February 22
Spanish minister Do Luis de Onis and U.S. secretary of state John Quincy Adams sign the Florida Purchase Treaty, in which Spain agrees to cede the remainder of its old province of Florida to the United States. – 1819.
In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic Games history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending Gold-Medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team, 4-3, before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeat Finland, 4-2, to clinch the hockey Gold Medal. – 1980.
February 23
During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division take the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island’s highest peak and most strategic position, and raise the U.S. flag. Marine photographer Louis Lowery was with them and recorded the event. – 1945.
February 24
The U.S. House of Representatives votes 11 articles of impeachment against president Andrew Johnson, nine of which cite Johnson’s removal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The House vote made president Johnson the first president to be impeached in U.S. history. – 1868.
The U.S. Supreme Court votes 8-0 to overturn the $200,000 settlement awarded to the Reverend Jerry Falwell for his emotional distress at being parodied in Hustler, a pornographic magazine. – 1988.
Russia invades Ukraine in a special military operation. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, espoused irredentist views and challenged Ukraine’s right to statehood, and falsely claimed that Ukraine was governed by neo-Nazis who persecuted the ethnic Russian minority. – 2022
February 25
The U.S. Congress passes the Legal Tender Act, which authorizes the use of paper notes to pay the government’s bills. It ended the long-standing policy of using only gold or silver in transactions, and it allowed the government to finance the enormously costly Civil War long after its gold and silver reserves were depleted. – 1862.
A 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston, who had twice demolished former champ Floyd Patterson in one round, was an 8-to-1 favorite. However, Clay predicted victory and boasted that he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and knock out Liston in the eighth round. – 1964.
February 26
On this day, two national parks were established in the United States 10 years apart: The Grand Canyon in 1919 and the Grand Tetons in 1929. – 1919 and 1929.
A bomb explodes in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center in New York City. Six individuals are killed and 1,000 are injured by the powerful blast. – 1993.
A 20-week strike by 70,000 southern California supermarket workers ends, with both sides claiming victory. – 2004.
Trayvon Martin, an African-American teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, is fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer patrolling the townhouse community of the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Fla.. Zimmerman later claimed to have shot the unarmed 17-year-old out of self-defense during a physical altercation. After police initially opted not to arrest Zimmerman, the case sparked protests and ignited national debates about racial profiling and self-defense laws. Zimmerman later was charged with second-degree murder; following a high-profile trial. He was acquitted of the charges against him. – 2012.
February 27
A group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, La. to mark the beginning of the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebrations. – 1827.
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides for female suffrage, is unanimously declared constitutional by the eight members of the U.S. Supreme Court. The 19th Amendment, which states “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” -1922.
February 28
Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Frances H.C. Crick announce that they have determined the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes. – 1953.
Pope Benedict XVI officially resigns is position as Pope by citing advanced age as the reason for giving up his post as the leader of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church. Benedict was the first pontiff to relinquish power in 600 years. – 2013.