February 7
1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
1812 - Author Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.
1904 - A disastrous fire destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in downtown Baltimore.
1926 - Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week, which later evolved into Black History Month.
1943 - The government abruptly announced that wartime rationing of shoes made of leather would go into effect in two days, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person per year. (Rationing was lifted in October 1945.)
1944 - Germany launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1948 - Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as U.S. Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
1962 - President John F. Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.
1964 - The Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time.
1971 - Women in Switzerland were finally granted the right to vote.
1974 - The island of Grenada won its independence from Britain.
1984 - Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk.
1985 - U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, Mexico, by drug traffickers who tortured and murdered him.
1986 - President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled Haiti, ending 28 years of family rule.
1990 - The Communist Party of the Soviet Union allowed other parties to compete for power.
1991 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as the first democratically-elected president of Haiti.
1992 - European Community members signed the Maastricht Treaty, which led to creation of the euro.
1995 - Ramzi Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 - Jordan's King Hussein died at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah.
2009 - A miles-wide section of ice in Lake Erie broke away from the Ohio shoreline, trapping about 135 fishermen, some for as long as four hours before they could be rescued (one man fell into the water and later died of an apparent heart attack).
2011 - AOL Inc. announced the $315 million purchase of The Huffington Post website.
2012 - A federal appeals court ruled California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
2019 - Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history, died at his home in Dearborn, Michigan at the age of 92; the Democrat had served in the House for 59 years before retiring in 2014.
2020 - Hundreds more Americans who were evacuated from the virus-stricken zone in China began arriving in the U.S., where they would be quarantined on military bases for two weeks. Japan confirmed 41 new cases of the virus on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, adding to 20 people who were escorted off the ship earlier.
2020 - Two days after his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump took retribution against two officials who had delivered damaging testimony; he ousted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a national security aide, and Gordon Sondland, his ambassador to the European Union.
Birthdays
22 - Bea Miller (singer)
26 - Ashleigh Butler (reality star)
27 - Xenia Goodwin (actress)
31- Steven Stamkos (hockey player)
32 - Isaiah Thomas (basketball player)
33 - Matthew Stafford (football player)
36 - Deborah Ann Woll (actress)
36 - Tina Majorino (actress)
39 - Delia Matache (singer)
42 - Cerina Vincent (actress)
43 - Ashton Kutcher (actor)
47 - Steve Nash (basketball player)
49 - Essence Atkins (actress)
54 - Jason Gedrick (actor)
56 - Chris Rock (actor/comedian)
59 - Eddie Izzard (actor/comedian)
59 - Garth Brooks (country singer)
61 - James Spader (actor)fa
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Today in Sports History - February 7
1882 - The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City.
1949 - Joe DiMaggio signed a contract with the New York Yankees that was worth $100,000. It was the first six-figure contract in major league baseball.
1965 - Cassius Clay began using the name Muhammad Ali.
1975 - The NBA's New Orleans Jazz ended a 28-game road losing streak.
1991 - Bob Knight, Larry O'Brien, Tiny Archibald, Dave Cowens, Harry Gallatin and Larry Fleisher are elected to the NBA Hall of Fame.
1994 - Basketball superstar Michael Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox to play baseball.
1997 - Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) announced his retirement from the NFL. He was the only quarterback to date to guide the same team to four losing Super Bowls.
2010 - The New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami to win Super Bowl XLIV; New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is named MVP.
2016 - The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California. Denver linebacker Von Miller is named MVP.
2019 - Frank Robinson, the first Black manager in Major League Baseball, died in Los Angeles at the age of 83.
1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
1812 - Author Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.
1904 - A disastrous fire destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in downtown Baltimore.
1926 - Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week, which later evolved into Black History Month.
1943 - The government abruptly announced that wartime rationing of shoes made of leather would go into effect in two days, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person per year. (Rationing was lifted in October 1945.)
1944 - Germany launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1948 - Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as U.S. Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
1962 - President John F. Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.
1964 - The Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time.
1971 - Women in Switzerland were finally granted the right to vote.
1974 - The island of Grenada won its independence from Britain.
1984 - Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk.
1985 - U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, Mexico, by drug traffickers who tortured and murdered him.
1986 - President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled Haiti, ending 28 years of family rule.
1990 - The Communist Party of the Soviet Union allowed other parties to compete for power.
1991 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as the first democratically-elected president of Haiti.
1992 - European Community members signed the Maastricht Treaty, which led to creation of the euro.
1995 - Ramzi Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 - Jordan's King Hussein died at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah.
2009 - A miles-wide section of ice in Lake Erie broke away from the Ohio shoreline, trapping about 135 fishermen, some for as long as four hours before they could be rescued (one man fell into the water and later died of an apparent heart attack).
2011 - AOL Inc. announced the $315 million purchase of The Huffington Post website.
2012 - A federal appeals court ruled California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
2019 - Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history, died at his home in Dearborn, Michigan at the age of 92; the Democrat had served in the House for 59 years before retiring in 2014.
2020 - Hundreds more Americans who were evacuated from the virus-stricken zone in China began arriving in the U.S., where they would be quarantined on military bases for two weeks. Japan confirmed 41 new cases of the virus on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, adding to 20 people who were escorted off the ship earlier.
2020 - Two days after his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump took retribution against two officials who had delivered damaging testimony; he ousted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a national security aide, and Gordon Sondland, his ambassador to the European Union.
Birthdays
22 - Bea Miller (singer)
26 - Ashleigh Butler (reality star)
27 - Xenia Goodwin (actress)
31- Steven Stamkos (hockey player)
32 - Isaiah Thomas (basketball player)
33 - Matthew Stafford (football player)
36 - Deborah Ann Woll (actress)
36 - Tina Majorino (actress)
39 - Delia Matache (singer)
42 - Cerina Vincent (actress)
43 - Ashton Kutcher (actor)
47 - Steve Nash (basketball player)
49 - Essence Atkins (actress)
54 - Jason Gedrick (actor)
56 - Chris Rock (actor/comedian)
59 - Eddie Izzard (actor/comedian)
59 - Garth Brooks (country singer)
61 - James Spader (actor)fa
=====================================
Today in Sports History - February 7
1882 - The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City.
1949 - Joe DiMaggio signed a contract with the New York Yankees that was worth $100,000. It was the first six-figure contract in major league baseball.
1965 - Cassius Clay began using the name Muhammad Ali.
1975 - The NBA's New Orleans Jazz ended a 28-game road losing streak.
1991 - Bob Knight, Larry O'Brien, Tiny Archibald, Dave Cowens, Harry Gallatin and Larry Fleisher are elected to the NBA Hall of Fame.
1994 - Basketball superstar Michael Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox to play baseball.
1997 - Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) announced his retirement from the NFL. He was the only quarterback to date to guide the same team to four losing Super Bowls.
2010 - The New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami to win Super Bowl XLIV; New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is named MVP.
2016 - The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California. Denver linebacker Von Miller is named MVP.
2019 - Frank Robinson, the first Black manager in Major League Baseball, died in Los Angeles at the age of 83.