1972: Nixon Leaves for China

On February 17, 1972, President Richard Nixon embarked on a diplomatic mission to normalize relations with the People’s Republic of China. Meeting Sets Stage for...

1933: Arsonist Torches the Reichstag

On February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin was burned down by a Dutch communist, possibly with the assistance of Nazi officials. The...

1461: Edward IV Deposes Henry VI in Wars of the Roses

On March 4, 1461, Edward, Duke of York, was crowned king of England, ending 62 years of Lancastrian rule. The Yorkists would rule England...

1952: British WWII Code Breaker Alan Turing Goes on Trial for Homosexuality

On March 31, 1952, Alan Turing, computer technology pioneer and breaker of the Nazi Enigma code, was put on trial for homosexual acts. Found...

1923: King Tut’s Tomb Unsealed

On February 16, 1923, King Tutankhamen’s tomb was unsealed and entered by an excavation team led by British archaeologist Howard Carter and financial backer...

1974: Russian Dissident Writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn Charged With Treason

On February 14, 1974, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian writer who revealed the horrors of the Soviet gulag, was charged with treason a day after...

1887: First Groundhog Day Celebrated in Punxsutawney

On February 2, 1887, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, celebrated the first official Groundhog Day, a holiday with roots in ancient traditions. The Origins of Groundhog Day On February...

1974: Heiress Patty Hearst Kidnapped

On February 4, 1974, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped Patty Hearst, 19, granddaughter of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. After months of...

1962: Cuban Missile Crisis Begins

On Oct. 14, 1962, a United States spy plane spotted missile bases under construction in Cuba, touching off the two-week Cuban Missile Crisis. Two Weeks...

1991: “Birmingham Six” Freed After 16 Years in Prison

On March 14, 1991, six men wrongfully accused of carrying out Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombing attacks on two Birmingham pubs were released after...