Historical Events on February 6, Facts & Special Events On This Day

AD 60

The earliest date for which the day of the week is known. A graffito in Pompeii identifies this day as a dies Solis (Sunday). In modern reckoning, this date would have been a Wednesday. However, according to the system of astrological hours that was originally used to designate the days of the week, a day that was dies Solis according to its sunset hour would have been dies Mercurii (Wednesday) according to its sunrise hour, the convention that finally won out. Accordingly, we know that the currently used cycle of weeks has extended unbroken since at least this date.

1579

The Archdiocese of Manila was made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.

1649

The claimant King Charles II of England and Scotland is declared King of Great Britain, by the Parliament of Scotland. This move was not followed by the Parliament of England nor the Parliament of Ireland.

1685

James II of England and VII of Scotland becomes King upon the death of his brother Charles II.

1778

American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.

1788

Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

1806

Battle of San Domingo: British naval victory against the French in the Caribbean.

1815

New Jersey grants the first American railroad charter to John Stevens.

1819

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore.

1820

The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society depart New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia.

1833

Otto becomes the first modern King of Greece.

1840

Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.

1843

The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).

1851

The largest Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history take place in the state of Victoria.

1862

American Civil War: Forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry.

1899

Spanish-American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.

1900

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international arbitration court at The Hague, is created when the Senate of the Netherlands ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.

1918

British women over the age of 30 get the right to vote.

1919

The American Legion is founded.

1922

The Washington Naval Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., limiting the naval armaments of United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy.

1934

Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.

1942

World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Thailand.

1951

The Canadian Army enters combat in the Korean War.

1951

The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.

1952

Elizabeth II becomes queen regnant of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.

1958

Eight Manchester United F.C. players and 15 other passengers are killed in the Munich air disaster.

1959

Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.

1959

At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.

1976

In testimony before a United States Senate subcommittee, Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admits that the company had paid out approximately $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.

1978

The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of four inches an hour.

1981

The National Resistance Army of Uganda launches an attack on a Ugandan Army installation in the central Mubende District to begin the Ugandan Bush War.

1987

Justice Mary Gaudron becomes the first woman to be appointed to the High Court of Australia.

1988

Michael Jordan makes his signature slam dunk from the free throw line inspiring Air Jordan and the Jumpman logo.

1989

The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe.

1996

Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.

1996

Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, and all 189 people inside the airplane are killed. This is the worst accident/incident involving a Boeing 757.

1998

Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

2000

February 6 in History

Historical Events on February 6

The Archdiocese of Manila was made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.

The claimant King Charles II of England and Scotland is declared King of Great Britain, by the Parliament of Scotland. This move was not followed by the Parliament of England nor the Parliament of Ireland.

James II of England and VII of Scotland becomes King upon the death of his brother Charles II.

American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.

Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

Battle of San Domingo: British naval victory against the French in the Caribbean.

New Jersey grants the first American railroad charter to John Stevens.

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore.

The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society depart New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia.

Otto becomes the first modern King of Greece.

Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.

The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).

The largest Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history take place in the state of Victoria.

American Civil War: Forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry.

Spanish-American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international arbitration court at The Hague, is created when the Senate of the Netherlands ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.

British women over the age of 30 get the right to vote.

The American Legion is founded.

The Washington Naval Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., limiting the naval armaments of United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy.

Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.

World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Thailand.

The Canadian Army enters combat in the Korean War.

The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.

Elizabeth II becomes queen regnant of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.

Eight Manchester United F.C. players and 15 other passengers are killed in the Munich air disaster.

Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.

At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.

In testimony before a United States Senate subcommittee, Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admits that the company had paid out approximately $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.

The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of four inches an hour.

The National Resistance Army of Uganda launches an attack on a Ugandan Army installation in the central Mubende District to begin the Ugandan Bush War.

Justice Mary Gaudron becomes the first woman to be appointed to the High Court of Australia.

Michael Jordan makes his signature slam dunk from the free throw line inspiring Air Jordan and the Jumpman logo.

The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe.

Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, and all 189 people inside the airplane are killed. This is the worst accident/incident involving a Boeing 757.

Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Second Chechen War: Russia captures Grozny, Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria government into exile.

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