Worst School Bus Crash In history ( 1958 ) A school bus plunges into the Big Sandy River at Prestonsburg Kentucky drowning 24 children and the driver becoming the Worst School Bus Crash In history.

Waco, Texas
28th February ( 1993 ) : A raid by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ATF agents who were trying to serve warrants for illegal guns on the heavily armed compound of a religious cult 10 miles outside of Waco, Texas turns into a bloody gun battle, leaving at least four Federal agents and two cult members dead and at least 15 agents injured.

Moorgate Underground Crash
28th February ( 1975 ) : A London underground train crashed into a brick wall at Moorgate during rush-hour killing the driver and at least 29 passengers in London's Financial district.

M*A*S*H Final Episode 28th February ( 1983 ) The final episode of M*A*S*H, a series about the staff of an Army hospital during the Korean War entitled ( Goodbye, Farewell and Amen ) became the most-watched television episode in U.S. history, with viewer estimates at 106 million Americans.

Earthquake UK ( 2008 ) The biggest earthquake ( 5.2 magnitude ) in the UK for nearly 25 years has shaken homes in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Cumbria, the Midlands, Norfolk and also parts of Wales. The epicentre of the quake was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire

Sabarmati Express
27th February ( 2002 ) : A fire caused by a mob of Muslims on the Sabarmati Express, bound for Ahmedabad with pilgrims returning from the holy site of Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of Uttar P, claims the lives of 57 Hindu Pilgrims.

Nineteenth Amendment
27th February ( 1922 ) : On this day, the Nineteenth Amendment To The Constitution was passed on this day. The right of women to vote (as well as the right of women to engage in many other activities) was declared constitutional by all of the members of the U.S. Supreme Court. It took seventy years of fighting and petitioning to make this women’s suffrage legislation a reality. Women and men both were advocating equal rights for women as far back as in the early 19th Century.

Leaning Tower of Pisa 27th February ( 1964 ) The Italian government announces that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was in serious danger of collapsing in an earthquake or storm asking for suggestions on how to save one of Italy's top tourist attractions. The work to save the Tower did not begin until 1999 and was completed in December 2001 .

Grand Canyon ( 1919 ) Congress established Grand Canyon National Park which includes the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world in Arizona. This is considered by many to be one of the earliest successes the environmental conservation movement.

Car Bomb World Trade Center
26th February ( 1993 ) : A car bomb which exploded in an underground garage at the World Trade Center shook the 110 story towers causing the collapse of several floors in the underground garage and tearing a hole in the ceiling of an adjoining subway leaving six people dead and injuring a further 100. It is thought Islamic extremists are responsible. In May 1994, four men - Mohammed Salameh, Nidal Ayyad, Mahmud Abouhalima and Ahmad Ajaj - were sentenced to life for bombing the World Trade Center, which killed six people and injured 100.

Barings Bank Collapse
26th February ( 1995 ) : Barings PLC, Britain's oldest investment banking firm, collapsed after Nick Leeson a securities dealer lost more than $1.4 billion by gambling on Tokyo stock prices over a period of three years . The collapse was caused by his losses but also by the bank's own deficient internal auditing and risk management practices which should have picked up the losses much earlier.

22nd amendment to the Constitution 26th February ( 1951 ) The 22nd amendment to the Constitution changes the law so no man or woman may serve more than ten years ( two terms ) of office as the president of the United States.

Cassius Clay ( 1964 ) Cassius Clay, defeated Sonny Liston when Liston retired at the end of the sixth round in Miami to become Heavyweight Champion of the World

Prohibition Laws
25th February ( 1930 ) : With the continuing debate in congress between wets and drys over the prohibition laws , the enforcement in each state also continues to be dependent on the position of the politicians in that state. In states where the wets are in control the boats used to enforce prohibition could not catch a cold let alone a fast rum runners boat , and speakeasies are very rarely raided by law enforcement. In other states where the dry's are in control fast patrol boats and many raids occur.

