TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – FEB 28
202 BC Coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty’s rule over China
1066 Westminster Abbey, the most famous church in England, opens its doors.
1574 On the orders of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, two Englishmen and an Irishman are burnt for heresy.
1704 Indians attack Deerfield, Mass. killing 40 and kidnapping 100.
1784 John Wesley issues “Deed of Declaration” formally establishing the Methodist Church.
1827 The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first railroad incorporated for commercial transportation of people and freight.
1847 Colonel Alexander Doniphan and his ragtag Missouri Mounted Volunteers ride to victory at the Battle of Sacramento, during the Mexican War.
1854 Republican Party formally organized in Ripon, Wisconsin
1861 The territory of Colorado is established.
1916 Haiti becomes the first U.S. protectorate.
1918 A new bill was introduced by Warren Gard, representative of District 3 in Ohio, which was intended to protect war materials. It was proposed that a $10,000 fine and up to 30 years imprisonment was the suggested sentence for the destruction of war materials. War materials that would be covered by this bill if/when passed include arms, ammunition, clothing, food supplies, and other items used by the military. “War premises” such as buildings, grounds, stations, and manufactures related to any military use would also be covered. This initiative was introduced during the last year of World War I. This was the approximate time of American involvement in this war.
1922 After 40 years of British rule following Great Britain seizing control of Egypt’s government in 1882 over concerns for British interests including the Suez Canal.
1924 U.S. troops are sent to Honduras to protect American interests during an election conflict.
1940 The first televised basketball game was shown. The game featured Fordham University and the University of Pittsburgh from Madison Square Gardens in New York.
1967 In Mississippi, 19 are indicted in the slayings of three civil rights workers.
1969 A Los Angeles court refuses Robert Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan’s request to be executed.
1971 The male electorate in Lichtenstein refuses to give voting rights to women.
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.
1991 The gulf war is over following Iraq accepting all 12 resolutions made by the United Nations. The official death toll for the Gulf War is 50,000, Iraq soldiers, 148 American Soldiers and 16 British soldiers.
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.
2002 In Ahmadabad, India, Hindus set fire to homes in a Muslim neighborhood. At least 55 people were killed in the attack
2008 President Bush has told people that the U.S. economy is not going into a recession, but following a ‘slowdown.’ He said that the tax measures, which are due to start in May, were designed to get consumers shopping again.
2013 Pope Benedict XVI resigns The pope whose birth name is Joseph Ratzinger was the first leader of the Catholic Church to resign since 1415.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
