269 The Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus abolished the institution of marriage for many, as he felt that husbands did not make good soldiers. Valentine of Terni, who had become Bishop of Interamna, considered such a policy against the spirit of God and of human nature and was secretly marrying Christians. His "crime" was discovered and while on a temporary stay in Rome, Bishop Valentine was arrested, imprisoned, and brutally clubbed to death on February 14, 269.
494 St. Valentine's Day was set as February 14th by Pope Gelasius I in 494. He included Saint Valentine among all those martyrs "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God."
1349 Strasbourg, part of the Holy Roman Empire, was the scene of the first mass holocaust of Jews in Europe on February 14, 1349. Collectively accused of causing the Black Death by poisoning the local water supplies, 2,000 men, women and children were herded into a circle and burnt alive.
1400 King Richard II of England died in captivity in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke on February 14, 1400. It is likely that he passed away of starvation. A hole was left in the side of his tomb so mourners could touch his royal head.
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| Reconstruction. Oil painting by Leonhard Beck, around 1510) |
494 St. Valentine's Day was set as February 14th by Pope Gelasius I in 494. He included Saint Valentine among all those martyrs "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God."
1349 Strasbourg, part of the Holy Roman Empire, was the scene of the first mass holocaust of Jews in Europe on February 14, 1349. Collectively accused of causing the Black Death by poisoning the local water supplies, 2,000 men, women and children were herded into a circle and burnt alive.
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| Pogrom of Strasbourg by Emile Schweitzer |
1400 King Richard II of England died in captivity in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke on February 14, 1400. It is likely that he passed away of starvation. A hole was left in the side of his tomb so mourners could touch his royal head.
1632 Tempe Restored was a masque written by Aurelian Townshend and designed by Inigo Jones, performed at Whitehall Palace on Shrove Tuesday, February 14, 1632. A French woman, Madame Coniack, had a strong vocal part in the masque marking the first appearance of a professional female singer on the English stage.
1778 The United States Flag was formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time on February 14, 1778, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte rendered a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
1779 Captain James Cook was killed at Kealakekva Bay, Hawaii on February 14, 1779. There was a scuffle as Cook tried to retrieve one of his boats, which had got stolen. He was struck from behind and clubbed to death by the islanders. King George III wept when he heard of Cook's demise.
1797 Horatio Nelson distinguished himself while in command of HMS Captain at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, which was fought on February 14, 1797. One of the opening battles of the Anglo-Spanish War, Nelson was in his ship Captain when he sighted a gap in the Spanish line. Without orders he moved in to prevent it closing and captured two ships. The victory ensured British influence again in Mediterranean. The then Commodore Nelson's share in the victory made him a national hero.
1804 On February 14, 1804 Serbian revolutionary Karađorđe led the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. This and a second uprising led by Milosh Obrenovich forced the Turks to recognize Serbia as an autonomous principality under Obrenovich on July 26, 1817.
1849 James K. Polk was one of the first US presidents to have his photograph taken when in office, when on February 14, 1849, he was snapped by photographer, Matthew Brady (see below). Brady copied this portrait of President Polk and offered it commercially as a visiting-card-sized photograph; the image was retouched to make the presidents appearance somewhat softer.
1852 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children was founded in London on February 14, 1852. The Hospital is known internationally for receiving from J. M. Barrie the copyright to Peter Pan in 1929, which has provided significant funding for the institution.
1859 Oregon was the 33rd state to join the United States on February 14, 1859. It was the only state in the Union admitted with a constitution that forbade black people from living, working, or owning property there. It was illegal for black people even to move to the state until 1926.
1778 The United States Flag was formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time on February 14, 1778, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte rendered a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
1779 Captain James Cook was killed at Kealakekva Bay, Hawaii on February 14, 1779. There was a scuffle as Cook tried to retrieve one of his boats, which had got stolen. He was struck from behind and clubbed to death by the islanders. King George III wept when he heard of Cook's demise.
