The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, often called the Met, was founded in 1870 during a…
19 February 1819
British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands. William Smith was a British mariner and explorer whose name is closely tied to the early…
18 February 1885
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic American novel that follows…
17 February 1854
The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State. The Orange Free State gained its independence in the mid-19th century as part of…
16 February 1959
Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1. Fidel Castro was one of the most influential and controversial…
15 February 1923
Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is the calendar system most of the world uses today to…
14 February 1349
Strasbourg massacre: Several thousand Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg after being accused of causing…
13 February 1542
Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery. Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of Henry VIII, and her…
12 February 1974
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn emerged as one of the most…
11 February 1963
The Beatles recorded their first album Please Please Me. Please Please Me is the debut studio album by The Beatles, released in March 1963, and…