On This Day: February 7th

Today is the 7th day of the 2nd month of the last year of the first decade of the 21st century. Happy Birthday to Charles Dickens, Sinclair Lewis, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Puyi (The Last Emperor of China), and Garth Brooks. No special holidays today, unless you live in Grenada, as it is their Independence Day. Let’s start the show:

• 457 – Leo I is crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.  Leo would be responsible for aiding the Western Roman Empire in recovering many of its lost territories.
• 1238 – The Mongols burn the city of Vladimir.  This is significant because Vladimir is only 124 miles east of Moscow, which is technically in Europe, thus illustrating the scope of influence the Mongols had.
• 1795 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, preventing individual states from being sued in federal court by a person from another state or foreign nation.
• 1812 – The strongest of a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri, reaching a magnitude of 8, and being felt as far away as the east coast.
• 1856 – The Kingdom of Awadh in northern India is annexed by the British East India Company.
• 1856 – Thank Australia for the secret ballot: the colonial Parliament of Tasmania passes the first legislation in the world that provides for a secret ballot.
• 1882 – The last bare-knuckle heavyweight boxing match is fought in Mississippi City, MS.
• 1962 – The United States bans all imports and exports from Cuba.  Unfortunately, the ban remains in place today, thus preventing American interaction with one of the most culture-rich islands in the Caribbean.
• 1964 – The Beatles arrive in New York for their first tour in the United States.
• 1979 – Pluto moves inside Neptune’s orbit for 20 years, thus making it closer to the sun.  Computer models suggest it only happens every 250 years or so.
• 1990 – The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power, thus beginning the demise of the Soviet Union.
• 1992 – The Maastricht Treaty, which would lead to the creation of the European Union, is signed in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
• 1999 – Upon the death of his father, King Hussein, Crown Prince Abdullah becomes King of Jordan.

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