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| Death of Captain James Cook by Johann Zoffany, circa 1795 |
1797 Horatio Nelson distinguished himself while in command of HMS Captain at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, which was fought on February 14, 1797. One of the opening battles of the Anglo-Spanish War, Nelson was in his ship Captain when he sighted a gap in the Spanish line. Without orders he moved in to prevent it closing and captured two ships. The victory ensured British influence again in Mediterranean. The then Commodore Nelson's share in the victory made him a national hero.
1804 On February 14, 1804 Serbian revolutionary Karađorđe led the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. This and a second uprising led by Milosh Obrenovich forced the Turks to recognize Serbia as an autonomous principality under Obrenovich on July 26, 1817.
1849 James K. Polk was one of the first US presidents to have his photograph taken when in office, when on February 14, 1849, he was snapped by photographer, Matthew Brady (see below). Brady copied this portrait of President Polk and offered it commercially as a visiting-card-sized photograph; the image was retouched to make the presidents appearance somewhat softer.
1852 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children was founded in London on February 14, 1852. The Hospital is known internationally for receiving from J. M. Barrie the copyright to Peter Pan in 1929, which has provided significant funding for the institution.
1859 Oregon was the 33rd state to join the United States on February 14, 1859. It was the only state in the Union admitted with a constitution that forbade black people from living, working, or owning property there. It was illegal for black people even to move to the state until 1926.
1874 American showman P. T. Barnum's first wife Charity Hallett died in November 1873. Barnum married his second wife, English socialite Nancy Fish, on February 14, 1874 at Grace Church in New York City. She was 40 years his junior and their marriage was reported to be a happy one.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent for a "telephone" (Greek for sound) on February 14, 1876. The inspiration for the device came when Bell was working to improve the telegram in Boston, Massachusetts. Bell filed his application for a patent knowing a rival, Elisha Gray was working on a similar project. A representative of Bell filed his patent for a "telephone" at New York Patent Office at 12.00 PM. The now forgotten Gray got there two hours later.
1878 Theodore Roosevelt's first wife Alice died aged 23 from Bright's Disease on February 14, 1884, less than two days after the birth of their first child, Alice. The loss of Alice was especially tragic for Theodore because his mother died on the same day, at the Roosevelt family home in Manhattan. Theodore Roosevelt watched his mother die from typhoid fever then went upstairs in his home to watch his wife die an hour later. The grief stricken Theodore Roosevelt fled to Dakota to recover.
1895 Oscar Wilde's witty comedy The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed on February 14, 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London. Though it was Wilde's most successful play it closed the same year as it opened due to the scandal involving the playwright and Lord Douglas.
1912 Arizona became the 48th US state on February 14, 1912. It was the last of the contiguous states to be admitted. It was previously part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain before being passed down to independent Mexico and later ceded to the United States after the Mexican–American War.
1914 The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) was renamed as International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) on February 14, 1924. The decision to change the company's name reflected its evolution and expansion into a broader range of business activities beyond just computing, tabulating, and recording. IBM has since become one of the world's leading technology and consulting companies.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent for a "telephone" (Greek for sound) on February 14, 1876. The inspiration for the device came when Bell was working to improve the telegram in Boston, Massachusetts. Bell filed his application for a patent knowing a rival, Elisha Gray was working on a similar project. A representative of Bell filed his patent for a "telephone" at New York Patent Office at 12.00 PM. The now forgotten Gray got there two hours later.
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| Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent drawing, |
1878 Theodore Roosevelt's first wife Alice died aged 23 from Bright's Disease on February 14, 1884, less than two days after the birth of their first child, Alice. The loss of Alice was especially tragic for Theodore because his mother died on the same day, at the Roosevelt family home in Manhattan. Theodore Roosevelt watched his mother die from typhoid fever then went upstairs in his home to watch his wife die an hour later. The grief stricken Theodore Roosevelt fled to Dakota to recover.
1895 Oscar Wilde's witty comedy The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed on February 14, 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London. Though it was Wilde's most successful play it closed the same year as it opened due to the scandal involving the playwright and Lord Douglas.
