On This Day February 6th

 OTD

February 6th is the Thirty-seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 328 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of his brother Charles II.

1694 – The warrior queen Dandara, leader of the runaway slaves in Quilombo dos Palmares, Brazil, is captured and commits suicide rather than be returned to a life of slavery.

1778 – American Revolutionary War: In Paris, the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce were signed by the United States and France, signaling official recognition of the new republic.

1819 – The Treaty of Singapore was signed by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Hussein Shah of Johor, and Temenggong Abdul Rahman, and it is now recognized as the founding of modern Singapore.[8]

1851 – Victoria's most significant Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history occur.

1918 – British women over 30 who meet minimum property qualifications get the right to vote when Parliament passes the Representation of the People Act 1918.

1952 – Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon her father's death, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.

1959 – Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.

1988 – Michael Jordan makes his signature slam dunk from the free throw line, inspiring Air Jordan and the Jump Man logo.

1998 – Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

 

Birthdays

1612 – Antoine Arnauld, French mathematician, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1694)

1756 – Aaron Burr, American colonel and politician, 3rd Vice President of the United States (d. 1836)

1802 – Charles Wheatstone, English-French physicist and cryptographer (d. 1875)

1845 – Isidor Straus, German-American businessman and politician (d. 1912)

1895 – Babe Ruth, American baseball player and coach (d. 1948)

1911 – Ronald Reagan, American actor and politician, 40th President of the United States (d. 2004)

1927 – Gerard K. O'Neill, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1992)

1945 – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)

1962 – Axl Rose, American singer-songwriter and producer

 

Holiday Spotlight

SAMI NATIONAL DAY

  On February 6, 1917, Northern and Southern Sámi came together for the first time for a joint meeting in Trondheim, Norway. Historically crucial, the common concerns of the community were shared and addressed as they worked together to find solutions. The latest statistics estimate that 80,000 Sami people are spread across the four countries — 50,000 in Norway, 20,000 in Sweden, 8,000 in Finland, and 2,000 in Russia.

 Sami National Day was created during the 15th Sami conference in Helsinki in 1992. As a combined minority of four countries, Sami people were looked down upon at one point in history. Many laws were forced upon them to mold them with the general population. This led to a need to establish a dedicated day to appreciate them. The first Sámi National Day was observed on February 6, 1993. At the same time, the United Nations proclaimed the opening of the International Year of Indigenous People in Sweden.

 Ever since, this holiday has been celebrated grandly by the Sami people residing in Norway. The Sami flag is seen everywhere, and the Sami language is used to chant sing songs, and the national anthem.

 

Other Include

African American Coaches Day

Canadian Maple Syrup Day

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

International Frozen Yogurt Day

Lame Duck Day

National Chopsticks Day

Pay a Compliment Day

Ronald Reagan Day