

1939 – A Lockheed P-38 Lightning flew from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes on the 11th February 1939.

1942 – The 1st gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for Chattanooga Choo Choo on the 11th February 1942.

1959 – Deborah Meaden the English businesswoman was born on the 11th February 1959.

1962 – Sheryl Crow the American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress was born on the 11th February 1962.

1969 ~ Alex Papps the Greek-born Australian actor and television host was born on the 11th February 1969.

1971 – 87 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union, signed the Seabed Arms Control Treaty on the 11th February 1971, outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters.

1974 – Alex Jones the American radio host and author was born on the 11th February 1974.

1978 – Censorship: China lifted a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens on the 11th February 1978.

1981 – Kelly Rowland the American singer-songwriter from Destiny’s Child was born on the 11th February 1981.

1990 – Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa on the 11th February 1990, after 27 years as a political prisoner.

1996 ~ Ballykissangel the BBC television drama set in Ireland, was first broadcast on the 11th February 1996, until the 15th April 2001. The show was filmed in Avoca and Enniskerry in County Wicklow. YouTube video: Ballykissangel – Opening Theme…

1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope on the 11th February 1997.

2011 ~ Just Go with It the American romantic comedy film was released on the 11th February 2011.

2014 ~SHiRLEY TEMPLE the American actress,  singer and dancer died on the 11th February 2014, aged 85 (born in Santa Monica, California on 23rd April 1928). Shirley Temple was best known for her movie roles in Bright Eyes, The Little Colonel, Curly Top, Wee Willie Winkie, Heidi, A Little Princess, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, and Fort Apache. YouTube video: Shirley Temple : Animal Crackers In My Soup Extended Version…

Today in History for the 11th February video produced by Associated Press 

1870 – The YWCA was founded in New York City on the 10th February 1870.

1944 – Peter Allen the Australian singer-songwriter and pianist was born on the 10th February 1944 (d. 1992).

1961 – George Stephanopoulos the American journalist was born on the 10th February 1961.

1964 – Melbourne-Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collided with the destroyer HMAS Voyager on the 10th February 1964, off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.

1996 – The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time on the 10th February 1996.

2009 – The communication satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos-2251 collided in orbit on the 10th February 2009, destroying both.

1900 – The Davis Cup competition was established on the 9th February 1900.

1934 – The Balkan Entente was formed on the 9th February 1934.

1944 – Derryn Hinch, Australian radio and television host was born on the 9th February 1944.

1945 – Mia Farrow the American actress and singer was born on the 9th February 1945.

1954 ~ Chris Gardner the American entrepreneur, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author and philanthropist was born Christopher Paul Gardner on the 9th February 1954. Chris Gardner struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher Jr. in the early 1980s. Chris Gardner’s book of memoirs, The Pursuit of Happyness was published in 2006, along with the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith as Chris. In 2012 Chris Gardner became CEO of his own stockbrokerage firm, Gardner Rich & Co in Chicago, Illinois, where he lives when he’s not living in Toronto. YouTube video: The Pursuit of Happyness Trailer…

1964 – The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on the 9th February 1964, performing before a record-busting audience of 73 million viewers.

1969 – First test flight of the Boeing 747 was on the 9th February 1969.

1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returned to Earth on the 9th February 1971, after the 3rd manned moon landing.

1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returned to Earth on the 9th February 1975.

1976 – Charlie Day the American actor was born on the 9th February 1976.