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On This Day in History — February 6

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Highlights of February 6

1987 — Mary Gaudron became the first woman to be appointed a justice of the High Court of Australia. Read more
1976 — Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admitted that the company had paid out approximately US$3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka. Read more
1958 — The aircraft carrying the Manchester United football team crashed while attempting to take off from Munich-Riem Airport in West Germany, killing 8 players and 23 people in total (news reel featured). Read more
1951 — A train derailed while crossing a temporary wooden trestle in Woodbridge, New Jersey, causing 85 deaths. Read more
1922 — Representatives from France, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom signed the Washington Naval Treaty (pictured), agreeing to limits on naval construction in the hopes of preventing an arms race. Read more
1919 — World War I: More than 65,000 workers in Seattle began a five-day general strike to gain higher wages after two years of wage controls in the United States. Read more
1918 — Conscientious objector Henry Firth died in a work camp on Dartmoor, England, triggering a strike over living conditions. Read more
1865 — Finland established its modern system of secular municipalities, separate from church parishes. Read more
1862 — Union forces earned one of their first important victories in the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Henry in western Tennessee. Read more
1820 — The first ship of the American Colonization Society departed from New York for West Africa with 86 African-American emigrants aboard to found the colony of Liberia. Read more
1819 — British official Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, establishing Singapore as a trading post for the East India Company. Read more
1806 — Napoleonic Wars: A British naval squadron captured or destroyed five French ships of the line at the Battle of San Domingo (pictured) in the Caribbean Sea. Read more
1788 — Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the constitution of the United States. Read more
1778 — France and the United States signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance, respectively establishing commercial and military ties between the two nations. Read more
1579 — Domingo de Salazar, a Spanish Dominican friar, was appointed the first bishop of Manila. Read more
590 — Vistahm and Vinduyih deposed their brother-in-law Hormizd IV, King of Kings of the Sasanian Empire. Read more

Events

2023 — Two earthquakes measuring Mww 7.8 and 7.5 struck near the border between Turkey and Syria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme). The earthquakes resulted in numerous aftershocks and a death toll of 57,658 people. Read more
2021 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suspends agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to send asylum seekers back to their home countries. Read more
2018 — SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, a super heavy launch vehicle, makes its maiden flight. Read more
2016 — An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 strikes southern Taiwan, killing 117 people. Read more
2012 — A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits the central Philippine island of Negros, leaving 112 people dead. Read more
2006 — Stephen Harper becomes Prime Minister of Canada. Read more
2000 — Second Chechen War: Russia captures Grozny, Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria government into exile. Read more
1998 — Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport. Read more
1996 — Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest. Read more
1996 — Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 people on board. This is the deadliest aviation accident involving a Boeing 757. Read more
1989 — The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe. Read more
1987 — Justice Mary Gaudron becomes the first woman to be appointed to the High Court of Australia. Read more
1981 — The National Resistance Army of Uganda launches an attack on a Ugandan Army installation in the central Mubende District to begin the Ugandan Bush War. Read more
1978 — The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of four inches an hour. Read more
1976 — In testimony before a United States Senate subcommittee, Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admits that the company had paid out approximately $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. Read more
1973 — The Ms 7.6 Luhuo earthquake strikes Sichuan Province, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 2,199 people. Read more
1959 — Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit. Read more
1959 — At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished. Read more
1958 — Eight Manchester United F.C. players and 15 other passengers are killed in the Munich air disaster. Read more
1952 — Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya. Read more
1951 — The Canadian Army enters combat in the Korean War. Read more
1951 — The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history. Read more
1944 — World War II: The Great Raids Against Helsinki begins. Read more
1934 — Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France. Read more
1922 — The Washington Naval Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., limiting the naval armaments of United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy. Read more
1919 — The five-day Seattle General Strike begins, as more than 65,000 workers in the city of Seattle, Washington, walk off the job. Read more
1918 — British women over the age of 30 who meet minimum property qualifications, get the right to vote when Representation of the People Act 1918 is passed by Parliament. Read more
1900 — The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international arbitration court at The Hague, is created when the Senate of the Netherlands ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree. Read more
1899 — Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate. Read more
1865 — The municipal administration of Finland is established. Read more
1862 — American Civil War: Forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry. Read more
1851 — The largest Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history take place in the state of Victoria. Read more
1843 — The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City). Read more
1840 — Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony. Read more
1833 — Otto becomes the first modern King of Greece. Read more
1820 — The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society depart New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia. Read more
1819 — The Treaty of Singapore was signed by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Hussein Shah of Johor, and Temenggong Abdul Rahman, and it is now recognised as the founding of modern Singapore. Read more
1806 — Battle of San Domingo: British naval victory against the French in the Caribbean. Read more
1788 — Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution. Read more
1778 — American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic. Read more
1778 — New York became the third state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. Read more
1694 — Dandara dos Palmares, leader of the runaway slaves in Quilombo dos Palmares, Brazil, is captured and commits suicide rather than be returned to a life of slavery. Read more
1685 — James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of his brother Charles II. Read more
1579 — The Diocese of Manila is erected by papal bull, with Domingo de Salazar appointed its first bishop. Read more
590 — Hormizd IV, king of the Sasanian Empire, is overthrown and blinded by his brothers-in-law Vistahm and Vinduyih. Read more
337 — Election of Pope Julius I. Read more

