History of 6th February

337 - St Julius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1189 - Riots of Lynn in Norfolk spread to Norwich England
1508 - Maximilian I crowned Holy Roman Emperor
1577 - King Henri de Bourbon of Navarra becomes leader of Huguenots
1626 - Huguenot rebels & French sign Peace of La Rochelle
1651 - -7] Cardinal Mazarin flees Paris
1685 - James II of England and VII of Scotland becomes King upon the death of his brother Charles II.
1693 - Royal charter granted College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va
1716 - England & Netherlands renew alliance
1778 - England declares war on France
1778 - France recognizes US, signs treaty of aid in Paris; 1st US treaty
1788 - Mass becomes 6th state to ratify constitution
1815 - NJ issues 1st US railroad charter (John Stevens)
1819 - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds freeport harbor Singapore
1820 - 1st organized emigration of blacks back to Africa (NY to Sierra Leone)
1820 - US population announced at 9,638,453 (1,771,656 blacks (18.4%))
1820 - The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society started a settlement in present-day Liberia.
1832 - 1st appearance of cholera at Edinburgh, Scotland
1832 - US ship destroys Sumatran village in retaliation for piracy
1836 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reach Diemen's Land (Tasmania)
1840 - Waitangi Day; treaty signed between Britain & Maoris of NZ
1843 - The first minstrel show in the United States The Virginia Minstrels opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
1851 - Robert Schumann's 3rd Symphony "Rhenisch," premieres in Dusseldorf
1854 - Composer R Schumann is saved from suicide attempt into the Rhine
1861 - 1st meeting of Provisional Congress of Confederate States of America
1861 - English Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy issues 1st storm warnings for ships
1862 - Gen Ulysses S Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee
1862 - Naval Engagement at Tenn River-USS Conestago vs CSS Appleton Belle
1862 - Ulysses S Grant begins military campaign in Mississippi
1864 - -7] Skirmish at Barnett's Ford Virginia
1865 - 2nd day of battle at Dabney's Mills (Hatcher's Run)
1865 - Robert E Lee appointed Confederate General in Chief
1867 - Peabody Fund forms to promote Black education in South
1869 - Harper's Weekly publishes 1st picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers
1891 - 1st great train robbery by Dalton Gang (Southern Pacific #17)
1899 - Spanish-American War ends, peace treaty ratified by Senate
1900 - Battle at Vaalkrans, South-Africa (Boers vs British army)
1902 - Young Women's Hebrew Association organizes in NYC
1904 - Russian-Japanese war began
1911 - 1st old-age home opened in Prescott, Ariz
1911 - Great fire destroys downtown Constantinople/Istanbul Turkey
1918 - Britain grants women (30 & over) vote
1919 - 1st day of 5-day Seattle general strike
1920 - Saarland administrated by League of Nations
1921 - "The Kid," starring Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan, released
1922 - Cardinal Achille Ratti elected Pope Pius XI
1922 - US, UK, France, Italy & Japan sign Washington naval arms limitation
1926 - NFL rules college students ineligible until college classes graduates
1926 - St Louis Browns acquire catcher Wally Schang from NY Yankees
1929 - Rudy Vallee recorded "Deep Night"
1932 - 1st Olympic dog sled race, Lake Placid, NY (demonstration sport)
1932 - Fascist coup in the Memel territory
1933 - -90°F (-68°C), Oymyakon, USSR (Asian record)
1933 - 112' ocean wave observed near Manila
1933 - 20th Amendment goes into effect: Pres term begins in Jan not March
1933 - 20th amendment (terms of office) passed
1933 - Highest recorded sea wave (not tsunami), 34 m, in Pacific hurricane
1933 - Pres von Hindenburg & von Papen end Prussian parliament
1934 - Reds purchase 43-year-old Dazzy Vance from the Cards for $7,500
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.
