On February 9th, 1621, Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation.

On February 8th, 1693, The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia is granted a charter.

On February 7th, 1863, the HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, killing 189.

On February 6th, 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand, was signed.

On February 5th, 1919, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists.

On February 4th, 1789 George Washington is unanimously elected to be the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.

On February 3rd, 1809 the Illinois Territory is created. It will go on to be the 21st state to join the United States, located in the former Northwest Territory. Its name was given by the state's French explorers after the indigenous Illiniwek people, a consortium of Algonquin tribes that thrived in the area. The word Illiniwek means simply "the...Read more

On February 2nd, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.

On February 1st, 1893, Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio (West Orange, New Jersey).

On January 31st, 1958, the Explorer I was launched, becoming the first successful American satellite to be launched into orbit.

On January 30th, 1826, the Menai Suspension Bridge was opened.

On January 29th, 1944, the battleship USS Missouri was launched.

On January 28th, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp where over a million people, predominantly Jews, were murdered during World War II. Commemorations are taking place at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial in Poland, attended by survivors, world leaders, and dignitaries ...Read more

On January 26th, 1808, the Rum Rebellion took place in Australia.

On January 25th, 2004, the Opportunity rover landed on Mars.

On January 24th, 1984, the Apple Macintosh went on sale for the first time.

On January 23rd, 1789, Georgetown College became the first Catholic college in the United States.

On January 22nd, 1905, Bloody Sunday took place in in St. Petersburg.

On January 21st, 1976, the first commercial Concorde flight took off.