This day in history: 6 february

Europa

• 1952: Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne following the death of her father, King George VI. This marked the beginning of her historic reign, which became the longest in British history by 2015.
• 1685: James II of England and VII of Scotland was proclaimed king after the death of his brother, Charles II.
• 1918: The British Parliament passed the Representation of the People Act, granting women over 30 the right to vote.
• 1958: The Munich air disaster occurred, in which seven Manchester United footballers died after their plane crashed in Munich, Germany, following a European Cup match.
• 2017: Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne.
• 2022: The Queen marked her Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years as monarch.
• 1934: The “6 February 1934 crisis” took place in Paris. Far-right leagues organized anti-parliamentary demonstrations that turned violent near the French National Assembly. The riots resulted in 17 deaths and over 2,000 injuries. This event was a major political crisis for the French Third Republic, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Édouard Daladier and the formation of a new government. The crisis also spurred the creation of anti-fascist organizations and contributed to the eventual leftist Popular Front alliance in 1936.
• 1989: The Round Table Talks began, marking the start of negotiations between the communist government and the Solidarity movement. These talks were pivotal in the peaceful transition from communism to democracy in Poland and influenced similar changes across Eastern Europe.
• 1649: The Parliament of Scotland declared Charles II as King of Great Britain, though this was not recognized by the English or Irish parliaments.
• 1665: Birth of Queen Anne, the last Stuart ruler of Britain, who played a key role in the union of the English and Scottish parliaments in 1707.
• 1804: Death of Joseph Priestley, the English chemist credited with discovering oxygen.
• 1918: Death of Gustav Klimt, influential Austrian painter and graphic artist.

America

• 1778: The United States and France signed the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in Paris, marking France’s official recognition of the United States and providing crucial military support during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1788: Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
• 1862: During the American Civil War, Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant achieved their first major victory by capturing Fort Henry in Tennessee.
• 1899: The U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the Spanish-American War and transferring control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States.
• 1933: The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted, changing the dates for the presidential inauguration and the opening of Congress.
• 1951: A major train accident occurred when “The Broker,” a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train, derailed in New Jersey, killing 85 and injuring over 500—one of the worst rail disasters in U.S. history.
• 1982: Civil rights workers began a march from Carrolton to Montgomery, Alabama, continuing the legacy of the civil rights movement.
• 1935: The “Monopoly” board game went on sale for the first time in the United States.
• 1943: Frank Sinatra made his debut on radio’s “Your Hit Parade”.

Asia

• In 743 AD, Hisham ibn Abdul-Malik, the 10th Umayyad caliph, died after ruling an empire that stretched from Spain in the west to the borders of China and India in the east. His death marked the beginning of the end for the Umayyad dynasty, which would fall just seven years later.
• 1819: Sir Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, formally establishing Singapore as a British trading post. This event laid the foundation for modern Singapore and had a major impact on the region’s colonial and economic history.
• 1904: The Russo-Japanese War began, with Japanese forces launching attacks against Russian positions in China and Korea. This conflict marked a turning point in Asian and global power dynamics, as Japan emerged as a major military force.
• 1959: Anna Chandy became the first female judge appointed to a High Court in India, a milestone in the advancement of women’s rights and representation in the Indian judiciary.
• 1890: Birth of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a prominent Indian and later Pakistani independence activist known for his nonviolent opposition to British rule.
• 2021: In Myanmar, an ambush by suspected MNDAA insurgents in Shan State killed nine civilians and three policemen, highlighting the ongoing internal conflict in the country.
• Also in 2021, demonstrations against the Myanmar military coup were held across East Asia, including in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, reflecting regional solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar.
• 2010: In Pakistan, the Taliban blew up a girls’ school, underscoring ongoing challenges to education and security in parts of the country.
• 2023: A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and widespread destruction. While Turkey is geographically part of both Asia and Europe, the majority of the devastation occurred on the Asian side.

Africa

• International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: This United Nations observance, held annually on February 6, aims to raise awareness and promote action against female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice affecting millions of women and girls, particularly in parts of Africa.
• First Organized African American Emigration to Africa (1820): On this day, the first group of nearly 90 free Black Americans set sail from the United States aboard the “Mayflower of Liberia” to what is now Liberia. This marked the beginning of organized emigration efforts by the American Colonization Society, which sought to establish a colony for freed African Americans in West Africa.
• Zulu-Boer Relations (1838): Zulu King Dingane signed a treaty with Piet Retief, leader of the Voortrekkers, granting land between the Tugela and Umzimvubu rivers. However, at a farewell event, Retief and his party were killed on Dingane’s orders, an event that had significant repercussions in South African history.
• Battles of the Anglo-Boer War: February 6 saw continued fighting between the British and Boer forces, including the Battle of Vaalkrans (1900) and the Battle of Chrissiesmeer (1901), both significant in the context of South Africa’s colonial conflicts.
• Liberian Civil War: The Liberian civil war saw ongoing chaos and violence on this date in some years, reflecting the broader instability that has affected parts of the continent.