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This Month in History February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, with 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years, with the quadrennial 29th day being called the leap day. The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a month-less period, and were added by Numa Pompilius about 713 BC. February remained the last month of the calendar year until the time of the decemvirs (c. 450 BC), when it became the second month. At certain times February was truncated to 23 or 24 days, and a 27-day intercalary month, Intercalaris, was occasionally inserted immediately after February to realign the year with the seasons.
Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history. The story ofBlack HistoryMonth begins in 1915, half a century after theThirteenth Amendment abolishedslaveryin the United States. That September, the Harvardtrained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African descent.
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Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham LincolnandFrederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.
Legendary baseball player George Herman "Babe" Ruth (1895-1948) was born in
Baltimore, MarylandON February6 th 1895. Ruth held or shared 60 Major League records,
including pitching 29 consecutive scoreless innings and hitting 714 home runs.
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) the 40th U.S. President, was born in Tampico, Illinois on
February 6 th , 1911. Reagan spent 30 years as an entertainer in radio, film, and television
before becoming governor of California in 1966. Elected to the White House in 1980, he survived an assassination attempt and became the most popular president since Franklin Roosevelt.
On February 8, 1587Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was beheaded at Fotheringhay, England, after 19 years as a prisoner of Queen Elizabeth I. She became entangled in the complex political events surrounding the Protestant Reformation in England and was charged with complicity in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth.
British novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born in Portsmouth, Englandon February 7 th , 1812. He examined social
inequalities through his works including; David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, andNicholas Nickleby. In 1843, he wroteA Christmas Carolin just a few weeks, an enormously popular work even today.
In February 8, 1910the Boy Scouts of America was founded by William Boyce in Washington, D.C., modeled after the British Boy Scouts.
InFebruary 11, 1929, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini granted political independence to Vatican City and recognized the sovereignty of the Pope (Holy See) over the area, measuring about 110 acres.
On February 11, 1990in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, at age 71, was released from prison after serving 27 years of a life sentence on charges of attempting to overthrow the apartheid government. In April 1994, he was elected president in the first all-race elections.
On February 12 th 1809, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) the 16th U.S.
President was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He led the nation through the tumultuous Civil War, freed the slaves, composed the Gettysburg Address, and established Thanksgiving.
On February 17, 1909 Apache Chief Geronimo (1829-1909) died while in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He had led a small group of warriors on raids throughout Arizona and New Mexico. Caught once, he escaped. The U.S. Army then sent 5,000 men to recapture him.
Malcolm X (1925-1965) was shot and killed while delivering a speech in a ballroom in New York City on February 21, 1965. Malcolm X, was an African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement. He is best known for his staunch and controversial black racial advocacy, andfor time spent as the vocal spokesperson of the Nation of Islam.
Derek Jeter