Robert Mitchum
25th February ( 1949 ) : Robert Mitchum is released from a Los Angeles prison farm at the end of his two-month sentence for marijuana possession

Dennis Rader Arrested 25th February ( 2005 ) Dennis Rader is arrested for the BTK ( Bind, Torture and Kill, ) serial killings that terrorized Wichita, Kan. (He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 life prison terms.)

Fidel Castro ( 2008 ) Fidel Castro the Cuban revolutionary who had ruled Cuba for nearly 50 years retires as the President of Cuba after nearly fifty years, his retirement was forced due to illness and the Cuban National Assembly elects Raúl Castro to succeed him as the President of Cuba

Salman Rushdie
24th February ( 1989 ) : Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa (religious edict) and offers a USD $3 million bounty for the death of author Salman Rushdie who had written The Satanic Verses. The Satanic Verses caused major controversy around the world In Muslim communities due to what many Muslims believed were blasphemous references to their religion

Charles and Diana
24th February ( 1981 ) : The Prince of Wales announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer ending months of speculation by the tabloid press.

Unidentified Flying Objects 24th February ( 1942 ) Los Angeles sightings beginning on this day called by the contemporary press "Battle of Los Angeles", a Plane / Blimp / Weather Balloon / UFO is fired on with a massive anti-aircraft artillery barrage but is not hit, Air raid sirens were sounded throughout Los Angeles County at 2:25 a.m. and a total blackout was ordered. Why was the ?? never hit or if it was hit why not damaged , this is a radio news report of the incident and makes very interesting listening.

Iraq Allied Ground Offensive ( 1991 ) President George H.W. Bush announced that the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun

Schindler’s List
23rd February ( 1997 ) : For the first time ever, a movie had been shown on television without commercial interruptions. The movie the Schindler’s List, a movie about the saving of the lives of Jewish factory workers in Germany, was aired on NBC on this date.

James Byrd Jr
23rd February ( 1999 ) : A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted the first of those accused ( John William King ) of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr. John William King, found guilty of kidnapping and murder on February 23 and was sentenced to death on February 25. Shawn Allen Berry, found guilty of kidnapping and murder on February 23 sentenced to life. Lawrence Russell Brewer, was sentenced to death.

Polio Vaccines Started 23rd February ( 1954 ) The first injections of the new polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk to a group of children from Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Dolly The Sheep ( 1997 ) Scottish scientists from the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh announce they have successfully cloned an adult sheep named Dolly, The sheep was born in July of 1996, and Dolly was the world's first cloned mammal.

Aldershot Bombing
22nd February ( 1972 ) : The IRA plant a bomb at the 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters at Aldershot, Hampshire killing 5 women and an army priest.

Symbionese Liberation Army
22nd February ( 1974 ) :The ransom demanded by the kidnappers ( Symbionese Liberation Army ). of newspaper heiress, Patty Hearst of $2 million food handout to the hungry in slum areas throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco begins with many of the homeless refusing the handouts .

Tina Turner 22nd February ( 1989 ) Tina Turner had won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocalist at age 49 during this year, on this date. She originally had recorded with her husband Ike Turner, however, she had left Ike in 1976. From that time until 1981 she had remained behind the scenes. After 1981, she became one of the oldest female artists in history to stage such a strong comeback, and she changed her tune from a style to Rock and Roll. Her first solo album Private Dancer had sold five million copies. She was introduced in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Land Camera Demonstrated ( 1947 ) Edwin H. Land publicly demonstrated his instant camera and associated film. Called the Land Camera, , which could produce a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds. Two years later he put 57 Polaroid Land Cameras at Boston's Jordan Marsh department store before the Christmas holiday, and they sold out within the first day after the demonstration.

Evangelist Scandal
21st February ( 1988 ) : TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart has resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute. This is the third in a series of high profile evangelist scandals including Martin Gorman and Rev Jim Bakker .

