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.

1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots was executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot on the 8th February 1587, to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

1807 – Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins the English sculptor was born on the 8th February 1807 (died 1889).

1822 – Maxime Du Camp the French photographer and journalist was born on the 8th February 1822 (died 1894).

1855 – The Devil’s Footprints mysteriously appeared in southern Devon on the 8th February 1855.

1880 – Franz Marc the German painter was born on the 8th February 1880 (died 1916).

1906 – Chester Carlson the American physicist and inventor of the Xerography was born on the 8th February 1906 (died 1968).

1909 – Elisabeth Murdoch the Australian philanthropist was born on the 8th February 1909 (died 2012).

1910 – The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated by William D. Boyce on the 8th February 1910.

1915 – D.W. Griffith‘s controversial film The Birth of a Nation premiered in Los Angeles on the 8th February 1915.

1922 – President Warren G. Harding introduced the 1st radio in the White House on the 8th February 1922.

1925 – Jack Lemmon the  American actor, singer, and director was born on the 8th February 1925 (d. 2001).

1931 – James Dean the American actor was born on the 8th February 1931 (d. 1955).

1941 – Nick Nolte the American actor was born on the 8th February 1941.

1944 – Sebastião Salgado the Brazilian photographer was born on the 8th February 1944.

1946 – The first portion of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the first serious challenge to the popularity of the Authorized King James Version was published on the 8th February 1946.

1948 – Ron Tyson the American singer-songwriter from The Temptations was born on the 8th February 1948.

1950 – The Stasi, the secret police of East Germany was established on the 8th February 1950.

1952 – Elizabeth II was proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom on the 8th February 1952.

1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council on the 8th February 1960, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name Mountbatten-Windsor.

1960 – The first eight brass star plaques are installed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the 8th February 1960.

1961 – Vince Neil the American singer-songwriter from Mötley Crüe was born on the 8th February 1961.

1963 – The First full Color Television program in the World, publicly advertised, was broadcast in Mexico City by XHGC-TV, Channel 5 on the 8th February 1963, due to technical breakthrough advances made by Mexican Engineer Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena.

1965 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean and exploded on the 8th February 1965, killing everyone aboard.

1969 – Allende meteorite fell near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico on the 8th February 1969.

1971 – The NASDAQ stock market index opened for the first time on the 8th February 1971.

1974 – After 84 days in space, the crew of Skylab 4, the last crew to visit American space station Skylab, returned to Earth on the 8th February 1974.

1974 – Seth Green the American actor, screenwriter and producer was born on the 8th February 1974.

1977 – Yucef Merhi the Venezuelan-American poet and graphic designer was born on the 8th February 1977.

1978 – Proceedings of the United States Senate were broadcast on radio for the first time on the 8th February 1978.

1980 – Cameron Muncey the Australian singer and guitarist  from Jet was born on the 8th February 1980.

1983 – The Melbourne dust storm hit on the 8th February 1983, as a result of the worst drought on record, causing a day of severe weather conditions, when a 320 metres (1,050 ft) deep dust cloud enveloped the city, turning day to night.

1985 ~ Jeremy Davis the American bassist in rock band Paramore was born on the 8th February 1985.

1990 ~ Bethany Hamilton the American professional surfer and survivor of a shark attack was born on the 8th February 1990, in Hawaii. Bethany Hamilton had her left arm bitten off by a 14 to 15 foot tiger shark on the 31st October 2003, at the age of 13, while having a morning surf along Tunnels Beach, Kauai with best friend Alana Blanchard and her father and brother. Bethany overcame the injury and returned to professional surfing. She wrote about her experience in the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. In 2011 the feature film Soul Surfer was released, based on the book.

1996 – The massive Internet collaboration 24 Hours in Cyberspace took place on the 8th February 1996.

2010 – A freak storm in the Hindukush mountains of Afghanistan triggered a series of about 36 avalanches on the 8th February 2010, burying over two miles of road, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 travellers.

1741 – Henry Fuseli the Swiss painter was born on the 7th February 1741 (died 1825).

1804 – John Deere the American businessman and founder of Deere & Company was born on the 7th February 1804 (died 1886).

1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder the American author was born on the 7th February 1867 (died 1957).

1870 – Alfred Adler the Austrian psychologist was born on the 7th February 1870 (died 1937).

1906 – Oleg Antonov the Soviet aircraft designer and founder of the Antonov Aircraft Company was born on the 7th February 1906 (died 1984).

1909 – Wilhelm Freddie the Danish painter was born on the 7th February 1909 (died 1995).

1912 – Russell Drysdale the Australian painter was born on the 7th February 1912 (died 1981).

1918 – Markey Robinson the Irish painter was born on the 7th February 1918 (died 1999).

1920 – An Wang the Chinese-American engineer, businessman and founder of Wang Laboratories was born on the 7th February 1920 (died 1990).

1923 – Martha Holmes the American photographer was born on the 7th February 1923 (died 2006).

1935 – Monopoly the classic board game was invented on the 7th February 1935.

1940 – The second full length animated Walt Disney film, Pinocchio, premiered on the 7th February 1940.

1948 – Neil Harvey became the youngest Australian to score a century in Test cricket on the 7th February 1948.

1948 – Jimmy Greenspoon the American keyboard player from Three Dog Night was born on the 7th February 1948.

1949 – Joe English the American drummer from Wings was born on the 7th February 1949.

1960 – James Spader the American actor was born on the 7th February 1960. James Spader is best known for his movie roles in Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, Secretary, Lincoln and The Avengers: Age of Ultron. He’s best known for his television roles in The Practice, Boston Legal, The Office and as Raymond Reddington in The Blacklist. 

1962 – Garth Brooks the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 7th February 1962.

1962 – Eddie Izzard the Yemeni-English actor and comedian was born on the 7th February 1962.

1964 – The Beatles first arrived in the United States on the 7th February 1964. Their performance on The Ed Sullivan Show 2 days later would marked the beginning of the British Invasion.

1965 – Chris Rock the American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer was born on the 7th February 1965.

1974 – Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom on the 7th February 1974.

1974 – Danny Goffey the English drummer from Supergrass was born on the 7th February 1974.

1975 – Wes Borland the American guitarist from Limp Bizkit was born on the 7th February 1975.

1978 – Ashton Kutcher the American model, actor, and producer was born on the 7th February 1978.

1979 – Pluto moved inside Neptune‘s orbit on the 7th February 1979, for the first time since either was discovered.

1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the 1st untethered space walk on the 7th February 1984, using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).

2009 – Bushfires in Victoria on the 7th February 2009, left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.

2013 ~ Australian sport’s “blackest day” was on the 7th February 2013, when a devastating report from the Australian Crime Commission found that drugs were being supplied in Australia by organised crime figures who had infiltrated every level of Australian sport.