ABLE TO LEAP YEARS IN A SINGLE BOUND!

February 29 in history:

No wonder Superman can leap over tall buildings.  He’s a leap year baby, according to DC Comics.  For the 50th anniversary of Superman comics in 1988, DC declared that the day baby Kal-el was born on Krypton happened to be February 29th on Earth.  On February 29th of ’88, a Superman birthday special hosted by Dana Carvey aired on CBS.

In 2011, actor Sean Penn was mentioned as a possible candidate to play Kal-el’s father Jor-el in a future Superman movie.  Penn won his first Best Actor Oscar for the movie Mystic River at the Academy Awards on February 29th, 2004.  The Best Actress winner that night was Charlize Theron for the film Monster, where she played real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos.  Coincidentally, Wuornos was born on February 29th of 1956.

February 29th also was Oscar night in Hollywood in 1940, when Gone With the Wind won for best picture, best actress, and best supporting actress.  Hattie McDaniel won that last award, becoming the first African-American performer to earn an Oscar for acting.  The Wizard of Oz was honored for best original score, and best song, “Over the Rainbow.”

MILITARY FACT AND FICTION

February 28th in history:

The Persian Gulf War ended on February 28th, 1991 – less than two months after U.S. troops began the invasion to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control.

The Navy ship USS Princeton was the site of a deadly explosion on this date in 1844. President John Tyler and members of his cabinet were aboard the Princeton on the Potomac River when a cannon exploded during a demonstration. Tyler was not hurt, but the blast killed Secretary of State Abel Upshur and the Secretary of the Navy, among others.

The name “Princeton” was also used on an aircraft carrier that served in the Korean War. On February 28th, 1983, over 100 million people watched the finale of the TV series “M*A*S*H.” It was a movie-length episode in which the Korean War ended. “M*A*S*H” lasted 11 years — longer than the combined total of the Korean War, the Gulf War, and the Tyler Administration.

SO, YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT

February 27th in history:

Historians believe a speech by Abraham Lincoln on this day in 1860 gave him a major boost toward the presidency. Lincoln impressed an audience with an address at the Cooper Union hall in New York City, raising his national profile.

If Lincoln had not been shot during his second term, he could have run for as many terms as he liked. There was nothing in the Constitution to stop him — until February 27th, 1951, when the 22nd Amendment was ratified. That amendment was passed after Franklin Roosevelt was elected president four times. It says a president can be elected to no more than two terms — or just one full term, if he or she took over for another president who had served less than half a term.

February 27th is the birthday of two men who have run for president: consumer advocate Ralph Nader (1934) and former Texas Governor John Connally (1917). Also, the birthday of a recent White House resident, Chelsea Clinton (1980).

LOUISIANA PURCHASE, PRETTY GOOD DEAL

February 26th in history:

On February 26th, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. He soon returned to power in France before being defeated at Waterloo that same year.

Napoleon sold the Louisiana territory to the United States in 1803. Louisiana became the home of Dixieland music, and on this date in 1917, the Original Dixieland Jass Band made the first jazz recording for the Victor Company.

February 26th is the birthday of two men associated with the expansion of the American West, resulting from the Louisiana Purchase: “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846) and jeans maker Levi Strauss (1829).

 

BIG BUSINESS, BIG WEAPONS

February 25th in history:

The U.S. Steel corporation was founded on February 25th, 1901. Businessmen J.P. Morgan, Elbert Gary and Andrew Carnegie combined smaller steel companies into one large firm.

A patent on this date in 1836 for another well-known name in business: inventor Samuel Colt received the patent for the Colt Revolver.

Cassius Clay was armed with powerful weapons — his fists — when he went into the ring with heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston at Miami on February 25th, 1964. After six rounds, Liston had had enough, and Clay became the surprise champ by TKO. Clay declared himself “the greatest,” and became known as Muhammad Ali.

PRINCESSES, PARADES AND HOLIDAYS

February 24th in history:

There was celebration in England on this date in 1981, as 32-year-old Prince Charles announced his engagement to 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer. The royal wedding happened that July, making Diana the Princess of Wales.

The duties of many festival princesses include riding on floats in a parade. There were no floats in U.S. parades until February 24th, 1868, when a float was introduced at a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans.

Mardi Gras is celebrated on the day before the start of Lent. The Gregorian calendar, announced on February 24th, 1582, made changes in how the dates of Lent and Easter are determined every year. The calendar also declared that some years ending in “00″ would not be leap years.

THE PRINTED PAGE

February 23rd in history:

Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press and movable type made mass production of books popular. The first mass printing of the Gutenberg Bible began on February 23rd, 1455.

The power of the press was demonstrated in the Dreyfus Affair in France.  On this date in 1898, author Emile Zola was convicted of libel for writing a newspaper letter headlined “J’accuse!”  Zola accused leaders of the French Army of falsely convicting officer Alfred Dreyfus for spying, partly because Dreyfus was Jewish.  As a result of the letter and Zola’s trial, the Dreyfus case was reopened, and Dreyfus eventually was freed from prison and exonerated.

“The Life of Emile Zola” took the Oscar for Best Picture of 1937, defeating two movies by director Victor Fleming…”Captains Courageous,” and “The Good Earth.”  Fleming, born on February 23rd, 1889, had better luck in the 1939 Oscar race, as director of both
“Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz.”  Fleming was named Best Director for “Gone With The Wind,” which also won Best Picture.

LEGENDS OF SPORTS

February 22nd in history:

The very first Daytona 500 auto race was run February 22nd, 1959 at Daytona Beach, Florida. The first champ of Daytona was 44-year-old Lee Petty.

Another legendary sports event happened on this date in 1980: the “Miracle on Ice,” in which the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team surprised the world by beating the Soviets, 4-3, in the semi-final round of the Winter Games. The Americans went on to win the gold against Finland in the games at Lake Placid, New York.

In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth made history on February 22nd, 1879, by opening his first 5-and-10-cent store — sort of. That first store only sold merchandise for a nickel, and quickly folded. The 10-cent items were added at the next store Woolworth opened. The Woolworth company eventually became the sporting goods chain called Foot Locker.

PRESIDENTS AND STRUCTURES

February 21st in history:

Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China on February 21st, 1972. Nixon’s historic week-long visit included a stop at the Great Wall of China.

A different kind of structure was discovered on this date in 1953. February 21st was the date James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of a DNA molecule.

The Washington Monument was the world’s tallest structure when it was dedicated on February 21st, 1885, one day before George Washington’s birthday.  The monument is about 40 feet taller than the previous record-holder, the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

George Washington was once played by Kelsey Grammer in a TV movie about Benedict Arnold. Grammer is best known as Frasier Crane on “Frasier” and “Cheers,” and Sideshow Bob on “The Simpsons.” He was born February 21st, 1955.

SPIRITS AND HIGH FLYING

February 20th in history:

Congress was ready to end Prohibition in 1933. On February 20th of that year, members of Congress proposed the 21st Amendment, to repeal the 18th Amendment that banned liquor in the U.S. and led to the rise of gangsters such as Al Capone.

Chicago lawyer Edward Joseph O’Hare helped send Capone to prison. O’Hare’s son, Edward “Butch” O’Hare, became the first American flying ace of World War II on February 20th, 1942, by shooting down Japanese bombers over the Pacific. Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is named after Butch.

Twenty years later, on February 20th, 1962, John Glenn became a different type of flying ace. That was the day Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7.