1912 Arizona became the 48th US state on February 14, 1912. It was the last of the contiguous states to be admitted. It was previously part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain before being passed down to independent Mexico and later ceded to the United States after the Mexican–American War.
1919 Albert Einstein married Serbian physicist Mileva Marić in January 1903. Einstein and the earnest, reserved Mileva had little in common. When he moved to Berlin in 1913 the increasingly sullen and uncommunicative Mileva refused to move with him. They divorced on February 14, 1919, which. Einstein persuaded Mileva to agree to by offering her the money he would receive if he ever won a Nobel Prize. She got the money when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921.
1929 On February 14, 1929 Al Capone's men, dressed as police officers, raided the warehouse of rival bootlegger Bugs Moran. They shot dead seven men - but Moran was not one of them. The bloody St. Valentine's Day Massacre stirred a media storm centered on Capone and his illegal Prohibition-era activities and motivated federal authorities to redouble their efforts to find evidence incriminating enough to take him off the streets.
1931 Roman Catholic priest Charles Liteky was born on February 14, 1931. Liteky received the Medal of Honor for braving intense fire to carry 20 wounded soldiers to safety during a 1967 battle. He later left the priesthood, became a social activist, and in 1986 renounced his Medal of Honor, as protest of US policies in Central America.
1945 The Czech city of Prague was occupied by Germany between 1939 and 1945. Despite this, the US Air Force accidentally bombed Prague on February 14, 1945. The raid was originally intended for Dresden in Germany, but a navigation error combined with bad weather and the cities' similarities led to the mistake.
1962 After moving into the White House, Jacqueline Kennedy was dismayed at the state the official residence was in. She established a Fine Arts Committee to help her restore the house to its original splendor with American furniture and paintings of historical significance. Jackie hosted a televised tour of the White House to show the progress of the work on February 14, 1962. Her televised White House tour exposed eventually earned her an Emmy.
1975 English comic fiction author PG Wodehouse died of a heart attack in Southampton, New York on February 14, 1975 at the age of 93. Wodehouse was buried at Remsenburg Presbyterian Church four days later.
1986 When the Boston Celtics played the Portland Trail Blazers on February 14, 1986, Larry Bird decided to shoot left-handed (he is right-handed) most of the game. He finished with 47 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists in 49 minutes in a 120-119 victory in overtime. Ten of his 34 shots were taken with the left.
1990 On February 14, 1990, Michael Jordan's usual No. 23 jersey mysteriously disappeared before the game. Theories suggest it was either misplaced or possibly even stolen. With no time to find a replacement, Jordan was forced to wear the only available jersey, which happened to be No. 12. Despite the unusual attire, Jordan put on a spectacular performance, scoring an impressive 49 points, setting a franchise record for players wearing that jersey number.
1990 The Pale Blue Dot photograph of planet Earth (see below) was taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 3. 7 billion miles (6 billion kms). In the photograph, Earth's apparent size is less than a pixel; the planet appears as a tiny dot against the vastness of space, among bands of sunlight scattered by the camera's optics.
2002 The Bahrain flag originally had twenty-eight white points, but this was reduced to five on February 14, 2002. The change was made specifically so that each of the points could symbolize one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the core principles of the Islamic faith. This modification held significant meaning for the nation and its people.
2005 The domain name YouTube was activated on February 14, 2005 and the site was developed months after. Three key experiences inspired the YouTube founders. Jawed Karim had trouble finding footage online of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction and, later, of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Chad Hurley and Steve Chen had difficulty sharing a video shot at a dinner party in San Francisco.
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| From left to right: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. By Composite image by user:Ianmacm |
2013 Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat kissed for 58 hours 35 minutes 58 seconds between February 12-14 2013 at an event in Pattaya, Thailand. This smashed he record for the world's longest kiss, which had been 31 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
2014 A group of embittered singles worked together to buy up all the odd-numbered cinema seats for a Valentine's Day screening of Beijing Love Story, at the Shanghai Xintiandi cinema on February 14, 2014. They thus forced couples to sit apart while watching the sappy big-budget romance.
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