Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
On 7, Monday February 1944, WWII: At Anzio, German forces launch a counteroffensive.
On 7, Monday February 1944, Robert E. Park, American Sociologist, died (b. 1864)
On 7, Saturday February 1959, Vladimír Havlík, Czech action artist, born
On 7, Saturday February 1959, Nap Lajoie, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame, died (b. 1874)
On 7, Saturday February 1959, Daniel François Malan, South African politician, 4th Prime Minister of South Africa, died (b. 1874)
On 7, Friday February 1969, The Violet Town railway disaster: the passenger train Southern Aurora collides head-on with a freight train on the new Melbourne to Sydney train line. Nine people are killed.
On 7, Friday February 1969, Fiona Robinson, basketball and handball player, born
On 7, Friday February 1969, Andrew Micallef, Maltese painter and musician, born
On 7, Wednesday February 1979, Iranian Revolution: Supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini take over the Iranian law enforcement, courts and government administration; the final session of the Iranian National Consultative Assembly is held.
On 7, Wednesday February 1979, Pluto moves inside Neptune’s orbit for the first time since either was known to science.
On 7, Wednesday February 1979, Nazi criminal Josef Mengele suffers a stroke and drowns while swimming in Bertioga, Brazil. His remains are found in 1985.
On 7, Wednesday February 1979, Cerina Vincent, American actress and writer, born
On 7, Wednesday February 1979, Michał Karwan, Polish footballer, born
On 7, Wednesday February 1979, Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni politician, born
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, Jake Granville, rugby league player, born
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, The People’s National Party, led by Michael Manley, wins the 1989 Jamaican general election.
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, The Los Angeles City Council bans the sale or possession of semi-automatic firearms.
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, Louisa Lytton, British actress, born
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, Neil Taylor, Welsh footballer, born
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, Isaiah Thomas, American basketball player, born
On 7, Tuesday February 1989, Prince Wilhelm Victor of Prussia, died (b. 1919)
On 7, Monday February 1994, Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer, died (b. 1913)
On 7, Monday February 1994, Arnold Smith, Canadian diplomat, died (b. 1915)
On 7, Sunday February 1999, King Hussein of Jordan dies from cancer, and his son Abdullah II inherits the throne.
On 7, Sunday February 1999, Bea Miller, American actress, singer and songwriter, born
On 7, Sunday February 1999, King Hussein of Jordan, died (b. 1935)
On 7, Saturday February 2009, Bushfires in Victoria kill 173 people in what are not only the nation’s worst ever bushfires, surpassing the record set by Ash Wednesday in 1983. Also the nation’s worst peacetime disaster since Cyclone Mahina in 1899.
On 7, Saturday February 2009, (7–14) All three commercial networks in Australia take extensive news coverage of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, in which 181 people lost their lives, including former Nine newsreader Brian Naylor and actor Reg Evans.
On 7, Saturday February 2009, Reg Evans, 80, actor, died
On 7, Saturday February 2009, Brian Naylor, 78, newsreader, died
On 7, Friday February 2014, Cricket: The 2013–14 Big Bash League season concludes, with the Perth Scorchers defeating the Hobart Hurricanes in the final.
On 7, Friday February 2014, (7–23) The XXII Olympic Winter Games are held in Sochi, Russia. Slopestyle events are introduced for the first time.
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch