Eighth Winter Olympic Games
On February 18, 1960, the eighth Winter Olympic Games opened in Squaw Valley, California. They were the first Winter Games held in the US since 1932.
This Day in History
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The Yellow Kid – Ground-breaking Comic Strip
On February 17, 1895, The Yellow Kid comic strip was first printed in the New York World. It was one of the first consistent Sunday comic strips, influenced the style of future comics, and was the namesake of “yellow journalism!”
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Happy Birthday Harold Arlen
Composer Harold Arlen was born Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905, in Buffalo, New York. He composed over 500 songs during his lifetime, including “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
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Happy Birthday to Richard Allen
Minister, writer, and educator Richard Allen was born on February 14, 1760, in the Colony of Delaware. He went on to found the first independent black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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Founding of the NAACP
On February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in New York City. It’s America’s oldest and largest civil rights group.
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America’s First Bicycle Club
On February 11, 1878, the Boston Bicycle Club (BBiC) was founded. It was the first bicycle club in the US and it organized the first bicycle race in the country, among many other firsts.
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Happy Birthday, Alfred “Chief” Anderson
Happy Birthday to Alfred “Chief” Anderson. Called the Father of Black Aviation, he was a trailblazer who set many records and trained the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
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Happy Birthday Chester Carlson
By the time Carlson was eight years old, both of his parents were sick, which left him responsible with working to support the family. In his teens, he would work two or three hours before school, and then several more hours after classes finished for the day.
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First U.S. Aerial Victory
On February 5, 1918, US pilot Stephen W. Thompson shot down a German aircraft, making him the first person in the American military to shoot down an enemy plane.
