TODAY in HISTORY
1582 With the papal bull Inter gravissimas,
Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar.
1607 L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, one of the first works recognized as an opera, receives its première performance. 1848 King Louis-Philippe of France abdicates the throne. 1854 A Penny Red with perforations became the first perforated postage stamp to be officially issued for distribution. 1868 Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He was later acquitted in the Senate. 1918 Estonian Declaration of Independence. 1920 The Nazi Party is
founded. 1920 Nancy Astor became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom following her election as an MP three months earlier. 1944 Merrill’s Marauders: The Marauders begin their 1,000-mile journey through Japanese-occupied Burma. 1945 Egyptian Premier Ahmad Mahir Pasha is killed in Parliament after reading a decree. 1946 Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, elected to his first term as President of Argentina. 1968 Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted; South Vietnam recaptures Hué. 1976 The current constitution of Cuba is formally proclaimed. 1984 Tyrone Mitchell perpetrates the 49th Street Elementary School shooting in Los Angeles, killing two children and injuring 12 more.
1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa and offers a $3 million bounty for the death of Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
United Airlines 1989 Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, rips open during flight, blowing nine passengers out of the businessclass section. The 6.3 Mw Al 2004 Hoceima earthquake strikes northern Morocco with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 628 people are killed, 926 are injured, and up to 15,000 are displaced. Philippine President 2006 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in attempt to subdue a possible military coup. Japan launches its 2007 fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea. Fidel Castro retires 2008 as the President of Cuba and after 32 years. He remains as head of the Communist Party for another three years. Today is Friday, February 24, the 55th day of 2017. There are 310 days left in the year.