Vintage News · Odd history for February 1

What Happened On February 1

Q: What happened on February 1?

1884: The first fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary, a 352-page volume that covered words from A to ant, was published. 1411: The First Peace of Thorn was signed, ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. 1329: The Teutonic Knights successfully besieged the hillfort of Medvėgalis (pictured) in Samogitia, Lithuania, and baptised the defenders in the Catholic rite. 1893: Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey. 1884: The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published. 1411: The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia). 2012: Following an Egyptian Premier League match in Port Said, Al Masry fans rioted and violently attacked Al Ahly supporters, resulting in 74 deaths. 2009: Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (pictured) became the first female prime minister of Iceland. 1960: Civil rights movement: Four African-American students staged the first of more than five months of sit-ins at an F. W. Woolworth lunch counter (pictured) in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest the company's policy of racial segregation. 1957: Invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, the first working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at the research and development department of NSU Motorenwerke AG.

53 events and 198 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 1 February →

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10 odd things that happened on February 1

1884 First ever
The first fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary, a 352-page volume that covered words from A to ant, was published.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1411 First ever
The First Peace of Thorn was signed, ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1329 Oddly true
The Teutonic Knights successfully besieged the hillfort of Medvėgalis (pictured) in Samogitia, Lithuania, and baptised the defenders in the Catholic rite.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1893 First ever
Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1884 First ever
The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1411 First ever
The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2012 Oddly true
Following an Egyptian Premier League match in Port Said, Al Masry fans rioted and violently attacked Al Ahly supporters, resulting in 74 deaths.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2009 First ever
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (pictured) became the first female prime minister of Iceland.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1960 First ever
Civil rights movement: Four African-American students staged the first of more than five months of sit-ins at an F. W. Woolworth lunch counter (pictured) in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest the company's policy of racial segregation.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1957 First ever
Invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, the first working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at the research and development department of NSU Motorenwerke AG.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2022Five-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Aourram falls into a 32-meter (105 feet) deep well in Ighran village in Tamorot commune, Chefchaouen Province, Morocco, but dies four days later, before rescue workers reached him. Wikipedia →
2021A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule. Wikipedia →
2013The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, opens its viewing gallery to the public. Wikipedia →
2012Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said. Wikipedia →
2009The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government. Wikipedia →
2007The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes. Wikipedia →
2005King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers. Wikipedia →
2004Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured. Wikipedia →
2004Double suicide attack in Erbil on the offices of Iraqi Kurdish political parties by members of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Wikipedia →
2003Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. Wikipedia →
2002Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, kidnapped on January 23, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors. Wikipedia →
1998Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral. Wikipedia →
1996The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress. Wikipedia →
1992The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case. Wikipedia →
1991A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others. Wikipedia →
1991A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region, killing at least 848 people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and present-day Tajikistan. Wikipedia →
1982The Intel 80286 is released, which introduced protected mode memory. The IBM PC/AT and its clones used this CPU. Wikipedia →
1981The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of a game between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Wikipedia →
1979Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile. Wikipedia →
1974A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293. Wikipedia →
1972Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. Wikipedia →
1968Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams. Wikipedia →
1968Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces. Wikipedia →
1968The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation. Wikipedia →
1964The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Wikipedia →
1960Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Wikipedia →
1957Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes on Rikers Island in New York City, killing 20 people and injuring 78 others. Wikipedia →
1950The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight. Wikipedia →
1946Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General. Wikipedia →
1946The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic. Wikipedia →
1942World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government. Wikipedia →
1942World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls–Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. Wikipedia →
1942Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers. Wikipedia →
1942Mao Zedong makes a speech on "Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature", which puts into motion the Yan'an Rectification Movement. Wikipedia →
1924Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution. Wikipedia →
1908Lisbon Regicide: King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon. Wikipedia →
1900Great Britain, defeated by Boers in key battles, names Lord Roberts commander of British forces in South Africa. Wikipedia →
1897Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul. Wikipedia →
1896La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. Wikipedia →
1895Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger. Wikipedia →
1893Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey. Wikipedia →
1884The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published. Wikipedia →
1865President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Wikipedia →
1864Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war. Wikipedia →
1861American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States and joins the Confederacy a week later. Wikipedia →
1835Slavery is abolished in Mauritius. Wikipedia →
1814Mayon in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, which was the most devastating eruption of the volcano. Wikipedia →
1796The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York. Wikipedia →
1793French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Wikipedia →
1713The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized. Wikipedia →
1662The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. Wikipedia →
1411The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia). Wikipedia →
1327The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2018The Guardian
Ben Folds review – timeless tunes and paper planes at Sydney Opera House
The endearing showman could become an Elton John for the slacker generation
Read on The Guardian →
2015The Guardian
Scott Morrison: I would never challenge Tony Abbott for Liberal leadership
Social services minister defends prime minister amid speculation of a spill and urges Coalition members to stay focused
Read on The Guardian →
1975The New York Times
Where Cattlemen Gather, the Talk is of Hard Times
article on plight of US livestock indus in wake of Amer Natl Cattlemen's Assn's annual conv, Las Vegas, notes that de…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.