On This Day February 20th

 OTD

February 20th is the Fifty-first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 314 days remain until the end of the year.


Events

1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.

1521 – Juan Ponce de León sets out from Spain for Florida with about 200 prospective colonists.

1792 – The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, was signed by United States President George Washington.

1835 – The 1835 Concepción earthquake destroys Concepción, Chile.

1816 – Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.

1877 – Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake receives its premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

1909 – Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro.

1931 – The U.S. Congress approves the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge construction by the state of California.

1933 – The U.S. Congress approved the Blaine Act to repeal federal Prohibition in the United States, sending the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution to state ratifying conventions for approval.

1943 – The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms to support United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms.

1962 – Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, making three orbits in four hours and 55 minutes.

2003 – During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.


Birthdays

1469 – Thomas Cajetan, Italian philosopher (d. 1534)

1774 – Vicente Sebastián Pintado, Spanish cartographer, engineer, military officer, and land surveyor of Spanish Louisiana and Spanish West Florida (d. 1829)

1844 – Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1906)

1898 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, founder of Scuderia Ferrari and Ferrari (d. 1988)

1924 – Gloria Vanderbilt, American actress, fashion designer, and socialite (d. 2019)

1927 – Sidney Poitier, Bahamian American actor, director, and diplomat (d. 2022)

1946 – J. Geils, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)

1963 – Charles Barkley, American basketball player and sportscaster

1966 – Cindy Crawford, an American model and businesswoman

1983 – Justin Verlander, American baseball player

2000 – Josh Sargent, American soccer player

 

Holiday Spotlight

NO POLITICS DAY

The profession itself is eons old and is a vital and noble activity. Even Aristotle agreed — he viewed ethics and politics as intrinsically linked and thought that moral education was the primary purpose of the political community. The Founding Fathers themselves were many amazing things, including politicians, and this profession integrated thousands of immigrants and dreamer-seekers into the very fabric of American society.

Even so, politics and politicians are rarely regarded positively by people across the country. This is not limited to the U.S.; the sheen of this career is waning.

People believe governments are unresponsive to their problems, and many think politicians only cater to giant corporations. Youth across America feel they have no political power and cannot influence politicians’ decisions.

For this reason, this day was founded and established by Bob Matthews from Rochester, New York. Although this day remains unofficial, the celebration and sentiment behind this event remain.

 

Others Include.

Clean Out Your Bookcase Day

Love Your Pet Day

National Cherry Pie Day

National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Immigrants

National Handcuff Day

National Muffin Day

National Student Volunteer Day

Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day

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