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24/02/0303 - 1st official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued
16/02/0374 - 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
27/02/0837 - 15th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
28/02/0870 - 8th Ecumenical council ends in Constantinople
02/02/1461 - 2nd battle of St Alban's-Lancastrian defeat Yorkists
24/02/1530 - 1st imperial coronation by a Pope, Charles V crowned by Clement V
10/02/1535 - 12 nude anabaptists run through Amsterdam streets
27/02/1557 - 1st Russian Embassy opens in London, Russia and US sign trade agreement
11/02/1573 - 1st European, Francis Drake sees the Pacific (from Panama)
05/02/1644 - 1st US livestock branding law passed, by Connecticut
06/02/1651 - -7] Cardinal Mazarin flees Paris
16/02/1659 - 1st known check (œ400) (on display at Westminster Abbey)
20/02/1673 - 1st recorded wine auction held (London)
03/02/1690 - 1st paper money in America issued (colony of Mass)
04/02/1697 - 3 VOC-ships anchor at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia
04/02/1699 - 350 rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow
20/02/1725 - 10 sleeping Indians scalped by whites in NH for œ100/scalp bounty
26/02/1732 - 1st mass celebrated in 1st American Catholic church, Philadelphia
08/02/1735 - 1st opera in US "Flora," opens in Charleston, SC
18/02/1735 - 1st opera performed in America, "Flora," in Charleston, SC
10/02/1749 - 10th (final) volume of Fielding's "Tom Jones" is published
28/02/1749 - 1st edition of Henry Fieldings' "Tom Jones" published
16/02/1751 - 1st publication of Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard"
25/02/1751 - 1st performing monkey exhibited in America, NYC (admission 1›)
15/02/1768 - 1st mustard manufactured in America advertised, Philadelphia
20/02/1768 - 1st American chartered fire insurance company opens (Penn)
17/02/1772 - 1st partition of Poland-Russia and Prussia, joined later by Austria
22/02/1775 - 1st US joint stock company (to make cloth) offers shares at œ10
17/02/1776 - 1st volume of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of Roman Empire" published
22/02/1784 - 1st US ship to trade with China, "Empress of China," sails from NY
04/02/1787 - 1st Anglican bishops of NY and Pennsylvania consecrated in London
01/02/1788 - 1st US steamboat patent issued, by Georgia to Briggs and Longstreet
04/02/1789 - 1st electoral college chooses Washington and Adams as Pres and VP
25/02/1791 - 1st Bank of US chartered
12/02/1793 - 1st US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves
25/02/1793 - 1st cabinet meeting (At George Washington's home)
11/02/1794 - 1st session of US Senate open to the public
14/02/1794 - 1st US textile machinery patent granted, to James Davenport, Phila
07/02/1795 - 11th Amendment to US Constitution ratified, affirms power of states
13/02/1795 - 1st state university in US opens, University of North Carolina
19/02/1797 - 1/3 of papal domain ceded to France
13/02/1799 - 1st US law regulating insurance passed, by Massachusetts
15/02/1799 - 1st US printed ballots authorized, Pennsylvania
25/02/1799 - 1st federal forestry legislation authorizes purchase of timber land
02/02/1802 - 1st leopard exhibited in US, Boston (admission 25›)
