This Week in History
by Dianne Hermann
“In the summer of 1776 our Founding Fathers sought to
secure our independence and our liberties that remain the
foundation of our nation today.” Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA)
Feb 16-22, 2026
February 16
1838 – Kentucky passed a law permitting women to attend school under certain conditions.
1852 – The Studebaker Brothers Wagon Company was established. It was the precursor of automobile manufacturing.
1883 – “Ladies Home Journal” began publication. In 1903, it became the first American magazine to reach 1 million in subscriptions. In 2014, the Meredith Corporation announced it would cease publishing the monthly magazine, saying it would be published quarterly. Publication ceased in 2016.
1937 – DuPont Corporation patented nylon, developed by its employee Wallace H. Carothers.
1950 – The longest-running prime-time game show at the time, “What’s My Line,” premiered on CBS-TV and aired until 1967. An all-star panel tried to guess the contestant’s occupation. The first contestant was Miss Pat Finch, a hat check girl. Currently, the longest-running game show is The Price is Right. Watch a montage of Pat Finch on What’s My Line.
1968 – The first 911 emergency phone system in the U.S. goes into service in Haleyville, Alabama.
2005 – National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman cancels the 2004-05 hockey season. This was the first time a North American professional sports league canceled the entire season due to a labor dispute.
February 17
1801 – The House of Representatives broke an Electoral College tie, after casting three dozen ballots, choosing Thomas Jefferson for president over Aaron Burr. Each candidate received 73 votes, but electors failed to distinguish between the office of President and Vice President.
1864 – The Confederate submarine “H.L. Hunley” sank the Union ship “Housatonic,” becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship. The Hunley also sank after the attack, but that wasn’t known until it failed to return to base. The wreckage was discovered in 1970, but it wasn’t recovered until 2000.
1905 – Frances Willard – educator, temperance reformer, and women’s suffragist – becomes the first woman honored in National Statuary Hall in Washington, DC. Willard died in 1898 at age 58.
1943 – New York Yankee and future Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio enlisted into the U.S. Army. After being hospitalized with stomach ulcers, DiMaggio was released from the service in September of 1945. He returned to play for the New York Yankees in 1946 and retired in 1951.
1964 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled one man one vote in Westberry v Sanders after James Westberry filed suit against Georgia Governor Carl Sanders over the unequal apportionment of congressional districts.
1969 – Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash recorded an album together, but it was never released. Listen to the amazing recording session with photos and videos.
1995 – A Federal judge allowed a lawsuit claiming U.S. tobacco makers knew nicotine was addictive and manipulated its levels to keep customers hooked.
2016 – Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook confirmed that Apple will contest an FBI order to unlock the phone of radical Muslim terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook after the mass murder in San Bernardino. The FBI was able to unlock the phone without Apple’s help.
February 18
1861 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis was inaugurated in Montgomery, Alabama. Davis had resigned his seat as a U.S. senator from Mississippi in January.
1878 – Outlaw Jessie Evans murdered John Tunstall, sparking the Lincoln County War in New Mexico between immigrant English and Irish ranchers and merchants. Tensions and murders raged until 1884. One of the combatants was Billy the Kid.
1929 – The first Academy Awards, hosted by Douglas Fairbanks, were announced. “Wings” starring Clara Bow and Gary Cooper won for Best Picture.
1932 – Sonja Henie won her 6th straight World Women’s figure skating title. Henie won Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. She moved to the U.S. and became a movie star. Henie died in 1969 at age 57.
1978 – Fifteen competitors raced in the first Ironman Triathlon (swim, bike ride, and marathon) held in Kona, Hawaii. Gordon Haller was the winner, completing the race in 11 hours and 46 minutes. U.S. Navy Commander John Collins founded the event as a way to determine whether swimmers, cyclists, or runners are more fit. Watch a 2013 interview.
2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms in prison after a plea deal enabled him to escape the death penalty. The Department of Justice described his espionage as “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history. The movies “Master Spy” and “Breach” were made about his life as a spy. Hanssen died in 2023 at age 79.
February 19
1807 – Former Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested in Alabama for treason, but was later found innocent. He was charged with treason for an alleged conspiracy to provoke a rebellion and take parts of the south by force from the Union. In 1804, while serving as vice president, Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
1859 – Dan Sickles was acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity. It was the first time this defense was successfully used.
1913 – The first prize was inserted into a Cracker Jack box. In 1896, the snack’s creator Louis Rueckheim gave the treat to a salesman who exclaimed, “That’s a cracker, Jack!” So Rueckheim trademarked the name.
1942 – President FDR ordered the detention and internment of all west coast Japanese-Americans during World War II. Twelve detention centers in California and one in Oregon housed more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans. In December of 1944, FDR announced the end of the detentions and the internees returned home. By then, they had lost their homes, businesses, and possessions. President Ronald Reagan signed into law The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, providing an apology and redress to the internees still living, although nearly half of those who had been imprisoned died before the bill was signed.
