On this day in history
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1294: Kublai Khan, the conqueror of Asia, dies at the age of 80.
1554: Lady Jane Grey, the Queen of England for thirteen days, is beheaded on Tower Hill.
1709: Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish seaman whose adventures inspired the creation of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, is taken off Juan Fernandez Island after more than four years of living there alone.
1818: Chile gains independence from Spain.
1836: Mexican General Santa Anna crosses the Rio Grande en route to the Alamo.
1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is formed.
1921: Winston Churchill of London is appointed colonial secretary.
1924: George Gershwin’s groundbreaking symphonic jazz composition Rhapsody in Blue premieres with Gershwin himself playing the piano with Paul Whiteman’s orchestra.
1966: The South Vietnamese win two big battles in the Mekong Delta.
1972: Senator Edward Kennedy advocates amnesty for Vietnam draft resisters.
1980: The Lake Placid Winter Olympics open in New York.
1987: A Court in Texas upholds a $10.53 billion fine imposed on Texaco for the illegal takeover of Getty Oil.
1999: The U.S. Senate fails to pass two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. He had been accused of perjury and obstruction of justice by the House of Representatives.
Source: HistoryNet.com