Malcolm X Assassinated
21st February ( 1965 ) : African American leader Malcolm X was assassinated while delivering a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

Steve Fossett Balloon Record 21st February ( 1995 ) Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, taking off from South Korea, and landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada. Fossett was reported missing on September 3, 2007 after the plane he was flying over the Nevada desert failed to return and his wife asked for him to be declared legally dead on November 26, 2007 .

Friendship 7 ( 1962 ) The Friendship 7 piloted by Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was the first complete orbit around the earth made by an American astronaut.

San Francisco Bay Bridge
20th February ( 1931 ) :President Hoover signed a bill that authorizes the state of California to build the San Francisco Bay bridge across San Francisco Bay.

Oil and Gas in North Sea
20th February ( 1965 ) : With the ever increasing need for oil and gas around the world and the jump in crude oil prices Britain is prospecting for Oil and Gas in the icy waters of the North Sea off Britain East Coast. The economy unlike any other is beset with problems including the falling value of the pound, the strangle hold Trade Unions have over both business and Government with shorter working weeks combined with higher wages companies in Britain are no longer competitive with the rest of the world . The country still has great engineers as can be seen by the joint British / French project of building the worlds first supersonic passenger plane ( The Concord ), so maybe all that is needed is the boost finding large deposits of oil and natural gas in the north sea to make Britain Great again.

Channel Tunnel Announced 20th February ( 1986 ) On this day, it was announced that a tunnel channel would be built by France and Britain. This underground travel path was commonly referred to as the “Chunnel” which combines the words tunnel and channel. This was a project that had originally been planned back in the early 1800s. Napoleon was the ones who had drawn up the original blueprints for this project. Finally, in 1994 this project was complete. Since 1994, the Channel Tunnel has been used for the passing of trains, cars, and buses, which cross under the English Channel in less than a half hour.

Ford T-Bird ( 1954 ) The Ford T-Bird appears as a prototype but did not selling until late in 1954 costing $2,900

Jeffrey Skilling Enron
19th February ( 2004 ) :Former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling is charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader's collapse. He was convicted in 2006 of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse

Executive Order 9066
19th February ( 1942 ) : President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, a controversial World War II policy with lasting consequences for Japanese Americans. The document ordered the “removal of resident enemy aliens” from parts of the West Coast vaguely identified as “military areas.”

US Marines Land On Iwo Jima 19th February ( 1945 ) United States Marines landed on the tiny island of Iwo Jima where they were met with heavy resistance from the Japanese.

Space Shuttle ( 1977 ) The space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its maiden flight above the Mojave Desert

Pluto Discovered
18th February ( 1930 ) : Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh located a new planet while in the observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and named it after the Greek god of the underworld, Pluto. ( It has since been downgraded to a dwarf planet )

Sonja Henie
18th February ( 1932 ) : Sonja Henie won her 6th straight World Women's figure skating title in Montreal, Canada


Dust Storms 18th February ( 1937 ) Dust storms hit five states-in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Within a few days, a dozen deaths had occurred. Likewise, influenza and pneumonia patients were easily affected, as the dust storms had made breathing difficult for them. The dust storms were so severe that people could taste the dirt and other substance in their food at dinner time. Furthermore, clouds of dust were so thick that it blocked the light of the sun. Homeowners and/or renters were advised to plug their window sills and door jams as well as hang wet sheets over doors and windows. However, it was nearly impossible to make an area 100% dust-free.

Voice Of America ( 1947 ) With the start of the cold war following World War II America introduced the transmission of Voice Of America to the Russian People as part of it's propaganda campaign against Communism and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Chicago Nightclub Stampede
17th February ( 2003 ) : 21 people are killed in a stampede at the crowded "The Epitome" nightclub in Chicago.

Jeffrey Dahmer
17th February ( 1992 ) : Jeffrey Dahmer, was sentenced today to 15 consecutive life sentences and will never be eligible for parole by a Wisconsin court, he had practiced necrophilia and cannibalism on 15 young men and boys. On 28 November 1994 he was murdered by a fellow inmate, who bludgeoned him to death with a metal bar.


