1915 – Alexander Graham Bell in New York spoke to Thomas Watson in San Francisco, officially inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service in the United States.
1924 – The world’s first Winter Olympics took place in Chamonix, France. Sixteen nations from across the world took part in the games, with Germany being banned from entering. It is generally accepted that the ban was due to the French occupation of the Ruhr and the Rheinland at the time.
1955 – Columbia University announced the development of a caesium-based clock that was able to accurately record time to the second, falling behind only one second every 300 years. That same year, a working model was built for the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, London.
1961 – Walt Disney’s animated classic, “101 Dalmatians,” was first released in theaters, becoming a huge box office hit and saving the studio financially, thanks to its innovative use of xerography animation which lowered production costs. It was a major success, leading to several theatrical re-releases and eventually spawning a successful media franchise, including live-action remakes.
1964 – Nike (originally called Blue Ribbon Sports) was founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, and officially became Nike, Inc. in 1971 after adopting its famous Swoosh logo and name (from the Greek goddess of victory). The iconic Nike Swoosh logo was designed by graphic designer Carolyn Davidson for just $35 (around £14.00 GBP back then). In 1983, Nike gifted her 500 shares of company stock to recognise her contribution.
1971 – Major General Idi Amin seized power in Uganda, deposing President Milton Obote and beginning an eight-year era of brutal military rule.
1971 – 170 delegates of the Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) called for the resignation of Northern Ireland’s Prime Minister, James Chichester-Clark, as he faced increasing pressure from hardline Unionists for not being tough enough on republican paramilitary violence, ultimately leading to his resignation in March 1971.
1972 – The first simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant in Europe was performed by Mick Bewick at Guy’s Hospital in London. This procedure was part of early, experimental attempts to treat diabetes and kidney failure simultaneously.
1989 – Actor John Cleese won damages for libel at the High Court over an article in the Daily Mirror, which claimed he had become like Basil Fawlty in his comedy series Fawlty Towers.
1990 – The so called Burns’ Day Storm occurred on this day over north-western Europe, and was one of the strongest storms on record. It started on the birthday of poet Robert Burns, lasted for two days, caused widespread damage and was responsible for 97 deaths.
1995 – After being sent off in a Premier League match at Crystal Palace, Manchester United’s Eric Cantona launches a kung-fu attack on Palace fan Matthew Simmonds. He receives an eight-month ban from football.
1998 – Posh (Victoria Adams) and Becks (David Beckham) announced their engagement after dating for less than a year, at the Rookery Hall Hotel in Cheshire, famously wearing matching black turtlenecks for the press conference. They married the following year in July 1999 and had their first child, Brooklyn, shortly after the engagement.
2011 – The 2011 Egyptian revolution began after years of police brutality and corruption. The revolution, which saw countless violent clashes between protestors and President Hosni Mubarak’s government, took place over 17 days. Ultimately, the President stepped down, and the military took over until elections could be held.
2013 – Thorpe Park ordered experts to redesign its £20m new rollercoaster ‘The Swarm’, due to open on 15th March, after dummies lost limbs during dry run tests.
2016 – The British team known as the Coxless Crew made history by becoming the first all-female crew and the first four-person team to row unsupported across the Pacific Ocean, traveling from San Francisco to Cairns, Australia, in their 29-foot ocean rowing boat named “Doris”. The Journey of almost 9000 miles took 257 days.