25/02/1803 - 1,800 sovereign German states unite into 60 states
18/02/1804 - 1st US land-grant college, Ohio University, Athens Ohio, chartered
21/02/1804 - 1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for 1st time, in Wales
24/02/1807 - 17 die and 15 wounded in a crush to witness execution of Holloway, Heggerty and Elizabeth Godfrey in England
01/02/1810 - 1st insurance co managed by blacks (American Insurance Co of Phila)
28/02/1810 - 1st US fire insurance joint-stock company organized, Philadelphia
07/02/1812 - 8.2 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri
23/02/1813 - 1st US raw cotton-to-cloth mill founded in Waltham, Mass
27/02/1813 - 1st federal vaccination legislation enacted
13/02/1816 - -14] Teatro San Carlo in Naples destroyed by fire
05/02/1817 - 1st US gas co incorporated, Baltimore (coal gas for street lights)
17/02/1817 - 1st US city lit by gas (Baltimore)
07/02/1818 - 1st successful US educational magazine "Academician," begins (NYC)
28/02/1819 - 1st public performance of a Schubert song, "Sch„fers Klageleid"
06/02/1820 - 1st organized emigration of blacks back to Africa (NY to Sierra Leone)
27/02/1827 - 1st Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans
28/02/1827 - 1st commercial railroad in US, Baltimore and Ohio (BandO) chartered
21/02/1828 - 1st American Indian newspaper in US, "Cherokee Phoenix," published
19/02/1831 - 1st practical US coal-burning locomotive makes 1st trial run, Penn
06/02/1832 - 1st appearance of cholera at Edinburgh, Scotland
13/02/1832 - 1st appearance of cholera at London
18/02/1834 - 1st US labor newspaper, "The Man," published, NYC
26/02/1834 - 1st US interstate crime compact (NY-NJ) ratified
24/02/1836 - 3,000 Mexicans attack 182 Texans at Alamo, lasts 13 days
08/02/1837 - 1st VP chosen by Senate, Richard Johnson (Van Buren admin)
25/02/1837 - 1st US electric printing press patented by Thomas Davenport
18/02/1841 - 1st continuous filibuster in US Senate began, lasting until March 11
15/02/1842 - 1st adhesive postage stamps in US (private delivery company), NYC
21/02/1842 - 1st known sewing machine patented in US, John Greenough, Wash DC
28/02/1844 - 12-inch gun aboard USS Princeton explodes
21/02/1846 - 1st US woman telegrapher, Sarah G Bagley, Lowell, Mass
04/02/1847 - 1st US telegraph co established in Maryland
02/02/1848 - 1st ship load of Chinese arrive in SF
26/02/1848 - 2nd French Republic forms
26/02/1848 - 2nd French Republic proclaimed
18/02/1849 - 1st regular steamboat service to California starts (or 02/28)
28/02/1849 - 1st boat load of gold rush prospectors arrives in SF from east coast
11/02/1851 - 1st cricket 1st-class game in Australia, Tasmania v Vic, Launceston
02/02/1852 - 1st British public men's toilet opens (Fleet St London)
11/02/1852 - 1st British public female toilet opens (Bedford Street London)
22/02/1854 - 1st meeting of Republican Party (Michigan)
22/02/1856 - 1st national meeting of Republican Party (Pittsburgh)
24/02/1857 - 1st perforated US postage stamps delivered to govt
11/02/1858 - 1st apparition of Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette of Lourdes France
25/02/1859 - 1st use of "insanity plea" to prove innocence
01/02/1860 - 1st rabbi to open House of Representatives, Morris Raphall of NYC