Strawberry Fields Forever 17th February ( 1967 ) The Beatles release the double A-sided single in the United States with Penny Lane ( Paul McCartney ) on one side and "Strawberry Fields Forever" ( John Lennon ) on the other side.

King Tutankhamen ( 1923 ) The burial chamber of King Tutankhamen recently unearthed was opened in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, inside was a spacious and beautifully decorated chamber completely occupied by an immense shrine covered with gold inlay and workmanship of this is truly amazing. This Chamber has been undisturbed for 3000 years and unlike many of the ancient relics in Egypt has not been robbed of it's treasures. The historical interest of the discovery will provide Egyptologists with some of the best insight to that period in history

911 Emergency
16th February ( 1968 ) : The first 911 emergency telephone system is inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala. but due to problems with telephone service boundaries and electromechanical switching equipment which could not recognize the 911 number it is not until the mid 80's that 911 works countrywide

Nylon patent
16th February ( 1937 ) : Wallace H. Carothers, a research chemist for Du Pont, received a patent for nylon.


Beeching Report on British Railways 16th February ( 1965 ) The Chairman of the British Railways Board Dr Richard Beeching, has outlined transport needs for the next quarter of a century which recommends that a quarter of the british railway system should be shut down. ( His reports led to the closure of a quarter of the rail network including over 2,000 local stations at a cost of nearly 70,000 jobs )

Remove Discrimination ( 1965 ) President Johnson pledges to Congress and millions of American Homes that we shall overcome what he called "a crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice." that exists in this country by acting on legislation designed to remove every barrier of discrimination against citizens trying to register and vote.

Rioting Los Angeles
15th March ( 1966 ) : Racial rioting broke out again in the Watts area of Los Angeles.

Jews Not Allowed To Vote 15th March ( 1938 ) On the same day of one of Hitler’s addresses to over seven million people, it is declared that Jews will not be allowed to vote. This event took place after Hitler’s return from his trip to Austria, and after Austria’s treasury was combined with Germany’s.

My Fair Lady 15th March ( 1956 ) The musical "My Fair Lady" opened on Broadway. The play based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion from the mid 1930's and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The stars of the musical Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle help to make the production was a smash hit.

Jacqueline Kennedy ( 1962 ) First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives a tour of the White House shown on Television which 3 out of 4 Americans watch on TV. ( Video Below )

St. Valentine's Day Massacre
14th February ( 1929 ) : Seven gangster rivals of Al Capone were murdered in Chicago when Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn ordered the kill of rival George “Bugs” Moran. ( Known as St. Valentine's Day Massacre ).

Penicillin Discovered
14th February ( 1929 ) : Sir Alexander Fleming discovers Penicillin after leaving a plate of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered, he noticed that a mold that had fallen on the culture had killed many of the bacteria. Many Medical Breakthroughs have changed Health Care but none have had such an impact more than this.


German Battleship Bismarck 14th February ( 1939 ) The German Reich launches the battleship Bismarck, which was the largest battleship ever commisioned up to that date. The Bismarck sunk the pride of the British fleet the battlecruiser HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941, but in September after spending months trying to gain revenge The Bismarck was sunk by the British Royal Navy.

Lindbergh Baby ( 1935 ) Bruno Hauptmann was convicted of the Lindbergh baby murder after the jury reached a guilty verdict

Dresden Bombing
13th February ( 1945 ) : A massive air raid with hundreds of British bombers loaded with incendiaries and high-explosive bombs drop 1,478 tons of high-explosive bombs and 1,182 tons of incendiaries completely destroying the city of Dresden, in eastern Germany leaving between 35,000 and 135,000 civilian casualties.

Dow Jones
13th February ( 1997 ) : The Dow Jones industrial average broke through the 7,000 barrier for the first time, closing at 7,022.44. During the next eleven years the DOW Jones doubled to over 14,000 but is now below 8,000


T-Bird 13th February ( 1958 ) A four-passenger Thunderbird was made by the Ford Company, and it was introduced on this day in 1958. This new version was called the “Square Bird”, and was considered to be a model of car that turned the Thunderbird from a sports car into a luxury car. This version of the Thunderbird is often even today referred to as the T-Bird. It is known as the epitome of 1950s culture, and has appeared in movies such as Grease and in music videos (i.e. Beach Boys “I get Around”).

