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On This Day in History — February 10

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Highlights of February 10

2009 — The satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 destroyed each other in the first accidental hypervelocity collision between two intact satellites in low Earth orbit. Read more
2008 — The Namdaemun gate in Seoul, the first of South Korea's National Treasures, was severely damaged by arson (damage pictured). Read more
1996 — Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in a game of chess, the first ever game won by a chess-playing computer against a World Chess Champion under chess tournament conditions. Read more
1962 — Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy arrested by the FBI, was exchanged for Francis Gary Powers, the pilot of the CIA spy plane that had been shot down over Soviet airspace two years earlier. Read more
1962 — The first solo exhibition by Roy Lichtenstein (pictured) opened, including the painting Look Mickey, which featured his first use of Ben Day dots, speech balloons, and comic imagery sourcing. Read more
1941 — In the first airborne operation undertaken by the British military, a small force of paratroopers landed near Calitri, Italy, to destroy an aqueduct. Read more
1940 — Puss Gets the Boot, the first Tom and Jerry cartoon, was released to theaters. Read more
1939 — Spanish Civil War: The Nationalists concluded their conquest of Catalonia and sealed the border with France. Read more
1936 — Second Italo-Ethiopian War: The Battle of Amba Aradam began, ending nine days later in a decisive tactical victory for Italy and the neutralisation of almost the entire Ethiopian army as a fighting force. Read more
1930 — The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng launched the failed Yên Bái mutiny in the hope of ending French colonial rule in Vietnam. Read more
1919 — The Inter-Allied Women's Conference (delegates pictured) opened as a counterpart to the Paris Peace Conference, marking the first time that women were allowed formal participation in an international treaty negotiation. Read more
1906 — The Royal Navy battleship HMS Dreadnought was launched, representing such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships. Read more
1862 — American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroyed the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina. Read more
1840 — Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria married at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, London, with Albert being granted the title prince consort. Read more
1814 — War of the Sixth Coalition: A French army led by Napoleon effectively destroyed a small Russian corps commanded by Zakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev. Read more
1763 — To end the Seven Years' War, Britain, France and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, which significantly reduced the size of the French colonial empire and marked the beginning of an extensive period of British dominance outside of Europe. Read more
1712 — The Huilliche in Chile's Chiloé Archipelago rose up against Spanish encomenderos in revenge for perceived injustices. Read more
1355 — A tavern dispute between students of the University of Oxford and townspeople in Oxford became a riot that left about 90 people dead. Read more
1258 — The last Abbasid caliph surrendered Baghdad to the besieging Mongol army of Hulegu Khan, who later sacked the city, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Read more
1220 — Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire: the city of Bukhara was captured and looted by the Mongol army of Genghis Khan. Read more

