This Day In History

On February 9, 1825, John Quincy Adams was elected president of the United States even though he had not won a majority of the electoral vote. The unusual outcome exposed deep political divisions and set the stage for one of the most contested elections in early American history.

On February 8, 1960, construction began on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Walk has expanded over time and now stretches along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. Today there are over 2,600 stars.

James Hubert “Eubie” Blake was born on February 7, 1887, in Baltimore, Maryland, at a moment when American music was on the verge of transformation. From those beginnings emerged a composer and pianist who would help shape ragtime, jazz, and Broadway for generations to come.

On February 6, 1959, Texas Instruments engineer Jack Kilby filed the first patent for an integrated circuit, a modest document that described a bold new way to build electronics. That filing helped set in motion a shift from room-sized machines to pocket-sized devices that would unfold over the next several decades.

On February 9, 1825, John Quincy Adams was elected president of the United States even though he had not won a majority of the electoral vote. The unusual outcome exposed deep political divisions and set the stage for one of the most contested elections in early American history.

On January 30, 1835, a gunshot was meant to change American history—but it didn’t. That winter day, outside the US Capitol, an unemployed house painter named Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, marking the first known assassination attempt against a sitting US president.

Neysa McMein, born on January 24, 1888, helped shape how America saw itself during the early 20th century through powerful images that appeared everywhere from magazines to movie studios. Her art captured modern beauty, wartime patriotism, and celebrity culture at a moment when illustration defined public life.

On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy took the oath of office on a cold Washington day, while the nation witnessed something entirely new at a presidential inauguration. Standing beside the youthful new president was Robert Frost, America’s most famous living poet, marking the first time poetry became part of the inaugural ceremony.

On February 10, 1807, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation to establish the United States Survey of the Coast. This later became the US Coast and Geodetic Survey and eventually the National Geodetic Survey.

Lon Chaney Jr. was born Creighton Tull Chaney on February 10, 1906, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory. He gained fame for portraying horror characters such as the Wolfman, Frankenstein, and the Mummy, but he broke out of that mold later in his career to explore other genres.

On February 10, 1941, the first Highway Post Office began service in the United States. These Highway Post Offices provided mail service to areas that didn’t have passenger train service to bring in the mail.

William Allen White was born on February 10, 1868, in Emporia, Kansas.  A newspaper editor, politician and author, he was considered “the most loved and most distinguished member” of the Kansas press.