First Presidential Radio Address ( 1924 ) Calvin Coolidge became the first U.S. president to deliver an address by radio. This was the first day that radio programming had included commercials.

James Bulger
12th February ( 1993 ) : Two 10-year-old boys lured 2-year-old James Bulger from his mother at a shopping mall in Liverpool, England, then beat him to death

Transatlantic Jet Service
12th February ( 1958 ) :The first Trans Atlantic passenger jetliner service begins by BOAC with flights between London and New York on the new Comet Jet Airliner.


Last Emperor of China 12th February ( 1916 ) Hsian-T'ung, the last emperor of China, is forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. 1912

Dick Cheney ( 2006 ) Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a Harry Whittington who is in intensive care at a Corpus Christi hospital after being hit by several pellets of birdshot, during a weekend quail-hunting trip in Texas.

Nelson Mandela
11th February ( 1990 ) : Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years. He was the person who had lead the movement to end South African apartheid back in the mid-1940s. Mandela was a lawyer who had joined the African National Congress (ANC), which was the oldest black political organization in South Africa. For this organization, he had served as the leader of the Johannesburg youth ANC chapter, and then later he became ANC deputy national president. During his time as the president of ANC he advocated non-violence and resisted apartheid (South Africa’s system of white supremacy and segregation of races). He had changed his tune in 1960, however, when he lead a revolt against the white minority government-after the massacre of peaceful black demonstrators had taken place.

Khomeini
11th February ( 1979 ) : Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control of Iran as the Islamic Revolution reached its climax.


Jailed for Advocating 11th February ( 1916 ) Emma Goldman who worked as a nurse and midwife among the poor in New York who was also a crusader for women’s rights and social justice, is arrested in New York City for lecturing and distributing materials about birth control. She was accused of violating the Comstock Act of 1873, which made it a federal offense to disseminate contraceptive devices and information through the mail or across state lines.

Docklands Bombing ( 1996 ) The IRA plants a bomb that explodes in the Docklands area of London, One man is found dead and another person has been reported missing. The bombing marks the end of a 17-month IRA ceasefire during which Irish, British and American leaders had worked for a political solution to the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Val d’Isere Avalanche
10th February ( 1970 ) : An avalanche crashes down on a ski resort in Val d’Isere, France, killing 42 people, mostly young skiers

Spy Exchange
10th February ( 1962 ) : Francis Gary Powers, an American who was held by Russians after being shot down while flying over the Soviet Union, was released. In return, Americans had let go of a Russian spy.


The Times They Are A Changing 10th February ( 1964 ) Bob Dylan releases "The Times They Are a-Changin" his 3rd album, by Columbia Records. The album is seen as a protest album featuring songs about issues such as racism, poverty, and social change. The title track was one of Dylan's most famous capturing the spirit of social and political upheaveal that characterized the 1960s.

Post Goes Up to 2 cents ( 1950 ) A majority has been reached among the members of the United States House of Representatives regarding the hike in postal rates. As a result of a voice vote made on this day, a bill was passed which had raised the rate of postal card rates from one to two cents. Regular letter rates would stay at three cents.

747 Test Flight
9th February ( 1969 ) : Boeing 747 airliner takes its first test flight piloted by test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls

Shergar Stolen
9th February ( 1983 ) : Shergar is stolen from a stud farm owned by the Aga Khan in County Kildare, Ireland. The five-year-old thoroughbred stallion was worth $13.5 million and commanded stud fees of approximately $100,000. Shergar was never seen again and no ransom was paid and the case was never solved.


Battle of Guadalcanal 9th February ( 1943 ) The Battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, had ended on this day. This was a very important victory over the Japanese, which was achieved by the United States.

