February 6
1778 - During the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris.
1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1804 - Joseph Priestley, the British chemist who discovered oxygen in 1774, died.
1815 - The state of New Jersey issued the first American railroad charter to John Stevens, who proposed a rail link between Trenton and New Brunswick. (The line, however, was never built.)
1899 - The Spanish-American War ended when a peace treaty between Spain and the United States was signed.
1911 - Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Illinois.
1922 - Cardinal Archille Ratti was elected pope; he took the name Pius XI.
1933 - The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which set the date for the president's inauguration on Jan. 20, was adopted.
1935 - The board game "Monopoly" went on sale for the first time.
1952 - Britain's King George VI died at age 56; he was succeeded by his 25-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen Elizabeth II.
1971 - Astronaut Alan B. Shepard hit a golf ball on the surface of the moon, while Edgar Mitchell threw a javelin. Both landed in the same crater and remain on the Moon to this day.
1998 - Carl Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys, died in Los Angeles at age 51.
2001 - Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.
2008 - The Bush White House defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it was legal, not torture, and had saved American lives.
2012 - The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
2013 - Toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced that Monopoly fans had voted online to add a cat token to the board game, replacing the iron.
2022 - Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 70th anniversary of her ascendance to the British throne, an unprecedented reign that made her a symbol of stability in the United Kingdom.
2023 - A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, toppling thousands of buildings and trapping residents under mounds of rubble; the death toll would eventually be more than 50,000.
Birthdays
22 - Shelby Simmons (actress)
26 - Aviva Mongillo (actress)
31 - Tinashe (singer)
36 - Anna Diop (actress)
38 - Alice Greczyn (actress)
39 - Crystal Reed (actress)
39 - Kris Humphries (basketball player)
40 - Brandon Hammond (actor)
44 - Ben Lawson (actor)
47 - Josh Stewart (actor)
51 - Amy Robach (news anchor)
58 - Rick Astley (singer)
62 - Richie McDonald (singer)
62 - Axl Rose (singer)
64 - Megan Gallagher (actress)
66 - Barry Miller (actor)
67 - Robert Townsend (actor)
68 - Jon Walmsley (actor)
79 - Michael Tucker (actor)
84 - Tom Brokaw (news anchor)
85 - Mike Farrell (actor)
93 - Mamie Van Doren (actress)
===========================================
Today in Sports History - February 6
1926 - The National Football League adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college class graduated.
1958 - Ted Williams signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox that was worth $135,000. The contract made him the highest paid player in major league history.
1970 - The NBA announced expansion franchises in Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston and Portland.
1990 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) and his father Bobby Hull, became the only father-son combination in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season.
1993 - Tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49.
2005 - The New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 to win Super Bowl XXXIX.
2011 - The Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV.
1778 - During the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris.
1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1804 - Joseph Priestley, the British chemist who discovered oxygen in 1774, died.
1815 - The state of New Jersey issued the first American railroad charter to John Stevens, who proposed a rail link between Trenton and New Brunswick. (The line, however, was never built.)
1899 - The Spanish-American War ended when a peace treaty between Spain and the United States was signed.
1911 - Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Illinois.
1922 - Cardinal Archille Ratti was elected pope; he took the name Pius XI.
1933 - The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which set the date for the president's inauguration on Jan. 20, was adopted.
1935 - The board game "Monopoly" went on sale for the first time.
1952 - Britain's King George VI died at age 56; he was succeeded by his 25-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen Elizabeth II.
1971 - Astronaut Alan B. Shepard hit a golf ball on the surface of the moon, while Edgar Mitchell threw a javelin. Both landed in the same crater and remain on the Moon to this day.
1998 - Carl Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys, died in Los Angeles at age 51.
2001 - Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.
2008 - The Bush White House defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it was legal, not torture, and had saved American lives.
2012 - The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
2013 - Toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced that Monopoly fans had voted online to add a cat token to the board game, replacing the iron.
2022 - Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 70th anniversary of her ascendance to the British throne, an unprecedented reign that made her a symbol of stability in the United Kingdom.
2023 - A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, toppling thousands of buildings and trapping residents under mounds of rubble; the death toll would eventually be more than 50,000.
Birthdays
22 - Shelby Simmons (actress)
26 - Aviva Mongillo (actress)
31 - Tinashe (singer)
36 - Anna Diop (actress)
38 - Alice Greczyn (actress)
39 - Crystal Reed (actress)
39 - Kris Humphries (basketball player)
40 - Brandon Hammond (actor)
44 - Ben Lawson (actor)
47 - Josh Stewart (actor)
51 - Amy Robach (news anchor)
58 - Rick Astley (singer)
62 - Richie McDonald (singer)
62 - Axl Rose (singer)
64 - Megan Gallagher (actress)
66 - Barry Miller (actor)
67 - Robert Townsend (actor)
68 - Jon Walmsley (actor)
79 - Michael Tucker (actor)
84 - Tom Brokaw (news anchor)
85 - Mike Farrell (actor)
93 - Mamie Van Doren (actress)
===========================================
Today in Sports History - February 6
1926 - The National Football League adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college class graduated.
1958 - Ted Williams signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox that was worth $135,000. The contract made him the highest paid player in major league history.
1970 - The NBA announced expansion franchises in Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston and Portland.
1990 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) and his father Bobby Hull, became the only father-son combination in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season.
1993 - Tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49.
2005 - The New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 to win Super Bowl XXXIX.
2011 - The Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV.
