On This Day: 6 February

6 February in Indian history

• 1819British official Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, establishing Singapore as a trading post for the East India Company.India

6 February in world history

• 2023Two earthquakes measuring Mww 7.8 and 7.5 struck near the border between Turkey and Syria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme). The earthquakes resulted in numerous aftershocks and a death toll of 57,658 people.
• 2018SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, a super heavy launch vehicle, makes its maiden flight.
• 1996Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.
• 1996Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 people on board. This is the deadliest aviation accident involving a Boeing 757.
• 1958The aircraft carrying the Manchester United football team crashed while attempting to take off from Munich-Riem Airport in West Germany, killing 8 players and 23 people in total (news reel featured).
• 1952Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
• 1934Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.
• 1922Representatives from France, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom signed the Washington Naval Treaty, agreeing to limits on naval construction in the hopes of preventing an arms race.
• 1919World War I: More than 65,000 workers in Seattle began a five-day general strike to gain higher wages after two years of wage controls in the United States.
• 1899Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.
• 1865Finland established its modern system of secular municipalities, separate from church parishes.
• 1862Union forces earned one of their first important victories in the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Henry in western Tennessee.
• 1851The largest Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history take place in the state of Victoria.
• 1843The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
• 1840Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.
• 1806Napoleonic Wars: A British naval squadron captured or destroyed five French ships of the line at the Battle of San Domingo in the Caribbean Sea.
• 590Vistahm and Vinduyih deposed their brother-in-law Hormizd IV, King of Kings of the Sasanian Empire.

Born on 6 February

• 1983S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1915Kavi Pradeep, Indian poet and songwriter (died 1998)India
• 1908Edward Lansdale, American general and CIA agent (died 1987)
• 1879Magnús Guðmundsson, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Iceland (died 1937)
• 1874Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (died 1937)India
• 1872Robert Maillart, Swiss engineer, designed the Salginatobel Bridge and Schwandbach Bridge (died 1940)

Died on 6 February

• 2021George Shultz, American politician, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Labor (born 1920)
• 1976Ritwik Ghatak, Bangladeshi-Indian director and screenwriter (born 1925)India
• 1931Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (born 1861)India
• 1140Thurstan, Archbishop of York

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 6 February in history?

2023: Two earthquakes measuring Mww 7.8 and 7.5 struck near the border between Turkey and Syria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme). The earthquakes resulted in numerous aftershocks and a death toll of 57,658 people. 2018: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, a super heavy launch vehicle, makes its maiden flight. 1996: Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest. 1996: Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 people on board. This is the deadliest aviation accident involving a Boeing 757.

What happened on 6 February in Indian history?

1819: British official Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, establishing Singapore as a trading post for the East India Company.

Which famous people were born on 6 February?

S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer (1983); Kavi Pradeep, Indian poet and songwriter (died 1998) (1915); Edward Lansdale, American general and CIA agent (died 1987) (1908); Magnús Guðmundsson, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Iceland (died 1937) (1879).

Which day is observed on 6 February?

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (United Nations); Ronald Reagan Day (California, United States); Sami National Day (Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden); Waitangi Day, celebrates the founding of New Zealand in 1840..