The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified on February 3, 1870 allowing suffrage for black Americans. The new constitutional right which had been passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, was another step in the struggle for equality that would continue for more than a century before African Americans could fully participate in American public and civic life. More
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What Happened in February?
Emperor ascensions, legendary battles, and assassinations. Discover what happened this month in history. Explore pivotal events from February that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Hiram R. Revels, a Republican minister from Mississippi, becomes the first African American to serve in either chamber of the U.S. Congress He was sworn in on February 25, 1870, to fill the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis. He served until March 1871.
Rhodes faced intense opposition from Democrats who argued he was not a citizen, his seating marked a significant milestone. He went on to become the first president of Alcorn State University. More
University College London becomes the first university in England to admit women.
The U.S. Patent No. 200,521 for the phonograph is awarded to Thomas Edison on February 19, 1878. The first machine capable of recording and reproducing sound used a tinfoil-wrapped cylinder to record sound vibrations. The inaugural recording was "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
Edison and his mechanic, John Kruesi, developed the device in 1877 and Edison applied for the patent on December 24, 1877. The device used a stylus to engrave sound vibrations as indentations onto a rotating cylinder covered in tinfoil. To reproduced the sounds, a needle traced the grooves and reproduced the sounds. The invention eventually led to the music recording industry.
The world's first telephone directory is published by the New Haven District Telephone Company on February 21, 1878, listing 50 subscribers but no numbers, as operators manually connected calls. The single page grew into a pamphlet with usage tips and ads, marking a significant step in telecommunications history.
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Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is published in the U.S. on February 18, 1885. It had been first published on December 10, 1884 in the United Kingdom and Canada.
The book was written in vernacular English with open discussions about slavery and racism it the South, before the Civil War. It was controversial for its time but celebrated by most who read it.
The Washington monument is formally dedicated on February 21, 1885, one day before George Washington's 153rd birthday. President Chester A. Arthur presided over the ceremony. More
Reportedly, the first "official" Groundhog day event takes place on February 2, 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the Gobbler's Knob part of town. People have gathered there annually for the event to see if a groundhog ("Punxsutawney Phil"), sees his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter and If he didn't, it means spring was approaching.
Groundhog Day's roots are traced back to the 4th century Christian holiday of Candlemas, which was also based around predicting the weather; people brought candles to church to be blessed in hopes of gracing households through the rest of winter. Fair, bright weather on Candlemas meant that winter would linger, while clouds suggested that spring was on the way—an idea echoed in songs dating to the 1500s.
Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème premiers on February 1, 1896, at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. It was conducted by Arturo Toscanini. The opening night audience gave it a polite reception. Since then, the four-act opera based on Henri Murger's novel has become one of the most frequently performed and enduring classics in operatic history.
Oscar Wilde's play "Salomé" is premiered on February 11, 1896, at the Théâtre de l'Œuvre in Paris,. The one-act play debuted while Wilde was imprisoned in England, following a ban on his 1892 London production due to its depiction of Biblical characters. The performance was viewed as a protest against English censorship.
Alfred L. Cralle, is granted a patent for the first ice cream scoop, on February 2, 1897. Cralle, an African American businessman and inventor noticed ice cream servers having difficulty getting the confection into the cone since the ice cream tended to stick to spoons and ladles, requiring the server to use two hands and at least two separate implements to serve customers.
The invention solved a real problem and spread so quickly that people soon forgot or never knew, Cralle as the inventor, so he was able to profit from his invention. More
The British invasion of the Kingdom of Benin, a powerful, highly organized West African state in modern-day Nigeria, begins on February 9, 1897. The operation was named the Benin Punitive Expedition and part of its objectives was to capture the Benin Oba.
The British invasion force of about 1,200 Royal Marines, sailors and Niger Coast Protectorate Forces. eventually captured Benin City on February 18, 1897 and went on to burn it, sacked the palace, looting over 2,500 bronze, ivory, and wood artifacts, which were then taken to Britain. Benin, was absorbed into the British Niger Coast Protectorate and eventually into British colonial Nigeria. More
The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing over 260 American crew members. While blamed on a Spanish mine, modern investigations suggest an internal coal bunker fire triggered the blast. Spanish - American War Historical Timeline
The event spurred public and media demand for war, resulting in the United States Congress declaring war on Spain on April 25, 1898, stating that a de facto state of war had existed since April 21, 1898. Spanish - American War Historical Time Line
The United States Senate ratifies the Treaty of Paris, on February 6, 1899, by a margin of only one vote, officially ending the Spanish-American War.
The Treaty had been formally signed in Paris on December 10, 1898; it granted independence to Cuba, while ceding Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. Prior to that, on August 12, 1898, an armistice had been signed by the U.S. and Spain, bringing an end to the actual fighting in the war. Spanish - American War Historical Timeline
J.P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation on February 25, 1901, by merging Carnegie Steel Company with Federal Steel Company and others; creating the worlds first billion-dollar corporation, controlling two-thirds of U.S. steel production.
The first "Teddy bear" goes on sale on February 15, 1903. Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the stuffed bear was designed by Rose Michtom, wife of Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who owned a candy shop where the first Teddy bear went on sale. More
Japan launches a surprise attack on the night of February 8, 1904, against the Russian-held Port Arthur, along the coast of Manchuria, The assault, launched without a formal declaration of war, began the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).
Russia faced many defeats as it battled Japan while also fighting a revolution on the home front. In September 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt negotiates peace between the two countries, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize. More
Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, premiered at La Scala in Milan on February 17, 1904. The initial performance was a major failure, receiving hissing, and jeering from the audience. The opera was heavily revised by Puccini and went on to become one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas.
1909, February 12 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. More
Pu Yi, the last Qing dynasty Emperor of China, is forced to abdicate, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only six years old at the time, was allowed to keep up his residence in Beijing’s Forbidden City, and he took the name of Henry Pu Yi. More