On February 22, 1371, the Scottish crown passed quietly—but decisively—into new hands. With the death of David II, son of Robert the Bruce, the direct Bruce line came to an end. Ascending in his place was his nephew, Robert II of Scotland, the first…
Read MoreOn February 22, 1770, in Boston’s North End, what began as a small disturbance quickly turned into a pivotal tragedy that echoed across colonial America and hinted at the revolution to come. Ebenezer Richardson, a British customs officer already despised by locals, fired a…
Read MoreCleopatra’s Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk with a storied history, found its way to New York City in the late 19th century, becoming a prominent monument and a symbol of cultural exchange between ancient civilizations and the modern world. The story of Cleopatra’s Needle…
Read MoreOn February 21, 1848, a slim political pamphlet appeared in London that would reverberate across continents and centuries. Titled The Communist Manifesto, it was authored by two German intellectuals in exile—Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels—and commissioned by a small revolutionary organization known as the…
Read MoreOn February 21, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon undertook a groundbreaking journey that would reshape global geopolitics: his visit to the People’s Republic of China. This unprecedented diplomatic effort aimed to normalize relations between two nations that had been ideological rivals since the Communist…
Read MoreThe Washington Monument stands proudly on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a towering tribute to the nation’s first president, George Washington. Its dedication, a momentous occasion in American history, marked the culmination of years of planning, fundraising, and construction. The monument’s dedication on…
Read MoreOn February 20, 1943, The Saturday Evening Post published the first installment of what would become one of the most recognizable artistic statements of the Second World War: Norman Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms.” Inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address,…
Read MoreOn 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…
Read MoreOn February 20, 1792, the United States Congress enacted The Postal Service Act, a landmark piece of legislation that shaped the early history of the United States and laid the foundation of the nation’s postal system. Signed by George Washington, the law played a…
Read MoreOn February 19, 1945, after days of relentless naval and aerial bombardment, approximately 30,000 United States Marines stormed the black volcanic beaches of Iwo Jima, a small, sulfur-scented island in the western Pacific that would become one of the bloodiest battlefields in American military…
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