February 3: A Day of Historical Significance

On February 3, several historical events took place that shaped the world we live in today. From groundbreaking inventions to significant moments in politics and culture, learn about the impact of this date in history in this informative video.

1743 Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants
1783 Spain recognizes US independence
1809 Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)
1834 Wake Forest University is established in North Carolina
1836 Whig Party holds its 1st national convention (Albany NY)
1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court declares US Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional
1863 Samuel Clemens first uses the pen name Mark Twain in a Virginia City newspaper, the "Territorial Enterprise”
1865 Hampton Roads Peace Conference, Lincoln & Stephens reach an impasse
1870 US state of Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution allowing suffrage for all races and colors
1913 16th Amendment to the US Constitution, federal income tax, ratified… thanks, Wyoming!
1917 US ocean liner Housatonic is sunk by a German submarine, on the same day that US President Woodrow Wilson breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany
1928 Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China in the journal Nature and declares them to be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo erectus’)
1930 William Howard Taft resigns as US chief justice for health reasons
1941 US Supreme Court upheld Federal Wage & Hour law, sets minimum wages & maximum hours
1945 WWII: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Yalta, Crimea, Soviet Union for the "Big Three" Yalta Conference
1947 1st black reporter in US Congressional press gallery (Percival Prattis)
1959 "The Day the Music Died" plane crash kills musicians Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper), and the pilot. near Clear Lake, Iowa
1962 US President John F. Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food & drugs
1966 First soft landing on the Moon, by the Soviet spacecraft Luna 9
1969 Ibuprofen launched in the UK under brand name Brufen as prescription medicine - now world's most popular anti-inflammatory painkiller
1978 Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and US President Jimmy Carter discuss the Middle East peace process in Washington, D.C.
1979 "YMCA" by Village People peaks at #2 on pop singles chart
1986 Pixar Animation Studios (Toy Story; The Incredibles) headed by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, is spun off from Lucasfilm, Ltd as an independent film production company, with backing of Steve Jobs
1993 Federal trial of 4 police officers charged with civil rights violations in videotaped beating of Rodney King begins in Los Angeles, California
1994 President Bill Clinton lifts US trade embargo against Vietnam
2009 Eric Holder becomes 82nd and 1st African American US Attorney General, succeeding Michael Mukasey

For even more On This Date, check out our friends at https://www.onthisday.com/events/february/3