1882 – James Saunders wins New York City’s 24 hour race and $100 prize after covering 120 miles.
1888 – “Father of American Golf” John Reid first demonstrates golf on a Yonkers cow pasture to friends.
1909 – Great White Fleet, first US fleet to circle the globe, returns to Virginia.
1920 – First artificial rabbit used at a dog race track in Emeryville, California.
1933 – Malcolm Campbell sets world land speed record speed of 272.46 mph driving his famous Blue Bird car at Daytona Beach, Florida.
1935 – Airplanes are no longer permitted to fly over the White House.
1942 – World War II: President Franklin Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as American defenses collapse.
1952 – German husband and wife team Ria and Paul Faulk win the mixed pairs gold medal at the Oslo Winter Olympics, defeating American siblings Karol and Peter Kennedy.
1958 – 15th Golden Globes: “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, Alec Guinness, and Joanne Woodward win.
1959 – Inaugural Daytona 500: Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp cross finish line side by side. Beauchamp declared unofficial winner, ruling overturned after 3 days by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.
1962 – Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record with 34 free-throw attempts, making 19, in Warriors 139-121 win over St. Louis Hawks at Philadelphia Civic Center.
1973 – United States and China agree to establish liaison offices in Beijing and Washington, D.C.
1978 – Two tankers with propane gas explode killing 15 in Waverly, Tenn.
1980 – “Miracle on Ice”: US men’s ice hockey team beats heavily favored Soviet Union 4-3 at Lake Placid in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. Americans go on to win gold medal.
1988 – Bonnie Blair skates world record in 500 meters with a time of 39.10 seconds.
1996 – STS 75 (Columbia 19) launches into orbit.
2005 – 19th Soap Opera Digest Awards: “General Hospital” wins.
2015 – 87th Academy Awards: “Best Picture – “Birdman”. Best Director and Best Screenplay – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Birdman”). Best Actor – Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”). Best Actress – Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”).
2019 – Robert Kraft, owner of NFL team New England Patriots, charged with soliciting prostitution as part of human-trafficking sting operation in Jupiter, Florida.
2022 – President Joe Biden announces new sanctions against Russia, saying its latest moves in Ukraine amount to “the beginning of a Russian invasion.”
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