On This Day in History — February 9

Highlights of February 9

• 2020 — Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu won the Four Continents Championships to become the only man to complete a Super Slam. Read more
• 2016 — Two commuter trains collided head-on at Bad Aibling in southeastern Germany, killing 12 people and injuring 85. Read more
• 2001 — The American submarine USS Greeneville collided with the Ehime Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by a high school, sinking the latter ship and killing nine people on board. Read more
• 1996 — Researchers at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, first created the chemical element copernicium. Read more
• 1996 — Breaking a seventeen-month ceasefire, the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a powerful truck bomb in the London Docklands, killing two people and injuring more than a hundred others. Read more
• 1976 — The Australian Defence Force (ensign pictured) was formed by the integration of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal Australian Air Force. Read more
• 1975 — The spacecraft and crew of the Soviet Soyuz 17 mission returned to earth after 29 days in orbit at the Salyut 4 station. Read more
• 1971 — An earthquake registering 6.6 Mw struck the northern San Fernando Valley near the Los Angeles district of Sylmar, killing 65 people. Read more
• 1964 — As Beatlemania swept the United States, the Beatles (pictured) made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show before a record-breaking audience, beginning a musical phenomenon known as the British Invasion. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attacked a German destroyer in Førde Fjord, Norway. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: Allied forces declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the Guadalcanal campaign as a significant strategic victory for Allied forces fighting Japan in the Pacific War. Read more
• 1942 — The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Kranji as part of their campaign to capture Singapore. Read more
• 1923 — Stanley Bruce became prime minister of Australia as leader of the country's first Coalition government. Read more
• 1920 — The Svalbard Treaty was signed in Paris, recognizing Norwegian sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Read more
• 1913 — A meteor procession was observed along a great circle arc from Canada to Brazil, leading astronomers to conclude that its source was a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth. Read more
• 1907 — More than 3,000 women in London participated in the Mud March (pictured), the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. Read more
• 1861 — Jefferson Davis was named the provisional president of the Confederate States of America. Read more
• 1855 — A series of hoof-like marks in the snow continuing through the countryside for some 40 to 100 miles (60 to 160 km) were discovered in Devon, England. Read more
• 1825 — After no candidate received a majority of electoral votes in the previous year's presidential election, the United States House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams (pictured) as president in a contingent election. Read more
• 1799 — Quasi-War: USS Constellation captured the French frigate Insurgente in a single-ship action in the Caribbean Sea. Read more
• 1234 — Caizhou, the capital of the Jin dynasty, was captured by the Mongol Empire and their Song allies, bringing an end to Jurchen rule. Read more

Events

• 2025 — The Baltic states synchronize their electric power transmission infrastructure with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area (CESA), in objective to disconnect from the Russo-Belarussian agreement to use the IPS/UPS system. Read more
• 2021 — Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins. Read more
• 2020 — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has the army soldiers enter the Legislative Assembly to assist in pushing for the approval for a better government security plan, causing a brief political crisis. Read more
• 2018 — Winter Olympics: Opening ceremony is performed in Pyeongchang County in South Korea. Read more
• 2016 — Two passenger trains collide in the German town of Bad Aibling in the state of Bavaria. Twelve people die and 85 others are injured. Read more
• 2001 — The Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision takes place, killing nine of the thirty-five people on board the Japanese fishery high-school training ship Ehime Maru, leaving the USS Greeneville (SSN-772) with US $2 million in repairs, at Pearl Harbor. Read more
• 1996 — The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares the end to its 18-month ceasefire and explodes a large bomb in London's Canary Wharf, killing two people. Read more
• 1996 — Copernicium is discovered by Sigurd Hofmann, Victor Ninov et al. Read more
• 1991 — Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Voters in Lithuania vote for independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
• 1987 — Civil unrest broke out across Palestine. Read more
• 1986 — Halley's Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System. Read more
• 1982 — Japan Air Lines Flight 350 crashes near Haneda Airport in an attempted pilot mass murder-suicide, killing 24 of the 174 people on board. Read more
• 1978 — The Budd Company unveils its first SPV-2000 self-propelled railcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Read more
• 1976 — Aeroflot Flight 3739, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashes during takeoff from Irkutsk Airport, killing 24. Read more
• 1975 — The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth. Read more
• 1971 — The 6.5–6.7 Mw Sylmar earthquake hits the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 64 and injuring 2,000. Read more
• 1971 — Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro league player to be voted into the USA's Baseball Hall of Fame. Read more
• 1971 — Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third human Moon landing. Read more
• 1965 — Vietnam War: The United States Marine Corps sends a MIM-23 Hawk missile battalion to South Vietnam, the first American troops in-country without an official advisory or training mission. Read more
• 1964 — The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a record-setting audience of 73 million viewers across the United States. Read more
• 1961 — The Beatles at the Cavern Club: Lunchtime – The Beatles perform under this name at The Cavern Club for the first time following their return to Liverpool from Hamburg. Read more
• 1959 — The R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, becomes operational at Plesetsk, USSR. Read more
• 1951 — Korean War: The two-day Geochang massacre begins as a battalion of the 11th Division of the South Korean Army kills 719 unarmed citizens in Geochang, in the South Gyeongsang district of South Korea. Read more
• 1950 — Second Red Scare: US Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Venturer sinks U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attack a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: Pacific War: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal. Read more
• 1942 — Year-round Daylight saving time (aka War Time) is reinstated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources. Read more
• 1941 — World War II: Bombing of Genoa: The Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, is struck by a bomb which fails to detonate. Read more
• 1934 — The Balkan Entente is formed between Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Turkey. Read more
• 1932 — Prohibition law is abolished in Finland after a national referendum, where 70% voted for a repeal of the law. Read more
• 1929 — Members of the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng assassinate the labor recruiter Bazin, prompting a crackdown by French colonial authorities. Read more
• 1922 — Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty. Read more
• 1920 — Under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized. Read more
• 1913 — A group of meteors is visible across much of the eastern seaboard of the Americas, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth. Read more
• 1907 — The Mud March is the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). Read more
• 1904 — Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur concludes. Read more
• 1900 — The Davis Cup competition is established. Read more
• 1895 — William G. Morgan creates a game called Mintonette, which soon comes to be referred to as volleyball. Read more
• 1893 — Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, premieres at La Scala, Milan. Read more
• 1889 — US president Grover Cleveland signs a bill elevating the United States Department of Agriculture to a Cabinet-level agency. Read more
• 1870 — US president Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau. Read more
• 1861 — American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Provisional Confederate Congress at Montgomery, Alabama. Read more
• 1849 — The new Roman Republic is declared. Read more
• 1825 — After no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in the US presidential election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams as sixth President of the United States in a contingent election. Read more
• 1822 — Haiti attacks the newly established Dominican Republic on the other side of the island of Hispaniola. Read more
• 1778 — Rhode Island becomes the fourth US state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. Read more
• 1775 — American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion. Read more
• 1654 — The Capture of Fort Rocher takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War. Read more
• 1621 — Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation. Read more
• 1555 — Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake. Read more
• 1539 — The first recorded race is held on Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee. Read more
• 1098 — A First Crusade army led by Bohemond of Taranto wins a major battle against the Seljuq emir Ridwan of Aleppo during the siege of Antioch. Read more
• 1003 — Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland. Read more
• 474 — Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Read more

Born on February 9

• 2007 — Ryan Coleman-Williams, American football player Read more
• 2003 — Cooper DeJean, American football player Read more
• 2002 — Jalen Green, American basketball player Read more
• 2001 — Dylan Cozens, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1998 — Cem Bölükbaşı, Turkish racing driver and former sim racer Read more
• 1998 — Isabella Gomez, Colombian-American actress Read more
• 1997 — Jaire Alexander, American football player Read more
• 1997 — Saquon Barkley, American football player Read more
• 1997 — Valentini Grammatikopoulou, Greek tennis player Read more
• 1996 — Jimmy Bennett, American actor Read more
• 1996 — Kelli Berglund, American actress Read more
• 1996 — Chung Ha, South Korean singer Read more
• 1996 — Sebastián Driussi, Argentinian footballer Read more
• 1995 — André Burakovsky, Swedish ice hockey player Read more
• 1995 — Mario Pašalić, Croatian footballer Read more
• 1995 — Sheraldo Becker, Surinamese footballer Read more
• 1993 — Wataru Endo, Japanese footballer Read more
• 1993 — K. J. McDaniels, American basketball player Read more
• 1993 — Despina Papamichail, Greek tennis player Read more
• 1993 — Niclas Füllkrug, German footballer Read more
• 1992 — Avan Jogia, Canadian actor Read more
• 1991 — Helena Kmieć, Polish Roman Catholic missionary (died 2017) Read more
• 1991 — Logan Ryan, American football player Read more
• 1990 — Randall Delgado, Panamanian baseball player Read more
• 1990 — Tariq Sims, Australian-Fijian rugby league player Read more
• 1990 — Camille Winbush, American actress Read more
• 1989 — Maxime Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier Read more
• 1987 — Michael B. Jordan, American actor Read more
• 1987 — Davide Lanzafame, Italian footballer Read more
• 1987 — Rose Leslie, Scottish actress Read more
• 1987 — Magdalena Neuner, German biathlete Read more
• 1985 — Nigel Dawes, Canadian-Kazakhstani ice hockey player Read more
• 1985 — David Gallagher, American actor Read more
• 1984 — Maurice Ager, American basketball player, singer, and producer Read more
• 1984 — Dioner Navarro, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
• 1984 — Shōhōzan Yūya, Japanese sumo wrestler Read more
• 1983 — Mikel Arruabarrena, Spanish footballer Read more
• 1982 — Domingo Cisma, Spanish footballer Read more
• 1982 — Jameer Nelson, American basketball player Read more
• 1982 — Ami Suzuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress Read more

Died on February 9

• 2025 — Tom Robbins, American writer (born 1932) Read more
• 2022 — Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1939) Read more
• 2021 — Chick Corea, American jazz composer (born 1941) Read more
• 2018 — Reg E. Cathey, American actor of stage, film, and television (born 1958) Read more
• 2018 — Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic composer (born 1969) Read more
• 2018 — John Gavin, American actor and United States ambassador to Mexico (born 1931) Read more
• 2017 — André Salvat, French Army colonel (born 1920) Read more
• 2016 — Sushil Koirala, Nepalese politician, 37th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1939) Read more
• 2016 — Zdravko Tolimir, Bosnian Serb military commander (born 1948) Read more
• 2015 — Liu Han, Chinese businessman and philanthropist (born 1965) Read more
• 2015 — Ed Sabol, American film producer, co-founded NFL Films (born 1916) Read more
• 2014 — Gabriel Axel, Danish actor, director, and producer (born 1918) Read more
• 2014 — Hal Herring, American football player and coach (born 1924) Read more
• 2014 — Logan Scott-Bowden, English general (born 1920) Read more
• 2013 — Richard Artschwager, American painter, illustrator, and sculptor (born 1923) Read more
• 2013 — Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist and trainer (born 1913) Read more
• 2013 — Jimmy Smyth, Irish hurler (born 1931) Read more
• 2012 — O. P. Dutta, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922) Read more
• 2012 — John Hick, English philosopher and academic (born 1922) Read more
• 2012 — Joe Moretti, Scottish-South African guitarist and songwriter (born 1938) Read more
• 2011 — Miltiadis Evert, Greek lawyer and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (born 1939) Read more
• 2010 — Walter Frederick Morrison, American businessman, invented the Frisbee (born 1920) Read more
• 2009 — Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Cuban bassist and composer (born 1933) Read more
• 2008 — Christopher Hyatt, American occultist and author (born 1943) Read more
• 2008 — Carm Lino Spiteri, Maltese architect and politician (born 1932) Read more
• 2008 — Jazeh Tabatabai, Iranian painter, poet, and sculptor (born 1931) Read more
• 2007 — Hank Bauer, American baseball player and manager (born 1922) Read more
• 2007 — Ian Richardson, Scottish actor (born 1934) Read more
• 2006 — Freddie Laker, English pilot and businessman, founded Laker Airways (born 1922) Read more
• 2005 — Robert Kearns, American engineer, invented the intermittent windscreen wiper (born 1927) Read more
• 2004 — Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (born 1925) Read more
• 2003 — Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic (born 1926) Read more
• 2002 — Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (born 1920) Read more
• 2002 — Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (born 1930) Read more
• 2001 — Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist, economist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916) Read more
• 1998 — Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1911) Read more
• 1995 — J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (born 1905) Read more
• 1995 — Kalevi Keihänen, Finnish entrepreneur (born 1924) Read more
• 1995 — David Wayne, American actor (born 1914) Read more
• 1994 — Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1934) Read more

Holidays & observances

Alto of Altomünster; Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich; Ansbert of Rouen; Apollonia; Bracchio; Einion the King (Western Orthodoxy); Blessed Leopold of Alpandeire; Maron (Maronite Church); Miguel Febres Cordero; Nebridius; Sabinus of Canosa; Teilo (Wales)

More from the Almanac

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