Osun Defender History Corner: February 14 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashbacks and recall some events that marked this day.

February 14, 1779

James Cook, the British explorer, was killed by Hawaiians on the island of Hawaii.

February 14, 1849

James Polk becomes the first serving U.S. President to be photographed.

February 14, 1876

Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone.

February 14, 1895

Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest” premiered at the St James’s Theatre in London.

February 14, 1929

The “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” occurred in Chicago, where seven members of the “Bugs” Moran gang were gunned down by Al Capone’s gang.

February 14, 1945

The bombing of Dresden, Germany, by Allied forces during World War II, began.

February 14, 1961

Lawrencium, the synthetic chemical element with atomic number 103, was first synthesized at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory by scientists Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, Almon Larsh, and Robert M. Latimer.

February 14, 1989

The Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie for blasphemy in his book “The Satanic Verses.”

February 14, 2005

YouTube is launched by a group of former PayPal employees.

February 14, 2011

The Arab Spring uprisings continue as demonstrators gather in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and Iraq.

February 14, 2018

A gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others, making it one of the deadliest school massacres in U.S. history.

February 14, 2019

A suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian security personnel, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

February 14, 2020

The cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, due to a COVID-19 outbreak onboard.

February 14, 2021

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance successfully lands on Mars, beginning its mission to search for signs of past life and collect samples for future return to Earth.

February 14, 2022

The 2022 Winter Olympics officially open in Beijing, China.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on February 14. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.