Other Notable Events, February 6

In 1788, Massachusetts ratified the federal Constitution, the sixth state to do so.

In 1819, Singapore was founded with the establishment of a British East India Company trading post.

In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was appointed commander in chief of the armies of the Confederacy.

In 1933, the 20th Amendment, changing the dates of terms of some federal offices, to the U.S. Constitution went into effect.

In 1943, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of Allied expeditionary forces in North Africa. He later became World War II Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became sovereign of Great Britain upon the death of her father, King George VI. She was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.

In 1987, broad no-smoking rules took effect for 890,000 employees in 6,800 U.S. federal buildings nationwide.

In 1992, a military transport plane crashed into a restaurant and hotel in Evansville, Ind., killing 16 people.

In 1993, U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali asked NATO for authority to order airstrikes against Serb artillery positions in Bosnia.

In 1997, the head of Mexico's leading anti-drug agency resigned after evidence emerged that he took bribes from a drug cartel.

In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he would never consider resigning because of allegations that he had an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

In 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.

In 2004, a female suicide bomber detonated explosives in a suitcase on a Moscow subway car killing 39 people and injuring about 200.

In 2005, the New England Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.

In 2006, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Congress that President George W. Bush was within his legal rights when he authorized warrantless surveillance of people in the United States by the National Security Agency.

In 2008, storms spawned tornadoes across the U.S. South, killing at least 54 people and injuring nearly 100 more.

In 2009, Pakistani helicopter gunships killed 52 militants in clashes near the Khyber region to fight off efforts to disrupt a supply line for U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

In 2010, a raging storm with heavy snowfall left nearly 90,000 homes without power in Maryland and Virginia and forced much of the nation's capital to a standstill.

In 2012, the United States suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus and evacuated its staff, citing the deteriorating situation across Syria.

Also in 2012, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Negros Oriental province in the Philippines' Visayas Island chain killed at least 43 people.