05/02/1861 - 1st moving picture peep show machine is patented by Samuel Goodale
06/02/1861 - 1st meeting of Provisional Congress of Confederate States of America
13/02/1861 - 1st military action to result in Congressional Medal of Honor, AZ
10/02/1863 - 1st US fire extinguisher patent granted to Alanson Crane, Virginia
01/02/1864 - 2nd German-Danish war begins
04/02/1864 - 24th Amendment abolishes Poll tax
06/02/1864 - -7] Skirmish at Barnett's Ford Virginia
21/02/1864 - -22] Battle at Okolona, Mississippi
21/02/1864 - 1st US Catholic parish church for blacks dedicated, Baltimore

01/12/1814 - August Rockel, composer
16/09/1822 - Charles S Crocker, Pres of Central and South Pacific Railroad
05/01/1823 - William Rockstro, composer
11/04/1838 - Joseph Leopold Rockel, composer
01/09/1862 - Alphons Diepenbrock, Dutch composer [or Sept 2]
22/11/1870 - Howard Brockway, composer
25/03/1873 - Rudolf Rocker, German/US anarchist
20/01/1888 - Leadbelly, Louisiana, blues 12 string guitarist (Rock Island Line)
03/07/1893 - Mississippi John Hurt, rocker
20/01/1894 - Walter Hamor Piston, Rockland Maine, composer (Incredible Flutis)
11/07/1897 - Blind Lemon Jefferson, rocker
24/06/1900 - Memphis Minnie, rocker
25/01/1903 - "Sleepy" John Estes, rocker
10/03/1903 - Bix Biederbecke, rocker
23/09/1904 - Wallace "Scotty" Scott, rock vocalist (Whispers)
04/10/1904 - Harris Rhoad, rocker
02/03/1905 - Marc Blitzstein, Phila Pa, composer (Cradle Will Rock)
18/06/1906 - Kay Kyser, Rocky Mount NC, orch leader (Kay Kyser's Kollege)
21/03/1908 - Maurice Stans, rocker
17/12/1908 - William Brocklesby Wordsworth, composer
29/03/1909 - Moon Mullican, hillbilly pianist (7 Nights of Rock)
10/08/1909 - Leo Fender, Anaheim California, rocker (Fender guitars)
15/02/1910 - 9th earl of Jersey, English large landowner/art collector
13/03/1910 - Sammy Kaye, Rocky River Ohio, orch leader (Sammy Kaye Show)
24/10/1911 - Sonny Terry, rocker
10/10/1914 - Ivory Joe Hunter, rocker
14/12/1914 - Rosalyn Tureck, Chicago Illinois, pianist (Bach and Rock)
24/08/1915 - Wynonie Harris, rocker
03/09/1916 - Memphis Slim, [Peter Chatman], rocker
28/05/1917 - Pape John Creech, rocker (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane)
23/05/1918 - Bumps Blackwell, rocker
10/05/1921 - Bert Weedon, rocker
03/03/1922 - Kazimierz Serocki, composer
21/07/1922 - Kay Starr, Dougherty Okla, singer (Rock and Roll Waltz, Club Oasis)
08/12/1922 - Jean Ritchie, rocker
16/01/1923 - Roy Lanham, rocker (Sons of the Pioneers)
02/06/1923 - Del Simmons, rocker (Capt Beefheart)
16/10/1923 - Bert Kaempfert, rocker
26/07/1924 - Louis Bellson, Rock Falls Ill, orch leader (Pearl Bailey Show)
20/09/1924 - Gogi Grant, [Audrey Brown], rock vocalist
10/10/1924 - Huey "Piano" Smith, rocker (Rockin' Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu)
29/04/1925 - Danny Davis, rocker (Nashville Brass
27/06/1925 - Jerome "Doc" Pomus, rocker
06/07/1925 - Bill Haley, Highland Park Mich, rock vocalist (Rock Around the Clock)
27/07/1925 - Doc Pomus, rocker
15/08/1925 - Billy Pinkney, Sumter NC, rock bassist/vocalist (Drifters)
18/08/1925 - Tonny Til, rocker
10/09/1925 - Roy James Brown, New Orleans, boxer/soul singer (Good Rockin' Tonight)
15/10/1925 - Mickey Baker, rocker
29/10/1925 - Zoot Sims, rocker
20/05/1926 - Vic Ames, rocker (Ames Brothers)