1935 - "Monopoly" board game goes on sale for 1st time
1935 - 1st election to allow women to vote in Turkey
1936 - 4th Winter Olympic games open in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1936 - Pravda criticizes Shostakovitch' ballet "Clear Brook"
1937 - K Elizabeth Ohi becomes 1st Japanese-US female lawyer
1939 - Spanish govt flees to France
1941 - Auke Adema wins 6th official Dutch 11 Cities Skating Race (9:19)
1941 - Battle of Beda Fomm: Italian 10th army destroyed
1941 - British troops conquer Bengazi, Libya
1943 - 1st Spitfire in action above Darwin, Australia, Mu Ki-46 shot down
1943 - Singer Frank Sinatra debuts on radio's "Your Hit Parade"
1945 - 8th Air Force bombs Magdeburg/Chemnitz
1945 - Russian Red Army crosses the river Oder
1946 - "Lute Song" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 142 performances
1947 - Compton & Arthur Morris both complete dual tons in same Test Cricket
1948 - 1st radio-controlled airplane flown
1948 - Bradman retires hurt, 57 in his last Test Cricket innings in Australia
1948 - KNXT (now KCBS) TV channel 2 in Los Angeles, CA (CBS) 1st broadcast
1951 - "Broker Special" train crashes in Woodbridge NJ, killing 84
1951 - Radio commentator Paul Harvey arrested for trying to sneak into
1951 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site Argonne Atomic Lab (Ill), to demonstrate lax in security
1952 - England replaces King George VI stamp series with Queen Elizabeth II
1953 - Ian Craig makes Test Cricket debut at 17 yrs 239 days, youngest Aussie
1953 - US controls on wages & some consumer goods were lifted
1956 - Chicago's Daily Defender, begins publishing
1956 - French premier Guy Mollet pelted with tomatoes in Algiers
1956 - U of Alabama refuses admission to Autherine Lucy (because he's black)
1958 - 7 members on Manchester United football team die in an air crash
1958 - Ted Williams signs with Red Sox for $135,000, making him highest paid
1959 - 1st successful test-fire of Titan ICBM
1959 - Fidel Castro is interviewed by Edward R Murrow
1961 - "Jail, No Bail" Jail-in movement starts in Rock Hill SC
1961 - KOAP TV channel 10 in Portland, OR (PBS) begins broadcasting
1962 - Schoolman Athletic Field in the Bronx named
1964 - "Rugantino" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 28 performances
1964 - France & Great-Britain sign accord over building channel tunnel
1964 - WCIU TV channel 26 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting
1965 - "Kelly" opens & closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC
1965 - Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" hits #1
1967 - Cultural Revolution in Albania
1967 - Heavyweight Cassius Clay beats Ernie Terrell in Houston
1967 - Muhammad Ali TKOs Ernie Terrell in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1968 - 10th Winter Olympic games opens in Grenoble, France
1968 - Dutch 2nd Chamber condemns US bombing of North Vietnam
1968 - Former Pres Dwight Eisenhower shot a hole-in-one
1968 - KESD TV channel 8 in Brookings, SD (PBS) begins broadcasting
1969 - "Dear World" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 132 performances
1969 - Jerry Herman's "Dear World," premieres in NYC
1970 - Graeme Pollock completes 274 v Australia at Durban
1970 - NBA expands to 18 teams with Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston & Portland
1971 - 1st time a golf ball is hit on Moon (by Alan Shepard)
1973 - "Shelter" opens at John Golden Theater NYC for 31 performances
1973 - 40,000 civil servants demonstrate against higher pension contribution
1973 - 6th ABA All-Star Game: West 123 beats East 111 at Utah
1973 - Bernice Fekete skips her curling rink to 2nd straight 8-ender, Edm
1974 - 3rd time Rangers shut-out Islanders 6-0
1974 - Dutch speed limit set at 100km due to oil crisis
1974 - US House of Reps begins determining grounds for impeachment of Nixon
1975 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1976 - George Harrison releases "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)"
1977 - 4th time Rangers shut-out Islanders 4-0
1977 - Alain Prieur jumps his motorcycle 65 m over 16 buses, near Paris
1977 - Harley Race beats Terry Funk in Toronto, to become NWA wrestling champ
1978 - Muriel, wife of late Hubert Humphrey (Sen-D-Minn) takes his office
1978 - Snowstorm hits New England, parts of RI (54" (137cm))
1979 - Supreme court of Lahore affirms death sentence against premier Bhutto
1981 - "Brady Brides," debuts on NBC TV
1981 - Beatles McCartney, Starr & Harrison record a tribute to John Lennon
1981 - Suleiman Nyambui runs world record 5k indoor (13:20.4)
1982 - "Centerfold" by J Geils Band hit #1 on pop chart
1983 - 13th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 20-19
1983 - Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic
1984 - Moslem militiamen take over West Beirut from Lebanese army
1986 - NJ Devil Peter McNab becomes 42nd NHLer to score 350 goals
1987 - No-smoking rules take effect in federal buildings
1987 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Jill Trenary
1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1989 - Lech Walesa begins negotiating with Polish govt
1990 - Brett Hull becomes 1st son of NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby) to score 50
1990 - Ground breaking begins on Baltimore Orioles' new $102 million stadium
1990 - Steve Briers of Wales recited the entire lyrics of Queen's album "A Night At The Opera" in 9 minutes & 58.44 seconds backwards!
1991 - Mousey Davis becomes 1st coach of NY-NJ Knights
1992 - "Late Night's 10th Anniversary Show At Radio City Music Hall" on NBC
1992 - The Saami people of the Nordic countries have an official day celebrating their existence.
1993 - 44th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 16-6 at Montreal
1993 - Riddick Bowe TKOs Michael Dokes in 1 for heavyweight boxing title
1994 - "Government Inspector" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 37 perfs
1994 - Dawn Coe-Jones wins LPGA Healthsouth Palm Beach Golf Classic
1994 - Jose Maria Figueres elected president of Costa Rica
1994 - Leonid Voloshin triple jumps world record 17.77m
1994 - Martti Ahtisaari elected president of Finland
1994 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 17-3
1995 - Beachboy Brian Wilson wed Melinda Ledbetter
1995 - Darryl Strawberry suspended from baseball for 60 days
1995 - Greg Blewett scores his 2nd century in his 2nd Test Cricket
1996 - Heidi Fleiss scheduled to begin her 7 year jail sentence
1997 - Diane Blood, 32, in England, won right to use her dead husbands sperm
1998 - Twins trade Chuck Knoblauch to NY Yankees for $3M & 4 minor leaguers
1998 - Mary Kay LeTourneau, 36, former teacher, who violated probation by seeing 14 year old father of her baby, sentenced to 7 years
1998 - In Corsica, the prefect Claude Erignac is assassinated in Ajaccio, presumably by Yvan Colonna.
1998 - Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.
2005 - Super Bowl XXXIX, the New England Patriots win 24-21 over the Philadelphia Eagles