On February 20, 1943, The Saturday Evening Post published the first of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings, a series of illustrations inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address. In that speech, Roosevelt outlined his vision for a world based…
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On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, granting the military broad authority to exclude individuals from designated areas. Though the order did not explicitly mention Japanese Americans, it became the legal basis for one of the most severe violations…
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On February 18, 1979, NASCAR had its coming-out party. For the first time, the Daytona 500 was broadcast live from start to finish on national television, and it delivered in spectacular fashion. Richard Petty took advantage of a dramatic last-lap wreck between Donnie Allison…
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The presidential election of 1800 was one of the most pivotal and contentious moments in American political history, revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of the nation’s young electoral system. The contest between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both representing the Democratic-Republican Party, resulted…
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On February 16, 1923, British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, marking a landmark moment in Egyptology. This breakthrough was the result of years of excavation in the Valley of the Kings, driven by Carter’s firm belief that the tomb…
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The Allied bombing of Dresden, culminating on February 15, 1945, remains one of the most debated military operations of World War II. Over four air raids between February 13 and 15, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces launched…
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On February 14, 1779, British explorer and navigator Captain James Cook was killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawai‘i. His death marked a violent and symbolic end to a career that had significantly expanded European knowledge of the Pacific…
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On February 13, 1914, a group of distinguished songwriters, composers, and music publishers gathered at the Hotel Claridge in New York City to establish the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). Their goal was both simple and groundbreaking: to protect the copyrights…
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On February 12, 1999, the United States Senate acquitted President Bill Clinton of impeachment charges, bringing an end to a highly contentious political and legal battle that had gripped the nation for over a year. Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, had…
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On February 11, 1808, Jesse Fell, a judge and businessman from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, conducted a simple yet groundbreaking experiment that changed the way Americans heated their homes. By successfully burning anthracite coal on an open grate, he proved that this hard, dense fuel could…
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