February is famous mostly for being the shortest month of the year. Of the 28/29 days of the month, most people remember February 14, Valentine’s Day. There are other events that are as significant. Here are the top 10 events that occurred during the month of February. After reading this article, you will understand how February is a historical month; full of eventful occurrences throughout history.
1. February 1, 1793:
French Revolution was rapidly getting out of control. Revolutionaries declared war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The wars were waged soon after Louis XVI’s execution. With major European powers against them, the French were defeated in battle after battle. This was despite the successes France achieved in the war against Belgium and Austria/Prussia.
2. February 1, 1979:
Ayatollah Khomeini comes back to Iran after being exiled for 15 years. He leads a radical revolution in Iran which cut ties to Western nations. He disposed the Shah and appointed himself as the supreme leader, a position he held until his death in 1989.
3. February 2, 1946:
The Hungarian Republic is declared on February 2, 1946. The republic was part of the Soviet Bloc after World War II. It was led by communist/socialist leaders up until 1956, when a series of uprisings occurred to protest Soviet control. The uprisings, however, were squashed and led to a deeper occupation by the Soviets.
4. February 13, 1542:
Catherine Howard, the mistress and wife of Henry VIII is executed on grounds of treason.
5. February 13, 1633:
Galileo Galilei’s trial begins. Galilei is tried as a heretic for his belief that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around. It took 400 years for the Vatican to admit they were wrong about Gaileli’s discoveries.
6. February 14, 1876:
Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for his invention of the telephone. On June 2, 1875, Bell was able to achieve success when Thomas Watson (his assistant) accidentally plucked one of the reeds from the acrostics telegraphy. When Watson did that, Bell was able to hear the overtones of the reed.
7. February 14, 1949:
The Knesset convenes for the first time since the creation of Israel in May 5, 1948.
8. February 18, 1943:
Joseph Goebbels gives his famous Sportpalast speech on February 18, 1943. He called for a total war against all German enemies. Furthermore, he admitted the dangers Germany faced during WWII in his speech.
9. February 20, 1962:
John Glenn makes history on February 20, 1962 when he orbits the earth 3 times. It was part of the Project Mercury, which was the first human spaceship program in the United States.
10. February 28, 1998:
The Serbian government and army begin their offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army and Albanians living in Serbia (Kosovo Region). Mass murder and ethnic cleansing ensued. Slobodan Milosevic was tried for war crimes against humanity for his role in the annihilation.
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