On This Day:
Friday February 7, 2014 This is the 38th day of the year, with 327 days remaining in 2014. Fact of the Day: constellations The sky is divided into 88 areas, or constellations, based on the patterns of stars used by early astronomers. Many constellations were thought to form conspicuous configurations of objects or creatures in the sky. Some are named for animals and figures in Greek mythology, but many originate with Semitic or pre-Semitic traditions. Twelve constellations - known as the zodiac - form the backdrop against which the sun and planets move. The twelve astrological signs of the zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Constellations are useful in tracking artificial satellites and in assisting astronomers and navigators to locate certain stars.
Holidays Feast day of St. Luke the Younger, St. Theodore of Heraclea, St. Adaucus, St Moses, St. Richard, "King of the English," and St. Silvin.
Grenada: Independence Day (from Great Britain, 1974).
Italy: Feast of the Incappucciati.
Events 1301 - Edward Caernarvon (later King Edward II) became the first Prince of Wales.
1827 - French danseuse Mme. Francisquy Hutin introduced ballet to the U.S. with a performance of "The Deserter" at the Bowery Theater.
1882 - John L. Sullivan won the last bare-knuckle heavyweight boxing championship.
1904 - The Great Baltimore Fire began when wind whipped a fire in the business district into a conflagration that engulfed a large part of the city by evening. More than 1,500 buildings were completely leveled, and another 1,000 severely damaged, with property loss an estimated $100 million. It was the biggest fire-related disaster since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
1905 - Congress granted statehood to Oklahoma. New Mexico and Arizona were the only remaining territories.
1931 - Aviator Amelia Earhart married publisher George P. Putnam.
1943 - The U.S. government announced that shoe rationing would go into effect, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person for the remainder of the year.
1947 - The main group of the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating to about 150 BC-AD 68, was found in caves by the Jordan River.
1948 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by General Omar Bradley.
1964 - The Beatles began their first American tour, arriving at New York's Kennedy International Airport.
1971 - Women in Switzerland won the right to vote.
1972 - Title IX was passed, a U.S. law guaranteeing gender equality in federally-funded school programs, including athletics.
1973 - The U.S. Senate voted to form an investigative committee to look into the Watergate break-in.
1984 - U.S. Navy Captain Bruce McCandless became the first human being to fly untethered in space when he exited the U.S. space shuttle Challenger and maneuvered freely. Robert L. Stewart joined him in the feat.
1985 - "Sports Illustrated" released its annual swimsuit edition.
1985 - "New York, New York" became the official anthem of the Big Apple.
1986 - Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of his family's rule.
1992 - The European Union was established upon the signing of the Maastricht Treaty of European Union.
1995 - Ramzi Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan, after two years as a fugitive.
1999 - Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
Births 1804 - John Deere, American farm equipment manufacturer.
1812 - Charles Dickens, British novelist.
1817 - Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist leader.
1837 - Sir James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and editor.
1867 - Laura Ingalls Wilder, American writer.
1883 - Eubie Blake (James Hubert Blake), American pianist, writer.
1885 - Sinclair Lewis, first American Nobel prize-winning author (1930).
1906 - P'u-I (Pu Yi) (born Hsüan-T'ung), China's last emperor.
1908 - Buster Crabbe, American Olympic Gold medal swimmer, actor.
1962 - Garth Brooks American country music singer-songwriter.
1965 - Chris Rock, American stand-up comedian and actor.
1974 - Steve Nash, Canadian professional basketball player.
1978 - Ashton Kutcher American actor, television producer, and former fashion model.
Deaths 1894 - Adolphe Sax, Belgian inventor of the saxophone.
1979 - Josef Mengele, Nazi German SS officer and a physician in Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp.
1999 - Jordan's King Hussein.
2000 - Doug Henning, Canadian magician, illusionist, and escape artist.
2001 - Dale Evans an American writer, film star, and singer-songwriter. She was the wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.
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