History
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This Day in History, February 17
On February 17th, 1621, Miles Standish was appointed first commander of the Plymouth colony.

This Day in History, February 16
On February 16th, 1940, 299 British prisoners were freed from the German tanker Altmark by soldiers from the HMS Cossack.

This Day in History, February 15
On February 14th, 1898, The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260. This event leads to the Spanish-American War.

This Day in History, February 14
On February 14th, 1879, The War of the Pacific breaks out when Chilean armed forces occupy the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.

This Day in History, February 13
On February 13th, 1633, Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.

This Day in History, February 12
On February 12th, 1541, Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.

This Day in History, February 11
On February 11th, 1531, Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.

This Day in History, February 10
On February 10th, 1863, the world-famous dwarfs General Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren get married in New York City.

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

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

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

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

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

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

This Day in History, February 3
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

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

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

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

This Day in History, January 30
On January 30th, 1826, the Menai Suspension Bridge was opened.

This Day in History, January 29
On January 29th, 1944, the battleship USS Missouri was launched.