25/05/1926 - Kitty Kallen, rocker
19/07/1926 - Sue Thompson, [Eva Sue Mckee], rocker
22/08/1926 - Bob Flannigan, rocker (Four Freshmen)
17/09/1926 - Bill Black, rocker
14/10/1926 - Bill Justis, rocker
18/10/1926 - Chuck Berry, St Louis, rocker (Roll over Beethoven)
04/12/1926 - Lee Doraey, rocker
10/12/1926 - Eddie Jones, "Guitar Slim" rocker
03/03/1927 - [Herman] Junior Parker, rocker (Driving Wheel, In the Dark)
01/04/1927 - Amos Milburn, rocker
30/04/1927 - Johnny Horton, Los Angeles Ca, rocker
01/09/1927 - Tommy Evans, rocker (Drifters)
09/09/1927 - Elvin Jones, rocker
09/01/1928 - Domenico Modugno, Italy, rocker (Polignano A Mare)
31/01/1928 - Chuck Willis, rock vocalist (C C Rider)
29/04/1928 - Carl Gardner, Tyler Tx, rock vocalist (Coasters-Searchin)
29/04/1928 - Big Jay McNeely, rocker
18/03/1929 - Kai Winding, rocker
01/05/1929 - Sonny James, [James Loden], Hackelburg AL, rocker (Young Love)
10/05/1929 - Fats Domino, rocker (Blueberry Hill)
29/06/1929 - Johnny Ace, rocker
18/07/1929 - "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, Cleveland, rocker (I Put a Spell on You)
27/07/1929 - Harvey Fuqua, rock vocalist (Moonglows-Sincerely)
06/08/1929 - Mike Elliot, rocker
24/08/1929 - William Winfield, rocker (Harptones)
25/12/1929 - Chris Kenner, rocker
25/12/1929 - Billy Horton, rocker (The Silhouettes-Get a Job)
13/01/1930 - Liz Anderson, rocker
23/01/1930 - Ken Errair, rocker (Four Freshmen)
01/05/1930 - Little Walter, [Marion Walter Jacobs], rocker
18/08/1930 - Johnny Preston, Port Arthur, Tx, rocker (Feel So Fine)
29/10/1930 - Peter Stampfel, rocker
27/01/1931 - Rudi Maugeri, rocker (Crew Cuts)
14/03/1931 - Phil Phillips [Baptiste], rock vocalist (Sea Of Love)
22/05/1931 - Kenny Ball, rocker
01/08/1931 - Ramblin' Jack Elliott, rocker
28/08/1931 - John Perkins, rocker (Crew Cuts)
26/09/1931 - George Chambers, MS, rock bassist/vocalist (Chambers Brothers)
12/11/1931 - Bob Crewe, rocker
16/11/1931 - Bob Gibson, rocker
10/04/1932 - Nathaniel Nelson, rocker (Flamingos)
27/04/1932 - Maxine Brown, rocker (Browns)
01/07/1932 - Bobby Day, [Robert Byrd], Fort Worth Tx, rock vocalist (Rockin' Robin)
11/07/1932 - Alex Hassilev, rocker (Limeliters)
21/09/1932 - Don Preston, rocker (Mothers Of Invention)
06/11/1932 - Stonewall Jackson, rocker
15/11/1932 - Petula Clark, Surrey England, rock vocalist (Downtown, My Love)
05/12/1932 - Little Richard [Wayne Penniman], Macon Ga, rocker (Tutty Fruity)
23/12/1932 - Revjames Cleveland, rocker

18/06/1876 - August Rockel, composer, dies at 61
02/07/1895 - William Rockstro, composer, dies at 72
05/04/1921 - Alphonsus J M Diepenbrock, Dutch composer (Missa), dies at 58
20/06/1923 - Joseph Leopold Rockel, composer, dies at 85
24/04/1936 - Alphons Diepenbrock, composer, dies at 73
06/02/1958 - 7 soccer players of Manchester United, die in an aircrash at Munich
22/01/1964 - Marc Blitzstein, US composer (Cradle Will Rock), dies at 58
11/12/1964 - Sam Cooke, rock vocalist, shot to death at 29
27/08/1967 - Brian Epstein, rock manager (Beatles), dies of drug overdose at 32
18/09/1970 - Jimi Hendrix, rock guitarist (Purple Hayes), dies of an overdose at 27
04/10/1970 - Janis Joplin, rock singer (Down on Me), dies of a drug overdose at 27
03/07/1971 - Jim Morrison, rock singer (Doors), dies of heart failure at 27