Boy Scouts of America ( 1910 ) The Boy Scouts of America, which is modeled after the Boy Scouts of England, was incorporated 1910

French Riots
8th February ( 1962 ) : The State of Emergency currently in force in Paris did not stop a demonstration in Paris by 20,000 protesters against the recent wave of bomb attacks in the French capital which was organised by France's main communist-led union. The Riot led to the deaths of 8 due to being trampled underfoot in the chaos .

Shergar Stolen
8th February ( 1983 ) : Shergar is stolen from a stud farm owned by the Aga Khan in County Kildare, Ireland. The five-year-old thoroughbred stallion was worth $13.5 million and commanded stud fees of approximately $100,000. Shergar was never seen again and no ransom was paid and the case was never solved.


1978 New England Storm 8th February ( 1978 ) A severe blizzard in New England finally ends and the region begins to dig out from under several feet of snow. Some areas received as many as 55 inches of snow in just 3 days.

First Human To Fly In Space ( 1984 ) Astronaut Bruce McCandless unhooked a lifeline and became the first human to fly free in space , using a gas-powered jet-pack to propel himself nearly 300 feet away from the Earth-orbiting U.S. space shuttle Challenger and back again

Embargo Imports From Cuba
7th February ( 1962 ) : A U.S. embargo ordered by President Kennedy will go into effect on all imports from Cuba including tobacco, seafood, fruits and vegetables

Bush Fires Kill 62
7th February ( 1967 ) : 125 separate bush fires in southern Tasmania claim 62 lives, 900 injured and over seven thousand homeless The city of Hobart is encircled by fire leaving 52 dead just in that area, in total the fires burned over 1/2 million acres of land


Women Get The Vote 7th February ( 1971 ) Women in Switzerland were granted the right to vote today there are only five other countries who still continue to bar women from the polls, the Arab states of Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and tiny Liechtenstein.

Mercedes 300SL Coupe ( 1954 ) Mercedes introduced the 300SL coupe, the car is far advanced of anything else with its gull-wing doors a six-cylinder engine and a top speed of 155mph. Only 1,400 300SL coupes are ever produced but many consider it to be the most impressive sports car of the decade.

Manchester United Football Club Disaster
6th February ( 1958 ) : A British European Airways flight crashes just after takeoff from Munich Airport. Eight players from the Manchester United soccer team together with 15 others died in the crash. The Team manager Matt Busby and striker Bobby Charlton are being treated in hospital.

Channel Tunnel
6th February ( 1964 ) : The British and French Governments announce commitment to build a tunnel under the English Channel. In 1984 Euro tunnel was selected to build the tunnel and The Channel Tunnel is finally opened in 1994. When completed The Channel Tunnel consists of three tunnels and is the longest undersea tunnel in the world, measuring 31 miles in total, with 24 miles under the sea.


Alan Shepard Golf Ball Moon 6th February ( 1971 ) Alan Shepard became the first man to hit a golf ball on the Moon, using a ball and golf club head he had smuggled on board inside his space suit.

Don’t Walk ( 1952 ) The first “Don’t Walk” sign was installed in New York City . The installation of this sign was inspired by the growing number of deaths resulting from pedestrian accidents. The use of these pedestrian traffic signs are still used today in order to make streets safer.

John Walker Lindh
5th February ( 2002 ) : The American John Walker Lindh who was captured on November 25, during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan while fighting for the Taliban is indicted by A federal grand jury on 10 charges, alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and that he conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans. On July 15th Walker accepted the plea bargain offered which meant he would plead guilty to two charges: — serving in the Taliban army and carrying weapons, also consent to a gag order that would prevent him from making any public statements on the matter for the duration of his twenty-year sentence. In return, all other charges would be dropped. He is currently serving his sentence at ADMAX in Florence, Colorado, the federal Supermax facility

Readers Digest First Published
5th February ( 1922 ) : DeWitt Wallace and his wife Lila Wallace publish the first Reader's Digest magazine designed to provide abridged articles on a wide variety of subjects, for easy reading. They publish and direct market the magazine themselves, the success of the magazine has led to a circulation of over 10 million copies in the United States and is still believed to be the best-selling consumer magazine in the country.