Events

2026 — Shootings at a residence and a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, leave nine people dead and 27 injured. Read more
2021 — The traditional Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is canceled for the first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
2021 — Texas' worst energy infrastructure failure, the 2021 Texas power crisis, starts. Read more
2018 — Nineteen people are killed and 66 injured when a Kowloon Motor Bus double decker on route 872 in Hong Kong overturns. Read more
2016 — South Korea decides to stop the operation of the Kaesong joint industrial complex with North Korea in response to the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4. Read more
2013 — Thirty-six people are killed and 39 others are injured in a stampede in Allahabad, India, during the Kumbh Mela festival. Read more
2009 — The communications satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 collide in orbit, destroying both. Read more
2004 — Forty-three people are killed and three are injured when a Fokker 50 crashes near Sharjah International Airport. Read more
2003 — France and Belgium break the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq. Read more
1996 — IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time. Read more
1989 — Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party. Read more
1984 — Kenyan soldiers kill an estimated 5,000 ethnic Somali Kenyans in the Wagalla massacre. Read more
1972 — Ras Al Khaimah joins the United Arab Emirates, now making up seven emirates. Read more
1967 — The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified. Read more
1964 — Melbourne–Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collides with and sinks the destroyer HMAS Voyager off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, killing 82. Read more
1962 — Cold War: Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. Read more
1954 — U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam. Read more
1947 — The Paris Peace Treaties are signed by Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland and the Allies of World War II. Read more
1943 — World War II: Attempting to completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, the Soviet Red Army engages German troops and Spanish volunteers in the Battle of Krasny Bor. Read more
1940 — The Soviet Union begins mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia. Read more
1939 — Spanish Civil War: The Nationalists conclude their conquest of Catalonia and seal the border with France. Read more
1936 — Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italian troops launch the Battle of Amba Aradam against Ethiopian defenders. Read more
1933 — In round 13 of a boxing match at New York City's Madison Square Garden, Primo Carnera knocks out Ernie Schaaf. Schaaf dies four days later. Read more
1930 — The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng launches the failed Yên Bái mutiny in hope of overthrowing French protectorate over Vietnam. Read more
1923 — Texas Tech University is founded as Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas. Read more
1920 — Józef Haller de Hallenburg performs the symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea. Read more
1920 — About 75% of the population in Zone I votes to join Denmark in the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites. Read more
1906 — HMS Dreadnought, the first of a revolutionary new breed of battleships, is christened. Read more
1862 — American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroys the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina. Read more
1861 — Jefferson Davis is notified by telegraph that he has been chosen as provisional President of the Confederate States of America. Read more
1846 — First Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Sobraon: British defeat Sikhs in the final battle of the war. Read more
1840 — Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Read more
1814 — Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ends in French victory over the Russians and the Prussians. Read more
1763 — French and Indian War: The Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain. Read more
1712 — Huilliches in Chiloé rebel against Spanish encomenderos. Read more
1567 — Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o' Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland, a suspected assassination. Read more
1502 — Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India. Read more
1392 — Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos marries Helena Dragaš, daughter of the Serbian Prince Constantine Dragaš. She is crowned as empress the following day. Read more
1355 — The St Scholastica Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two days. Read more
1306 — In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparking the revolution in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Read more
1258 — The Siege of Baghdad ends with the surrender of the last Abbasid caliph to Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire. Read more

Born on February 10

2009 — Antonio Arena, Italian footballer Read more
2006 — Megan Skiendiel, American singer, dancer and actress Read more
2001 — Sergio Camello, Spanish footballer Read more
2000 — María Carlé, Argentine tennis player Read more
2000 — Yara Shahidi, American actress and model Read more
1999 — Tiffany Espensen, American actress Read more
1997 — Josh Jackson, American basketball player Read more
1997 — Lilly King, American swimmer Read more
1997 — Chloë Grace Moretz, American actress Read more
1997 — Nadia Podoroska, Argentine tennis player Read more
1997 — Josh Rosen, American football player Read more
1997 — Adam Armstrong, English footballer Read more
1996 — Alexandar Georgiev, Bulgarian-Russian ice hockey player Read more
1996 — Emanuel Mammana, Argentine footballer Read more
1995 — Sterling Brown, American basketball player Read more
1995 — Bobby Portis, American basketball player Read more
1995 — Carolane Soucisse, Canadian ice dancer Read more
1995 — Lexi Thompson, American golfer Read more
1995 — Naby Keïta, Guinean footballer Read more
1994 — Son Na-eun, South Korean singer and actress Read more
1994 — Kang Seul-gi, South Korean singer Read more
1994 — Makenzie Vega, American actress Read more
1994 — Miguel Almirón, Paraguayan footballer Read more
1993 — Yasser Ibrahim, Egyptian footballer Read more
1993 — Max Kepler, German-American baseball player Read more
1993 — Luis Madrigal, Mexican footballer Read more
1993 — Filip Twardzik, Czech footballer Read more
1992 — Haruka Nakagawa, Japanese singer and actress Read more
1992 — Reinhold Yabo, German footballer Read more
1991 — C. J. Anderson, American football player Read more
1991 — Rebecca Dempster, Scottish footballer Read more
1991 — Emma Roberts, American actress Read more
1990 — Yuri Berchiche, Spanish footballer Read more
1990 — Trevante Rhodes, American actor Read more
1990 — Choi Soo-young, South Korean singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer Read more
1989 — Travis d'Arnaud, American baseball player Read more
1989 — Liam Hendriks, Australian baseball player Read more
1989 — Birgit Skarstein, Norwegian Paralympic athlete and social entrepreneur Read more
1988 — Francesco Acerbi, Italian footballer Read more
1987 — Justin Braun, American ice hockey player Read more

