Osun Defender History Corner: February 7 In Focus

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

February 7, 1497

The Bonfire of the Vanities takes place in Florence, Italy, where objects such as books, paintings, and cosmetics are burned.

February 7, 1812

Author Charles Dickens is born in Portsmouth, England.

February 7, 1904

The Great Baltimore Fire destroys over 1,500 buildings in Baltimore, Maryland.

February 7, 1940

The second full-length animated Walt Disney film, “Pinocchio,” premieres.

February 7, 1964

The Beatles arrive in the United States for the first time, greeted by thousands of fans at New York’s Kennedy Airport.

February 7, 1974

The famous “Tangshan earthquake” strikes China, killing an estimated 250,000 people.

February 7, 1984

Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut Bruce McCandless II makes the first untethered spacewalk, using a Manned Maneuvering Unit.

February 7, 1991

Jean-Bertrand Aristide is sworn in as the first democratically elected president of Haiti.

February 7, 1992

The European Union is established with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty.

February 7, 1995

Ramzi Yousef, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Pakistan.

February 7, 2009

Bushfires in Victoria, Australia, kill 173 people and injure more than 400 others.

February 7, 2012

The trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak begins in Cairo.

February 7, 2013

Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and fugitive, is involved in a shootout with authorities in California.

February 7, 2017

The 51st Super Bowl is held in Houston, Texas, with the New England Patriots defeating the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.

February 7, 2018

SpaceX successfully launches the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful operational rocket in the world, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

February 7, 2019

A fire breaks out at a training facility of the Brazilian football club Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro, killing 10 young players.

February 7, 2020

The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, held in Miami, Florida.

February 7, 2021

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

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on February 7. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.