Saturday, February 2, 2008

Today in History: February 2

  • 1046 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records "no man alive...could remember so severe a winter"; start of the Little Ice Age which lasted until 1850.
  • 1653 New York (as New Amsterdam) is incorporated.
  • 1709 Alexander Selkirk is rescued from a desert island shipwreck; inspires book "Robinson Crusoe".
  • 1795 French Directoire offers a prize of 12,000 francs for a method of preserving food and transporting it to its armies; Nicolas Appert won it in 1810 by inventing jar canning.
  • 1933 Adolf Hitler disbands the Reichstag (parliament) 3 days after being appointed Chancellor; sets new elections for 6 March.
  • 1980 NBC Nightly News breaks Abscam; FBI sting convicts U.S. Senator Harrison A. Williams (D-NJ), and U.S. Representatives John Jenrette (D-SC), Richard Kelly (R-FL), Raymond Lederer (D-PA), Michael "Ozzie" Myers (D-PA), and Frank Thompson (D-NJ).
Yesterday | Tomorrow

No comments:

Post a Comment

We reserve the right to delete comments, but the failure to delete any particular comment should not be interpreted as an endorsement thereof.

In general, we expect comments to be relevant to the story, or to a prior comment that is relevant; and we expect some minimal level of civility. Defining that line is inherently subjective, so try to stay clear of insulting remarks. If you respond to a comment that is later deleted, we may take your response with it. Deleting your comment isn't a personal knock on you, so don't take it as such.

We allow a variety of ways for commenters to identify themselves; those who choose not to do so should take extra care. Absent any prior context in which they may be understood, ironic comments may be misinterpreted. Once you've earned a reputation for contributing to a conversation, we are likely to be more tolerant in those gray areas, as we'll understand where you're coming from.