Today in History: February 29
46 B.C.: Calculation of Feb. 29 as a leap day
Roman emperor Julius Caesar decreed that a year should have 365.25 days, which would automatically add a day to every fourth year. This resulted in the addition of a 29th day to February every fourth year. Yet the system remained imperfect due to discrepancy with the solar year. Centuries later, this was solved by Pope Gregory XIII, who fine-tuned the calendar. He adopted a series of time-warp techniques, which eventually led to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582.
Genoese navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506) frightens the Carib natives into assisting him by predicting an eclipse of the moon, a god of theirs, Jamaica, February 29, 1504. (Image by Frederic Lewis/Getty Images)
29th of February 1692: First arrest warrants are issued for witchcraft
The First arrest warrants were issued against three women named - Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
29th February 1704, After the massacre in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Indians paddle towards camp with two prisoners. At the massacre, French soldiers and Abenaki and Caughnawaga Indians attacked the settlement killing about fifty people and taking over a hundred prisoners.
Deerfield, a settlement in western Massachusetts was attacked by Native American and French forces. The forces burned the town and massacred almost 100 people, marking it as the cruelest raid of Queen Anne's War. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
February 29, 1940: The first African-American to win an Oscar
Hattie McDaniel won the best supporting actress for her role as Mammy in ‘Gone with the Wind,' at the 12th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. This marked her as the first African American actor to be honored with an Oscar.
JUST LIKE BERNIE
29, FEBRUARY 1956: President Eisenhower announces to seek second term
President Dwight Eisenhower announced that he would run for re-election. Earlier, his cardiologist had announced that the President was capable of serving a second term as President suffered a major heart attack back in September 1955.
© AP Photo
February 29, 1960: First Playboy Club opens in Chicago
Hugh Hefner opened the world’s first Playboy club with 'bunnies' as waitresses in Chicago.
THE REAL MAJESTIC PROJECT AT AREA 51
Feb 29, 1964: Announcement of secretly developed jet fighter
During a press conference in Washington, D.C., President Lyndon B. Johnson disclosed the existence of the Lockheed YF-12 – a secretly developed jet interceptor capable of cruising at an altitude of 80,000 feet (24,385 meters) with a speed of 2,000 mph (3,220 kph). Johnson deliberately misidentified the aircraft as A-12 at the request of aeronautical engineer Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson. Though three prototypes were built, the YF-12, which was an armed variant of the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft, never entered service.
Feb 29, 1968: Kerner Commission report is released
The President's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders kown as the Kerner Commission, released its report and warned that racism was the primary cause of riots surge in the country. The 11-member commission, headed by Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois was appointed by President Lyndon B Johnson in July 1967.
February 29,1972: Hank Aaron becomes MLB's highest paid player
Hank Aaron signed a three-year deal of $200,000 per year with the Atlanta Braves,
marking him as the highest paid player in Major League Baseball at that time.
February 29,1984: Trudeau resigns as Canada's PM
After serving for more than 15 years as Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau announced his resignation.
February, 29, 2004: 'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' wins 11 Oscars
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' won 11 Oscars, it swept all categories in which it was nominated, including best picture and best director for Peter Jackson. The film tied the record with 1959’s 'Ben Hur' and 1997’s 'Titanic', which are the most rewarded films in Oscar history.
On Feb. 29, 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award -- for her role in "Gone With the Wind."
ByUPI Staff
Stamps and memorabilia are for sale at the dedication of a new 39-cent commemorative stamp honoring actress Hattie McDaniel held at the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills, Calif., on January 25, 2006. On February 29, 1940, McDaniel became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award -- for her role in Gone With the Wind. The movie won eight awards that night. File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 28 (UPI) -- On this date in history:
In 1704, in the bloodiest event of the so-called Queen Anne's War, Deerfield, a frontier settlement in western Massachusetts, was attacked by a French and indian force. Some 100 men, women and children were massacred as the town was burned to the ground.
In 1868, British statesman Benjamin Disraeli became prime minister for the first time.
In 1916, during World War I, German U-boat commanders were ordered to attack merchant shipping in the Atlantic without warning, a policy that killed thousands and helped draw the United States into the war.
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award -- for her role in Gone With the Wind. The movie won eight awards that night.
In 1956, almost nine years after becoming an independent nation, Pakistan declared itself an Islamic republic.
In 1968, the President's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders condemned racism as the primary cause of the recent surge of riots. The commission said in its Feb. 29, 1968, report that "our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal."
In 1968, British astronomer Jocelyn Burnell announced the discovery of a pulsating radio source, or "pulsar," in the depths of outer space. She first dubbed it "LGM," short for "little green men." Astrophysicists say pulsars to be rapidly rotating neutron stars.
Stamps and memorabilia are for sale at the dedication of a new 39-cent commemorative stamp honoring actress Hattie McDaniel held at the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills, Calif., on January 25, 2006. On February 29, 1940, McDaniel became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award -- for her role in Gone With the Wind. The movie won eight awards that night. File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 28 (UPI) -- On this date in history:
In 1704, in the bloodiest event of the so-called Queen Anne's War, Deerfield, a frontier settlement in western Massachusetts, was attacked by a French and indian force. Some 100 men, women and children were massacred as the town was burned to the ground.
In 1868, British statesman Benjamin Disraeli became prime minister for the first time.
In 1916, during World War I, German U-boat commanders were ordered to attack merchant shipping in the Atlantic without warning, a policy that killed thousands and helped draw the United States into the war.
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award -- for her role in Gone With the Wind. The movie won eight awards that night.
In 1956, almost nine years after becoming an independent nation, Pakistan declared itself an Islamic republic.
In 1968, the President's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders condemned racism as the primary cause of the recent surge of riots. The commission said in its Feb. 29, 1968, report that "our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal."
In 1968, British astronomer Jocelyn Burnell announced the discovery of a pulsating radio source, or "pulsar," in the depths of outer space. She first dubbed it "LGM," short for "little green men." Astrophysicists say pulsars to be rapidly rotating neutron stars.
In 1988, police arrested Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu as he and others marched on Parliament to protest the government's ban on anti-apartheid activities.
In 2004, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned and fled the country as rebel forces massed on the outskirts of the capital. U.S. President George Bush ordered Marines into Haiti after the ouster.
File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI
In 2004, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, the finale of the epic fantasy trilogy, won all 11 Academy Awards for which it was nominated, including best picture and director, a record sweep.
In 2012, the Syrian Army drove insurgents from the Free Syrian Army out of the Bab Amr neighborhood in the city of Homs. Thousands of innocent civilians have died in the past 11 months in the government's crackdown on opposition activists, the United Nations said.
In 2016, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., became the first sitting senator to endorse Donald Trump as president. Trump rewarded Sessions with the Cabinet position of attorney general after he was elected.
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment