Today in History (Feb 5th)

[Amy F]

1778 - Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation


1846 - The Oregon Spectator becomes the first newspaper on the Pacific coast of the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Spectator


1917 - The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4738

1917 - The Congress of the United States passes a law, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, banning most Asian immigration to the United States.
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4737


1919 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists.
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=2933


1936 - Charlie Chaplin releases the last movie of the silent film era, Modern Times.
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=2936
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Times_%28film%29


1961 - The Sunday Telegraph publishes its first issue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Telegraph


1962 - During the new moon and solar eclipse of February 4-5, 1962, an extremely rare grand conjunction of the classical planets occurred (it included all five of the naked-eye planets plus the Sun and Moon), all of them within 16° of one another on the ecliptic. At the precise moment of the new moon/solar eclipse, five celestial bodies (the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter) were clustered within 3° of each other, with the Earth in close conjunction with them. Taken in totality though, this grand conjunction included the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, with the Earth also in alignment with the Sun and Moon at the exact moment of the new moon/solar eclipse (eight celestial bodies in total).

1971 - Project Apollo: Apollo 14 Mission - Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell aboard LM, Antares land on the Moon at Fra Mauro formation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_14
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Apollo


1972 - Bob Douglas becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Douglas


2006 - The Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XL

[Henrietta]

Interesting stuff Amy. Thanks.