On This Day: February 8th

Today is the 39th day of the year on the Gregorian calendar. Fellas, you’ve got 6 days until Valentine’s Day. If you haven’t already, I suggest you swing by the mall. Let’s start the show:

• 1575 – The oldest university in The Netherlands, Universiteit Leiden, is founded and given the motto “Praesidium Libertatis,”which in English translates to “Bastion of Freedom”.
• 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots is executed for suspicion of participation in The Babington Plot, which was an attempted assassination of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1692 – A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggests that two girls are suffering from bewitchment, which ultimately lead to the Salem Witch Trials.  Scientific research suggests, however, that the girls, and the rest of those diagnosed with bewitchment may have been suffering from ergot poisoning.
• 1693 – King William III and Queen Mary II grant a charter to The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
• 1726 – Catherine I, of Russia, founds the Supreme Privy Council, an advisory board with powers equal to the emperor.
• 1855 – The Devil’s Footprints mysteriously appear in Devon, England.  After a light snowfall, hoofprints appear in the snow and follow a nearly straight line for 100 miles, even on rooftops and high walls.
• 1865 – Delaware voters reject the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vote to continue the practice of slavery.  Delaware would not ratify the 13th Amendment until February 12, 1901.
• 1887 – The Dawes Act is signed, which allowed the U.S. President to survey Native American tribal lands and divide into individual allotments.  It would remain in effect until 1934.
• 1904 – A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China sparks the Russo-Japanese War.
• 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated.
• 1922 – President Warren Harding introduces the first radio in the White House.
• 1963 – The Cuban Embargo goes into effect making travel, financial, or commercial transactions with the country illegal for U.S. citizens.
• 1968 – The Orangeburg Massacre occurs on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, when police fired on a group of students protesting the segregation policies of the local bowling alley.  This event predates the Kent State Massacre by two years, and resulted in more casualties, yet got little media coverage.
• 1971 – The NASDAQ stock index premieres.
• 1978 – The U.S. Senate broadcasts its proceedings on the radio for the first time.
• 1998 – The first female Olympic hockey game occurs with Finland defeating Sweden 6-0.

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