View Historical Events by Day:
Christopher Columbus successfully uses his knowledge of an upcoming total lunar eclipse on February 29, 1504 to secure provisions from the local Taino people while stranded in Jamaica. Telling them that the Moon would disappear on the night of February 29 as a sign of divine displeasure.
The first warrant of the Salem Witch Trials was issued on February 29, 1692, for the arrest of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, as they are accused of witchcraft in Salem Village, Massachusetts.
Over the next year, over 200 people were accused of witchcraft, and 20 were executed, with 19 being hanged and one being pressed to death. The trials eventually came to an end in early 1693, with the governor eventually pardoning those who had been convicted. More
The National Assembly elected by Czech and Slovak leaders adopts a new democratic constitution on February 29,1920, taking another step toward the consolidation of the two states into Czechoslovakia.
In 1989, the peaceful "Velvet Revolution" ended the country's communist regime and re-established a multiparty democracy. However, instead of unifying the nation, the disagreements between the Czech and Slovak leaders intensified. Following the 1992 elections, the leaders of the Czech and Slovak parliaments negotiated an end to the federation. The Federal Assembly officially voted to dissolve the country in November 1992 and a peaceful split became effective on January 1, 1993, with Czechoslovakia being replaced by two independent sovereign states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