Tornadoes Kill 54 5th February ( 2008 ) The worst tornadoes in over two decades strikes 5 states in the south including the worst hit Tennessee with over 30 reported dead , Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.

Portable Typewriter ( 1957 ) This was the first day of the sale of Smith-Corona portable typewriters. This company had been producing typewriters since 1886, when it created the first upper and lower-case typing model. It is very easy to forget that just 50 years ago most typing was done on manual typewriters without error correction, spell checking or word processing. If you are old enough to remember offices from those years the most distinct sound in any office was the sound of old fashioned mechanical typewriters being worked by office typists.

Ski Lift Accident
4th February ( 1998 ) : A U.S. Marine Jet crashed into the Cavalese cable-car ski lift in the town of Cavalese located in the Italian Alps, about 20 miles from Trento, Italy. A team of 20 people had crashed to the ground and 20 people had been killed as a result.

O.J. Simpson
4th February ( 1997 ) : A civil jury panel in Santa Monica, California had determined that O.J. Simpson was guilty of the deaths of both his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He had originally been acquitted in the year 1995.


Facebook 4th February ( 2004 ) Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.

Big Tailfins ( 1949 ) Late in the 40's the first of the next generation of car design ( tailfins )is seen for the first time on the Cadillac. The early fins were very small compared to how they grew in the 50's the picture is a fin from a 57

Ski Lift Accident
3rd February ( 1998 ) : A U.S. Marine Jet crashed into the Cavalese cable-car ski lift in the town of Cavalese located in the Italian Alps, about 20 miles from Trento, Italy. A team of 20 people had crashed to the ground and 20 people had been killed as a result.

Operation Thunderclap
3rd February ( 1945 ) : 1,000 B-17's of the Eighth Air Force bomb Berlin prior to the big push which ended World War II.


Buddy Holly 3rd February ( 1959 ) Rock 'n' Roll singers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson died in a plane crash today along with the pilot when their chartered plane went down near Mason City, Iowa. The deaths are immortalized in the "The Day the Music Died" by Don McLean.

GI Joe Launched ( 1964 ) Following the success of the Barbie doll for girls Hasbro launch G.I. Joe
an action figure for boys. G.I. Joe stood for "Government Issue Joe" , There were four originally four figures launched one for each branch of the Armed Forces.

First 45 RPM Vinyl Record
2nd February ( 1949 ) : The first 45 RPM vinyl record was released. It would be one of the most popular ways for music lovers to enjoy their favorite song without buying an entire record. The cassette single during the 1980s and 1990s was a comparable format.

Sears, Roebuck
2nd February ( 1925 ) : Sears opens it's first retail store in the Merchandise building ( part of it's headquarters building in Chicago ). The first retail store was just an expansion of it's existing catalog business started in the 1890's


Groundhog Day 2nd February ( ) In weather lore, if a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, or marmot emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, winter will continue for 6 more weeks

Elvis Becomes a Dad ( 1968 ) Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla Presley became the proud parents of a little girl 6-pound, 15 ounce Lisa Marie Presley

TV Detector Vans
1st February ( 1952 ) : In the UK the BBC is funded via TV Licences issued by the British Government keeping the BBC free of commercial advertising, in 1952 following a report that showed large numbers of people were not paying for the licence the government bought in TV Detector Vans to track down users of unlicensed television sets in the UK.

Wankel engine
1st February ( 1957 ) : The first working prototype of the Wankel engine runs at the NSU research and development department Versuchsabteilung TX in Germany. The best known current production car fitted with a Wankel engine is the Mazda RX-8, a sports car powered by a Wankel engine.


Columbia Explodes 1st February ( 2003 ) The Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and the seven astronauts die as leaving the world in a state of shock and disbelief. George W. Bush addressed the nation on television and paid tribute to the seven members aboard this ship who lost their lives. This is the second space shuttle disaster since 1986, the year the Challenger exploded