February 8 holidays in 2020

Historical Events on February 8

• 1837: Richard Johnson is chosen as the Vice President of the U.S by the United States Senate – become the first vice president to be chosen in this manner.
• 1865: The state of Delaware refuses to ratify the 13^th However, the requisite number of states required to ratify the 13^th Amendment was reached on December 6, 1865.
• 1879: Universal Standard Time is first proposed by Sandford Fleming at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.
• 1910: William D. Boyce incorporates the Boy Scouts of America.
• 1915: The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith premiers in L.A.
• 1922: The first radio set is brought into the White House by U.S. President Warren G. Harding.
• 1924: Nevada performs the first gas chamber execution in the United States on this day.
• 1942: Singapore is invaded by Imperial Japanese forces during WWII.
• 1942: To avoid the capture of Banjarmasin, South Borneo by Japanese forces, the Dutch Colonial Army General Destruction Unit burns the city to the ground.
• 1971: In an attempt to stop infiltration by the communist and to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail, South Vietnamese forces launch an attack into Laos.
• 1974: The crew of Skylab 4 returns to Earth after 84-days in space.
• 1996: The Communications Decency Act was passed by the United States Congress.

Famous Birthdays on February 8

• American General William Tecumseh Sherman is born in 1820.
• French author and poet, Jules Verne is born in 1828.
• American author Kate Chopin is born in 1850.
• American actress Lana Turner is born in 1921.
• American actress Audrey Meadows is born in 1922.
• American actor Jack Lemmon is born in 1925.
• American actor James Dean is born in 1931.
• American actress Mary Steenburgen is born in 1953.
• American author and lawyer, John Grisham is born in 1955.
• American actor Gary Coleman is born in 1968.