What Happened on February 14 in History?
February 14 is widely recognized as Valentine's Day, a celebration of love and romance named after the 3rd-century Christian martyr St. Valentine, who was purportedly executed on this day in 270 CE. Beyond romance, the date has been a backdrop for significant political, scientific, and violent milestones.
Major Historical Events
St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1929): In one of the most infamous gangland slayings in American history, seven members of George "Bugs" Moran's gang were gunned down in a Chicago garage by rivals disguised as police officers, an act orchestrated by Al Capone.
Death of Captain James Cook (1779): The renowned English explorer was killed by Native Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay during a confrontation following an attempted kidnapping of the Hawaiian monarch.
Parkland School Shooting (2018): A gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others, becoming one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Voyager 1's "Pale Blue Dot" (1990): From 3.7 billion miles away, the Voyager 1 spacecraft took a photograph of Earth, famously known as the "Pale Blue Dot," depicting our planet as a tiny speck in the vastness of space.
YouTube is Founded (2005): Former PayPal employees Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim registered the domain "YouTube.com," launching what would become the world's most popular video-sharing platform.
Scientific & Technological Breakthroughs
Telephone Patent Race (1876): Both Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray applied for a patent for the telephone within hours of each other; Bell was ultimately awarded the rights.
ENIAC Public Debut (1946): The first general-purpose electronic digital computer, ENIAC, was demonstrated to the public at the University of Pennsylvania.
Global Positioning System (1989): The first of 24 satellites for the modern GPS constellation was placed into orbit.
Politics & Statehood
Admittance of Oregon (1859) and Arizona (1912): Oregon was admitted as the 33rd U.S. state, and 53 years later, Arizona became the 48th state.
First Knesset Session (1949): The parliament of Israel, the Knesset, convened for the first time in Jerusalem.
Salman Rushdie Fatwa (1989): Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie following the publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses.
Notable Births
Frederick Douglass (1818): Born into slavery, he became a leading abolitionist, orator, and author.
Susan B. Anthony (1820): A prominent American social reformer and women’s rights activist.
Jack Benny (1894): Celebrated American comedian and star of radio and television.
Florence Henderson (1934): Actress best known as the matriarch of The Brady Bunch.