Born on February 6

2002 — Ona Huczkowski, Finnish actress Read more
2000 — Conor Gallagher, English footballer Read more
1998 — Adley Rutschman, American baseball player Read more
1996 — Kevon Looney, American basketball player Read more
1995 — Nyck de Vries, Dutch racing driver Read more
1995 — Leon Goretzka, German footballer Read more
1995 — Sam McQueen, English footballer Read more
1993 — Teresa Scanlan, American beauty pageant titleholder, Miss America 2011 Read more
1992 — Víctor Mañón, Mexican footballer Read more
1991 — Tobias Eisenbauer, Austrian ice dancer Read more
1991 — Aleksandar Katai, Serbian footballer Read more
1991 — Ida Njåtun, Norwegian speed skater Read more
1991 — Eva Wacanno, Dutch tennis player Read more
1991 — Fei Yu, Chinese footballer Read more
1990 — Adam Henrique, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1990 — Jermaine Kearse, American football player Read more
1990 — Aida Rybalko, Lithuanian figure skater Read more
1989 — Craig Cathcart, Northern Irish footballer Read more
1989 — Jonny Flynn, American basketball player Read more
1988 — Bailey Hanks, American actress, singer, and dancer Read more
1987 — Pedro Álvarez, Dominican-American baseball player Read more
1987 — Travis Wood, American baseball player Read more
1986 — Tony Johnson, American mixed martial artist Read more
1986 — Yunho, South Korean singer and actor Read more
1985 — Fallulah, Danish singer-songwriter Read more
1985 — Kris Humphries, American basketball player Read more
1984 — Darren Bent, English international footballer Read more
1984 — Piret Järvis, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
1984 — Antoine Wright, American basketball player Read more
1983 — Dimas Delgado, Spanish footballer Read more
1983 — S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer Read more
1983 — Jamie Whincup, Australian race car driver Read more
1982 — Elise Ray, American gymnast Read more
1982 — Tank, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Read more
1981 — Ricky Barnes, American golfer Read more
1981 — Calum Best, American-English model and actor Read more
1981 — Shim Eun-jin, South Korean singer and actress Read more
1981 — Alison Haislip, American actress and producer Read more
1981 — Jens Lekman, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
1980 — Kerry Jeremy, Antiguan cricketer Read more

Died on February 6

2025 — Virginia Halas McCaskey, American football executive (born 1923) Read more
2025 — Nigel McCrery, English screenwriter, producer and writer (born 1953) Read more
2024 — Sebastian Piñera, former Chilean president (born 1949) Read more
2023 — Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (born 1927) Read more
2022 — Lata Mangeshkar, Indian singer and music composer (born 1929) Read more
2021 — George Shultz, American politician, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Labor (born 1920) Read more
2020 — Jhon Jairo Velásquez, Colombian hitman and drug dealer (born 1962) Read more
2019 — Manfred Eigen, German Nobel Prize winning biophysical chemist (born 1927) Read more
2019 — Rosamunde Pilcher, British author (born 1924) Read more
2018 — Donald Lynden-Bell, English astrophysicist (born 1935) Read more
2017 — Irwin Corey, American comedian and actor (born 1914) Read more
2017 — Inge Keller, German actress (born 1923) Read more
2017 — Alec McCowen, English actor (born 1925) Read more
2017 — Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby union footballer (born 1971) Read more
2016 — Dan Gerson, American screenwriter (born 1966) Read more
2016 — Dan Hicks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1941) Read more
2015 — André Brink, South African author and playwright (born 1935) Read more
2015 — Alan Nunnelee, American lawyer and politician (born 1958) Read more
2015 — Pedro León Zapata, Venezuelan cartoonist (born 1929) Read more
2014 — Vasiľ Biľak, Slovak politician (born 1917) Read more
2014 — Ralph Kiner, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1922) Read more
2014 — Maxine Kumin, American author and poet (born 1925) Read more
2014 — Vaçe Zela, Albanian-Swiss singer and guitarist (born 1939) Read more
2013 — Chokri Belaid, Tunisian lawyer and politician (born 1964) Read more
2013 — Menachem Elon, German-Israeli academic and jurist (born 1923) Read more
2012 — David Rosenhan, American psychologist and academic (born 1929) Read more
2012 — Antoni Tàpies, Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1923) Read more
2012 — Janice E. Voss, American engineer and astronaut (born 1956) Read more
2011 — Gary Moore, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1952) Read more
2009 — Philip Carey, American actor (born 1925) Read more
2009 — Shirley Jean Rickert, American actress (born 1926) Read more
2009 — James Whitmore, American actor (born 1921) Read more
2008 — Tony Rolt, English race car driver and engineer (born 1918) Read more
2007 — Lew Burdette, American baseball player and coach (born 1926) Read more
2007 — Frankie Laine, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1913) Read more
2007 — Willye White, American runner and long jumper (born 1939) Read more
2005 — Karl Haas, German-American pianist, conductor, and radio host (born 1913) Read more
2004 — Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and economist (born 1920) Read more
2002 — Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1914) Read more
2001 — Filemon Lagman, Filipino theoretician and activist (born 1953) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Amand; Christian feast day: Dorothea of Caesarea; Christian feast day: Hildegund, O.Praem.; Christian feast day: Jacut; Christian feast day: Mateo Correa Magallanes (one of Saints of the Cristero War); Christian feast day: Mél of Ardagh; Christian feast day: Paul Miki and Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan; Christian feast day: Relindis (Renule) of Maaseik; Christian feast day: Vedastus; Christian feast day: February 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (United Nations); Ronald Reagan Day (California, United States); Sami National Day (Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden); Waitangi Day, celebrates the founding of New Zealand in 1840.

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “February 6”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.