February 11th - This Date in History

[WillDekkard]

Hear are some notable events that happened on This Date in History
- February 11th
c/p from Wikipedia
* 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome. This clears the way for Nero to become Emperor.
* 1531 – Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
* 1659 – The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses.
* 1752 – Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, opens.
* 1790 – Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery.
* 1794 – First session of United States Senate open to the public.
* 1808 – Anthracite coal is first burned as a fuel, experimentally.
* 1809 – Robert Fulton files a patent for improvements to steamboat navigation
* 1812 – Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry "gerrymanders" for the first time.
* 1814 – Norway's independence is proclaimed, marking the ultimate end of the Kalmar Union.
* 1826 – University College London is founded under the name University of London.
* 1826 – Swaminarayan wrote the Shikshapatri, an important test within the Swaminarayan faith.
* 1840 – Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Régiment receives its first performance in Paris.
* 1843 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera I Lombardi receives its first performance in Milan.
* 1855 – Kassa Hailu is crowned Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia, by Abuna Salama III in a ceremony at the church of Derasge Maryam
* 1861 – American Civil War: United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
* 1873 – King Amadeus I of Spain abdicates.
* 1889 – Meiji constitution of Japan is adopted; the first Diet of Japan convenes in 1890.
* 1903 – Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony receives its first performance in Vienna.
* 1905 – Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos.
* 1916 – Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.
* 1919 – Friedrich Ebert (SPD), is elected President of Germany.
* 1929 – Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
* 1937 – A sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers Union.
* 1938 – BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play R.U.R., which coined the term "robot".
* 1939 – A Lockheed XP-38 flies from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes.
* 1941 – The first gold record is presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
* 1942 – The Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore during World War II.
* 1943 – World War II: General Dwight Eisenhower is selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
* 1948 – John Costello succeeds Éamon de Valera as Taoiseach of Ireland.
* 1953 – President Dwight Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
* 1953 – The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel.
* 1963 – Julia Child's show The French Chef premieres.
* 1964 – Greeks and Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.
* 1964 – The Republic of China (Taiwan) breaks off diplomatic relations with France.
* 1964 – The Beatles hold their first concert in the United States at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C.
* 1968 – Israeli-Jordanian border clashes.
* 1971 – Eighty-seven countries, including the US, UK, and USSR, sign the Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons in international waters.
* 1973 – Vietnam War: First release of American prisoners of war from Vietnam takes place.
* 1978 – Censorship: the People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens.
* 1979 – Islamic revolution of Iran achieves victory under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
* 1981 – 100,000 US gallons (380 m3) of radioactive coolant leak into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating 8 workers.
* 1987 – Philippines constitution goes into effect.
* 1990 – Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa.
* 1991 – UNPO, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, forms in The Hague, Netherlands.
* 1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
* 2006 – Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney accidentally shoots Harry Whittington in the face, neck, and upper torso while hunting quail.
end of c/p

[dan9999]

Today in History
AP

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 11, 1960, "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar stunned his audience by walking off the program in a dispute with NBC over its decision to censor an anecdote he'd quoted the night before having to do with a misunderstanding over the British term "W.C." (short for "water closet," or bathroom). Despite his very public resignation, Paar returned to the Tonight Show less than a month later.

On this date:

In 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a re-districting law favoring his party — giving rise to the term "gerrymandering."

In 1858, a French girl, Bernadette Soubirous (soo-bee-ROO'), reported the first of 18 visions of a lady dressed in white in a grotto near Lourdes. (The Catholic Church later accepted that the visions were of the Virgin Mary.)

In 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln departed Springfield, Ill. for Washington.

In 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.

In 1937, a six-week-old sit-down strike against General Motors ended, with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement during World War II.

In 1975, Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party.

In 1979, followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (hoh-MAY'-nee) seized power in Iran.

In 1989, Reverend Barbara C. Harris became the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, in a ceremony held in Boston.

In 1990, South African black activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.

Ten years ago: The space shuttle Endeavour thundered away from Cape Canaveral on a mission to map the world as never before. Britain stripped Northern Ireland's Protestant-Catholic government of power in a bid to prevent its collapse over the IRA's refusal to disarm. French movie director Roger Vadim (roh-ZHAY' vah-DEEM') died in Paris at age 72.

Five years ago: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made an unannounced visit to Iraq, where he observed Iraqi security forces and declared "there's no question progress has been made" in preparing the nation for building a new government. CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan quit amid a furor over remarks he'd made about journalists being targeted by the U.S. military in Iraq. Samuel W. Alderson, inventor of crash test dummies, died in Marina Del Rey, Calif. at age 90.

One year ago: The nation's top bankers went before the House Financial Services Committee, pledging to build public trust with greater lending and fewer perks. Stewart Parnell, owner of Peanut Corp. of America, repeatedly invoked his right not to incriminate himself at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on a salmonella outbreak that had sickened hundreds. All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about steroids in baseball. (He was sentenced to a year's probation.) Congressman John Dingell of Michigan became the longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives. President Robert Mugabe (moo-GAH'-bay) swore in longtime rival Morgan Tsvangirai (SVAHNG'-ur-eye) as Zimbabwe's prime minister. Estelle Bennett, 67, one of the singing trio Ronettes, was found dead in her home in Englewood, N.J.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Leslie Nielsen is 84. Actor Conrad Janis is 82. Actress Tina Louise is 76. Actor Burt Reynolds is 74. Songwriter Gerry Goffin is 71. Actor Sonny Landham is 69. Bandleader Sergio Mendes is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Otis Clay is 68. Actor Philip Anglim is 58. Actress Catherine Hickland is 54. Rock musician David Uosikkinen (aw-SIK'-ken-ihn) (The Hooters) is 54. Actress Carey Lowell is 49. Singer Sheryl Crow is 48. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is 46. Actress Jennifer Aniston is 41. Actor Damian Lewis is 39. Actress Marisa Petroro is 38. Singer D'Angelo is 36. Actor Brice Beckham is 34. Rock M-C/vocalist Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) is 33. Singer-actress Brandy is 31. Actor Matthew Lawrence is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kelly Rowland is 29. Actress Q'orianka (kohr-ee-AHN'-kuh) Kilcher is 20. Actor Taylor Lautner is 18.