Today In History - Thursday, February 23rd
2008
A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit crashes on Guam. It is the first operational loss of a B-2.
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2007
A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
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2006
Dubai Ports World agrees to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism.
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2005
In Slovakia, a two-day meeting dubbed "Slovakia Summit 2005" takes place between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This occasion marks the first visit of a sitting American President to the Slovak Republic since its establishment in 1993.
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The controversial French law on colonialism is passed, requiring teachers to teach the "positive values of colonialism". After public outcry, it is repealed at the beginning of 2006.
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1999
Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
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An avalanche destroys the Austrian village of Galtür, killing 31.
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1998
In the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42.
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Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and "Crusaders"; the latter term is commonly interpreted to refer to the people of Europe and the United States.
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1997
A small fire occurs in the Russian Space station, Mir.
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1992
The Socialist Labour Party is founded in the nation of Georgia.
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1991
Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, thus starting the ground phase of the war.
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In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
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1987
Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
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1983
The Spanish Socialist government of Felipe González and Miguel Boyer nationalizes Rumasa, a holding company founded by entrepreneur José María Ruiz Mateos.
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
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1981
In Spain, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d'état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
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1980
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
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1974
The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
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1966
In Syria, Baath party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin Hafiz, also a Baathist.
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1958
Cuban rebels kidnap 5-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
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1957
The founding congress of the Senegalese Popular Bloc is opened in Dakar.
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1955
First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
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1954
The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
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1947
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.
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1945
World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a commonly forgotten U.S. Navy Corpsman, reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag. The photo would later win a Pulitzer Prize and become the model for the national USMC War Memorial.
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World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by American forces.
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World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
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World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is completely destroyed by a raid of 379 British bombers.
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World War II: The Verona Philharmonic Theatre is bombed by Allied forces. It would later be re-opened in 1975.
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1944
The Soviet Union begins forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
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1943
A fire breaks out at St. Joseph's Orphanage, Co Cavan, Ireland, killing 36 people (35 of whom were children).
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1941
Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
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1934
Léopold III becomes King of Belgium.
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1927
The Federal Radio Commission (later renamed the Federal Communications Commission) begins to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
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1919
Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.
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1918
First victory of Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near Narva and Pskov. In honor of this victory, the date was celebrated from 1923 onward as "Red Army Day"; it was renamed Defender of the Fatherland Day after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and is colloquially known as "Men's Day".
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1917
First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.
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1909
The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
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1905
Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.
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1903
Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
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1900
In South Africa, the Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Hart's Hill.
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1898
Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse," a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
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1887
The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
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1883
Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
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1870
In the United States, post-Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
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1861
President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
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1854
The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
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1847
Mexican-American War: Battle of Buena Vista - In Mexico, American troops under General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
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1836
The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.
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1820
Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
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1778
American Revolution: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
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1660
Charles XI becomes King of Sweden.
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1455
Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed from movable type.
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