1953 – Baseball star Ted Williams, recalled for active duty as a Marine fighter pilot in 1952, safely crash landed his damaged Panther jet in Korea. Williams was awarded the Air Medal and two Gold Stars before being discharged for health reasons. Williams retired from baseball in 1960, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, and died in 2002 at age 83. His son had Williams’ body cryogenically frozen in Scottsdale, Arizona.
1974 – The first American Music Award were held. Helen Reddy and Jim Croce (posthumously) won. Jim Croce died in a plane crash the previous September at age 30.
1986 – The U.S. Senate ratified the United Nation’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 36 years after it is adopted by the UN.
1987 – An anti-smoking ad by the American Cancer Society, featuring Yul Brynner, aired for the first time on TV. It was filmed two years before, but aired just months before Brynner died of lung cancer. Watch Yul Brynner’s plea.
2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe began to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
February 20
1792 – The U.S. postal service was created. Postage cost 6 cents to 12 cents depending on the distance. Postage stamps now cost 77 cents each.
1809 – In United States v Peters, the Supreme Court ruled the federal government’s power is greater than any state.
1872 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City. It is the fourth largest art museum in the world. The Lourve in Paris, France, is the largest.
1937 – The first combination automobile/airplane was tested in Santa Monica, California. Designed by aero-engineer Waldo Dean Waterman, it claimed a top air speed of 120 mph and highway speed of 70 mph. Watch it drive and fly.
1943 – Phil Wrigley (the chewing gum mogul) and Branch Rickey (who signed up baseball’s Jackie Robinson) chartered the All-American Girls Softball League. The 1992 movie “A League of Their Own” starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis was a fictionalized account of the league’s history.
1962 – John Glenn, on board Friendship 7, was the first American to orbit the Earth. He served four terms as a U.S. Senator from Ohio before returning to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1988 at age 77. Glenn died in 2016 at age 95.
1992 – Ross Perot announced on the Larry King Show that he’ll run for President. He received 18.9 percent of the popular vote but no Electoral College votes. Perot died in 2019 at age 89.
2002 – Jim Shea, Jr. won the gold medal in skeleton (sled) racing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, making him the 1st third-generation Olympian. His father and grandfather both won medals in the 1964 and 1932 Olympics respectively. Jim’s grandfather was killed in a car crash just one month before Jim won the gold medal. Watch Shea’s amazing run.
February 21
1885 – The Washington Monument was dedicated in Washington, DC. Construction took place in two phases, 1848-1856 and 1876-1884. Lack of funds and the Civil War halted the building process. By the time construction resumed at the 150’ level, the color within the marble and granite stone quarries had changed. That color change line is still visible on the monument.
1947 – Edwin H. Land demonstrated the first instant developing camera he invented in New York City. He was the founder of the Polaroid Corporation in 1937. Land died in 1991 at age 81.
1965 – Malcolm X is assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam. He was 39 years old. Of the three men involved in the shooting, only Thomas Hagan was convicted. In a May 2020 interview, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan acknowledged that some of the things he said may have led to the death of Malcolm X. A year before the assassination Louis Farrakhan said “hypocrites like Malcolm should have their heads cut off.”
1988 – During a live TV broadcast, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart (then age 52) admits to visiting a prostitute. He then announced he would leave his ministry for an unspecified length of time. Swaggart was defrocked in April by the Assemblies of God and ordered to stay off TV for a year, but returned after only three months. Swaggart died in 2025 at age 90. Watch his TV apology with a report.
1995 – Steve Fossett completed the first air balloon flight over the Pacific Ocean. In 2002, Fossett was the first person to circumnavigate the Earth in a balloon. He disappeared during an airplane flight in 2007. His remains were found in 2008. Fossett was 63 years old.
2016 – Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 by the closest margin in race history – just 0.01 seconds (1/100) – just inches ahead of Martin Truex, Jr.
February 22
1784 – The first U.S. ship to trade with China, “Empress of China,” set sail from New York.
1878 – Frank Winfield Woolworth obtained credit from his former boss, William Moore, along with some savings, to buy merchandise and open the “Woolworths Great Five Cent Store” in Utica, New York, which failed in May of the same year. Woolworth opened a new store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and operated over 2,000 stores at its peak. The last U.S. store closed in 1997.
1935 – Airplanes were no longer permitted to fly over the White House when a no-fly zone is created.
1972 – Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China. He met with the Chinese premier Mao Zedong in Beijing.
1980 – The U.S. Olympic ice hockey team upset the USSR 4-3 in what instantly becomes known as the “Miracle on Ice.” The U.S. went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Lake Placid. Watch the miracle.
2010 – A copy of “Action Comics #1” featuring the introduction of Superman sold at auction for $1 million.
Image from: space.com
