This day in history: 9 february

Europa

• 1621: Gregory XV becomes Pope, marking the last time a Pope was elected by acclamation.
• 1654: The Capture of Fort Rocher occurs during the Anglo-Spanish War.
• 1667: The Andrusiv Armistice is concluded between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Muscovite Kingdom, resulting in Kyiv and Left Bank Ukraine coming under Russian control—an event that shaped the region’s future.
• 1788: Austria officially declares war on the Ottoman Empire, part of the broader European confrontation with Turkey.
• 1849: The Roman Republic is declared, marking the last Roman Republic in Western Mediterranean history.
• 1920: The Allies grant Spitsbergen to Norway (effective 1925), expanding Norwegian sovereignty.
• 1932: Finland abolishes Prohibition after a national referendum, with 70% voting for repeal.
• 1934: The Balkan Entente is formed between Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Turkey, aiming to ensure peace and cooperation in the Balkans.
• 1941: During World War II, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, is struck by a bomb that fails to detonate.
• 1945: In a rare submarine-to-submarine combat during World War II, the British submarine HMS Venturer sinks German U-boat U-864 off the coast of Norway.
• 1893: The world’s first public striptease takes place at Paris’s Moulin Rouge, ending in the dancer’s arrest but increasing public interest in the art form.
• 1897: The Russian Empire conducts its first general population census, counting 126.4 million people, including 22.6 million Ukrainians.

America

• 1773: William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States, was born in Virginia. He would later become known for his military leadership and for serving the shortest presidency in U.S. history.
• 1825: The U.S. House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as President after no candidate secured a majority in the Electoral College.
• 1861: Jefferson Davis was elected Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention in Montgomery, Alabama.
• 1870: The U.S. Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service) was established by an act of Congress.
• 1889: The U.S. Department of Agriculture was elevated to Cabinet-level status by President Grover Cleveland.
• 1895: Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in Massachusetts, originally called “Mintonette”.
• 1942: The U.S. reinstated year-round Daylight Saving Time (War Time) as a wartime energy conservation measure.
• 1943: The Battle of Guadalcanal ended with Allied victory, marking a turning point in the Pacific during World War II.
• 1950: Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered his infamous speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, claiming to have a list of communists in the State Department, sparking the era of “McCarthyism”.
• 1964: The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by a record-setting American TV audience of 73 million.
• 1971: The Sylmar earthquake struck the Los Angeles area, causing significant damage and loss of life.
• 1900: The Davis Cup tennis competition was established.
• 1960: The first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was awarded to Joanne Woodward.
• 1971: Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Asia

• 1757 – Treaty of Alinagar: Calcutta (now Kolkata) was officially restored to British control by Robert Clive after being seized by the Nawab of Bengal. This treaty paved the way for the British seizure of Bengal and was a major turning point in Indian and colonial history.
• 1234 – Fall of the Jin Dynasty: The Mongol army captured the city of Caizhou, ending the Jin dynasty in China. Emperor Ai-Tsung committed suicide rather than be captured, marking a critical moment in the Mongol conquests.
• 1942 – World War II in Southeast Asia: The Battle of Sarimbun Beach ended in Japanese victory as part of the larger Battle of Singapore, which was a pivotal moment in the Japanese campaign in Southeast Asia. The Battle of Kranji began, furthering Japanese advances in Singapore.
• 1943 – End of the Battle of Guadalcanal: Allied authorities declared Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuated its remaining forces from the island, ending a major campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II.
• 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Port Arthur began, marking the start of hostilities between Russia and Japan and signaling Japan’s emergence as a modern military power.
• 1885 – Japanese Emigration: The first group of Japanese government-approved immigrants arrived in Hawaii, beginning a significant chapter in Japanese diaspora history.

Africa

• 1955 – Forced Removals from Sophiatown, South Africa: On this day, the Native Resettlement Board began forcibly moving Black residents from Sophiatown, a vibrant Johannesburg community, to Meadowlands in Soweto. This was a major event in the apartheid regime’s policy of forced removals, leading to the destruction of one of South Africa’s most culturally significant neighborhoods.
• Langalibalele’s Banishment (South Africa): Langalibalele, a Hlubi chief who resisted colonial rule, was banished to Robben Island by British authorities. His exile became a symbol of resistance against colonial oppression.
• Cape Coloured Corps in World War I: The Cape Coloured Corps, a military unit of South Africans of mixed descent, departed to fight in World War I, highlighting the contributions of Africans in global conflicts.
• Birth of J.M. Coetzee (1940): Nobel laureate and acclaimed South African author J.M. Coetzee was born. His works have had a profound impact on literature and on the global understanding of South African society.