29/10/1971 - Duane Allman, rock guitarist, dies in a motorcycle accident at 24
18/11/1971 - Junior Parker, rocker, dies during brain operation at 44
11/11/1972 - Berry Oakley, US rock bassist (Allman Bro), dies in car crash at 24
01/10/1975 - Al Jackson, rock drummer (Booker T and The MG's), dies at 39
19/03/1976 - Paul Kossoff, rock guitarist (Free), dies of heart failure at 25
14/05/1976 - Keith Relf, rock vocalist (Yardbirds), electrocuted at 33
04/12/1976 - Tommy Bolin, rock guitarist (Deep Purple), dies of heroin overdose
16/09/1977 - Marc Bolan, rock vocalist/guitarist (T Rex), dies in a car crash at 29
30/10/1977 - Steve Gaines, rock guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in air crash
23/01/1978 - Terry Kath, rock guitarist (Chicago), accidently shot in head at 32
07/09/1978 - Keith Moon, rock drummer (Who), dies of drug OD at 31
27/12/1978 - Chris Bell, rock guitarist (Big Star), dies at 27 in car crash
18/05/1980 - Ian Curtis, English rock vocalist (Joy Division), commit suicide at 23
09/01/1981 - Kazimierz Serocki, composer, dies at 58
25/05/1981 - Roy James Brown, US boxer/singer (Good rockin' tonight), dies at 55
14/04/1983 - Pete Farndon, rock bassist (Pretenders), dies
21/07/1984 - Michael Osborne, rock guitarist/vocalist (Axe), dies at 34
12/10/1985 - Ricky Wilson, rock guitarist (B-52's), dies of AIDS at 32
23/12/1985 - James Vance (20) and Raymond Belknap (18), commit suicide, sparking their families to sue rock group Judas Priest for subliminal messages
04/03/1986 - Richard Manuel, rock vocalist/pianist (Band), commits suicide at 40
03/04/1986 - Richard Manuel, rock pianist/vocalist (Band), dies on 41st birthday
27/09/1986 - Cliff Burton, rock bassist (Metallica), dies in bus crash at 24
22/09/1987 - John F "Jaco" Pastorius, rock guitarist (Weather Report), dies at 35
22/11/1987 - Ted Taylor, rock vocalist, dies
10/03/1988 - William Brocklesby Wordsworth, composer, dies at 79
26/07/1990 - Brent Mydland, rock keyboardist/vocalist (Grass Roots), dies at 38
22/05/1991 - Lino Brocka, director (Macho Dancer, Jaguar), dies in car crash at 51
01/06/1991 - David Ruffin, rock vocalist (Temptations), dies of drug overdose at 50
26/08/1993 - Rockin Dopsie Sr, Jazz-Fusion singer (Zydeco), dies at 61
15/01/1994 - Harry Nilsson, rock vocalist (Everybody's Talkin'), dies at 52
26/05/1994 - Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock, jazz Guitarist, dies at 53
26/05/1994 - Sonny Sharrock, US free-jazz guitarist, dies at 53
04/06/1994 - Derek Lek Leckenby, rock guitarist (Herman's Hermits), dies at 48
28/08/1994 - Pieter de Cort, Belgian rock guitarist (Betty Goes Green), dies at 25
06/09/1994 - Nicky Hopkins, rock pianist (Rolling Stones), dies at 50
14/06/1995 - Rory Gallagher, Irish rock guitarist (See Here), dies at 47
09/08/1995 - Jerry Garcia, rock vocalist (Grateful Dead), dies at 53
20/08/1996 - Rio Reiser, rock singer, dies at 46
02/01/1997 - Randy California, [Wolfe], rock guitarist, dies at 45
19/06/1997 - Bobby Helms, singer (Jingle Bell Rock), dies at 63
20/06/1997 - Bobby Helms, composer (Jingle Bell Rock), dies at 61

Orignal today in music archives by Bruce T. Goldman.
Modified and expanded by www.MusicOrb.com
and www.HistoryOrb.com

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