1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws that had been restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. The case (Roe vs. Wade) legalized abortion.
1371 – King Robert II of Scotland (1371-90) is crowned, becoming the first monarch of the House of Stewart
1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrived at the Vatican.
1666 – Shah Jahan, a descendant of Genghis Khan and Timur, died at the age of 74. He was the Mongul emperor of India that built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz-i-Mahal.
1689 – Prince William of Orange (future King William III of Britain), summons Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife Mary (daughter of exiled King James II)
1690 – Iroquois tribes renew allegiance to the English against the French
1771 – The Falkland Islands were ceded to Britain by Spain.
1775 – Marshal Oscar von Lubomirski expels Jews from Warsaw, Poland
1813 – Major General Henry Proctor leads 500 soldiers and militia, with Tecumseh’s 800 Indians from Amherstburg, in a counterattack across the frozen Detroit River after his defeat 4 days earlier. He recaptures the River Raison post, and defeats 900 US troops led by Brig. Gen. James Winchester, capturing Winchester and 500 Americans
1814 – 1st Knights Templar grand encampment in US held in New York City
1824 – The Asante army crushed British troops in the Gold Coast.
1863 – The January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to regain Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation of Russia.
1877 – Arthur Tooth, an Anglican clergyman is taken into custody after being prosecuted for using ritualist practices”
1879 – James Shields began a term as a U.S. Senator from Missouri. He had previously served Illinois and Minnesota. He was the first Senator to serve three states.
1901 – Queen Victoria of England died after reigning for nearly 64 years. Edward VII, her son, succeeded her.
1903 – The Hay-Herrán Treaty was signed by United States Secretary of State John M. Hay and Colombian Chargé Dr. Tomás Herrán. The treaty granted the United States rights to the land proposed for the Panama Canal.
1905 – Insurgent workers were fired on in St Petersburg, Russia, resulting in “Bloody Sunday.” 500 people were killed.
1908 – Katie Mulcahey is arrested for lighting a cigarette, violating the 1-day old “Sullivan Ordinance” banning women from smoking in public, and is fined $5. Appearing before the judge she stated “I’ve got as much right to smoke as you have. I never heard of this new law, and I don’t want to hear about it. No man shall dictate to me.”
1917 – U.S. President Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for “peace without victory.” America entered the war the following April.
1919 – Act Zluky was signed, unifying the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic
1930 – In New York, excavation began for the Empire State Building.
1936 – In Paris, Premier Pierre Laval resigned over diplomatic failure in the Ethiopian crisis.
1941 – Britain captured Tobruk from German forces.
1943 – American and Australian troops took New Guinea in the first land victory over the Japanese in World War II.
1944 – Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1946 – Iran: Qazi Muhammad declares the independent people’s Republic of Mahabad at the Chuwarchira Square in the kurdish city of Mahabad. He is the new president; Hadschi Baba Scheich is the prime minister.
1950 – US – Preston Tucker, maker of the Tucker automobile was cleared of all fraud charges against him. But it was too little, too late. The Tucker automobile was history.
1951 – Fidel Castro was ejected from a Winter League baseball game after hitting a batter. He later gave up baseball for politics.
1957 – Suspected “Mad Bomber” was arrested in Waterbury, CT. George P. Metesky was accused of planting more than 30 explosive devices in the New York City area.
1959 – USAF concludes that less than 1% of UFOs are unknown objects
1962 – Cuba’s membership in the Organization of American States (OAS) was suspended.
1963 – The Élysée Treaty formalizes the reconciliation between Germany and France
1970 – The first regularly scheduled commercial flight of the Boeing 747 began in New York City and ended in London about 6 1/2 hours later.
1972 – The United Kingdom, the Irish Republic, and Denmark joined the EEC.
1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws that had been restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. The case (Roe vs. Wade) legalized abortion.
1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous “”1984″” television commercial.
1987 – Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism
1990 – Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet worm. Birth of Louis-Charles Rgnier
1991 – Iraq launched the third and bloodiest Scud missile attack against Israel, injuring 98 people. Three others died of heart attacks
1992 – Rebel soldiers seized the national radio station in Kinshasa, Zaire’s capital, and broadcast a demand for the government’s resignation.
1995 – Two Palestinian suicide bombers from the Gaza Strip detonated powerful explosives at a military transit point in central Israel, killing 19 Israelis.
1997 – The U.S. Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the first female secretary of state.
1998 – Theodore Kaczynski pled guilty to federal charges for his role as the Unabomber. He agreed to life in prison without parole.
2000 – Elian Gonzalez’s grandmothers met privately with U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno as they appealed for help in removing the boy from his Florida relatives and reuniting him with his father in Cuba.
2001 – Acting on a tip, authorities captured four of the “Texas 7” in Woodland Park, CO, at a convenience store. A fifth convict killed himself inside a motor home.
2002 – In Calcutta, India, Heavily armed gunmen attacked the U.S. government cultural center. Five police officers were killed and twenty others, including one pedestrian and one private security guard, were wounded.
2003 – It was reported that scientists in China had found fossilized remains of a dinosaur with four feathered wings.
2004 – Allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had accepted bribes damaged his credibility, a new poll showed. But, Sharon brushed aside the allegations and a source said no indictment was expected
2007 – The jury portion of the trial against Robert Pickton, accused of being Canada’s worst serial killer, opens in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
2014 – Water vapour is detected on the dwarf planet Ceres
2018 – US government ends three-day shutdown after an agreement in Congress to extend funding
2021 – Lloyd Austin confirmed as defense secretary by the US Senate, and the first black head of the Pentagon
REFERENCE: history.net, onthisday.com, thepeopleshistory.com, timeanddate.com, scopesys.com, on-this-day.com
