Leo I becomes the Byzantine Emperor on February 7, 457 following the death of his predecessor Marcian, on January 27, 457. Leo I was the first Eastern emperor to be crowned by a patriarch (Anatolios), a shift from the previous Roman tradition of the legions acclaiming the emperor, setting a precedent for later coronations.
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What Happened Today in History on February 7
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on February 7th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Prussian Confederation is established to oppose the Teutonic Knights and seek autonomy within the Kingdom of Poland.
Pope Julius III, born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, is elected after a long and contentious conclave, following Paul III's death.
The Scottish ship, SS California , homeward-bound and approaching Ireland at full steam, was attacked by the German U-boat SM U-85 and sank in nine minutes, 38 miles off the coast of Ireland. More
President John F. Kennedy proclaimed an embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba, in response to certain actions taken by the Cuban Government, and directed the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury to implement the embargo, which remains in place today. More
The Beatles arrive in the United States for the first time, starting the "British Invasion" of music.
Navy captain Bruce McCandless II, on the Space Shuttle Challenger’s STS 41-B mission, becomes the first human being to do a spacewalk without a safety tether linked to a spacecraft. McCandless donned a backpack mobility device—the Manned Maneuvering Unit—and ventured about 320 ft (98 m) away from the vehicle, becoming the first human satellite. His solo ride lasted 1 hour and 22 minutes. More
The Treaty of Maastricht is signed, formally establishing the European Union, effective on November 1, 1993 with the EEC becoming the European Community (EC) "first pillar" of the newly formed EU, which encompassed the EC alongside other areas like foreign policy and justice.
In 2009, the Lisbon Treaty merged the EC into the EU, creating a unified legal framework and giving the EU a single legal personality as the EC formally ceased to exist. The six founding nations of the EU's predecessors, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), were Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. These nations signed treaties in the 1950s to create the ECSC (1951) and the EEC (1957) with the goal of fostering peace and economic integration, laying the groundwork for the modern European Union. More
Australian wildfires, known as "Black Saturday," claim the lives of 173 people injured over 400 and destroy thousands of homes. The fires which burned over 1.1 million acres, were caused by extreme heat and drought conditions, resulting in a state of emergency and subsequent government investigations
2014, February 7-23
The 2014 Winter Olympics are held in Sochi, Russia.