Died on February 10

2026 — Jose de Venecia Jr., Filipino politician and journalist, 17th and 21st Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives (born 1936) Read more
2025 — Peter Tuiasosopo, American football player and actor (born 1963) Read more
2023 — AKA, South African rapper (born 1988) Read more
2022 — Olsen Filipaina, New Zealand rugby league player (born 1957) Read more
2021 — Larry Flynt, American publisher (born 1942) Read more
2019 — Carmen Argenziano, American actor (born 1943) Read more
2019 — Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (born 1944) Read more
2017 — Mike Ilitch, American businessman (born 1929) Read more
2016 — Fatima Surayya Bajia, Indian-Pakistani author and playwright (born 1930) Read more
2015 — Naseer Aruri, Palestinian scholar and activist (born 1934) Read more
2015 — Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (born 1928) Read more
2015 — Deng Liqun, Chinese theorist and politician (born 1915) Read more
2014 — Stuart Hall, Jamaican-English sociologist and theorist (born 1932) Read more
2014 — Shirley Temple, American actress and diplomat (born 1928) Read more
2013 — W. Watts Biggers, American author, screenwriter, and animator (born 1927) Read more
2013 — David Hartman, American-Israeli rabbi and philosopher, founded the Shalom Hartman Institute (born 1931) Read more
2012 — Lloyd Morrison, New Zealand banker and businessman, founded H. R. L. Morrison & Co (born 1957) Read more
2012 — Jeffrey Zaslow, American journalist and author (born 1958) Read more
2011 — Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and journalist (born 1923) Read more
2010 — Fred Schaus, American basketball player and coach (born 1925) Read more
2010 — Charles Wilson, American lieutenant and politician (born 1933) Read more
2008 — Roy Scheider, American actor and boxer (born 1932) Read more
2006 — James Yancey, American record producer and rapper (born 1974) Read more
2005 — Arthur Miller, American actor, playwright, and author (born 1915) Read more
2003 — Edgar de Evia, Mexican-American photographer (born 1910) Read more
2003 — Albert J. Ruffo, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of San Jose (born 1908) Read more
2003 — Ron Ziegler, American politician, 14th White House Press Secretary (born 1939) Read more
2002 — Dave Van Ronk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1936) Read more
2001 — Abraham Beame, American academic and politician, 104th Mayor of New York City (born 1906) Read more
2001 — Buddy Tate, American saxophonist and clarinet player (born 1913) Read more
2000 — Jim Varney, American actor, comedian and writer (born 1949) Read more
1997 — Brian Connolly, Scottish musician (born 1945) Read more
1995 — Paul Monette, American author, poet, and activist (born 1945) Read more
1993 — Fred Hollows, New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist and academic (born 1929) Read more
1992 — Alex Haley, American soldier, journalist, and author (born 1921) Read more
1979 — Edvard Kardelj, Slovene general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia (born 1910) Read more
1975 — Nikos Kavvadias, Greek sailor and poet (born 1910) Read more
1967 — Dionysios Kokkinos, Greek historian and author (born 1884) Read more
1966 — Billy Rose, American composer and songwriter (born 1899) Read more
1960 — Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (born 1898) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Austrebertha; Christian feast day: Charalambos; Christian feast day: Blessed Eusebia Palomino Yenes; Christian feast day: José Sánchez del Río; Christian feast day: Scholastica; Christian feast day: February 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck (Malta); Fenkil Day(commemoration of the Second Battle of Massawa) (Eritrea); Kurdish Authors Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan); National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe (Italy); Arabian Leopard Day

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “February 10”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.