On This Day: 7 February

7 February in world history

• 2013The U.S. state of Mississippi officially certifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was formally ratified by Mississippi in 1995.
• 2001Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-98, carrying the Destiny laboratory module to the International Space Station.
• 1992The Maastricht Treaty, which led to the formation of the European Union, was signed by the member states of the European Communities.
• 1991The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army shelled 10 Downing Street with mortars in a failed attempt to assassinate British prime minister John Major.
• 1984During the Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-B, astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart performed the first untethered spacewalk.
• 1964The Beatles land in the United States for the first time, at the newly renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport.
• 1948Neil Harvey became the youngest Australian to score a century in Test cricket.
• 1943World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal campaign.
• 1940Walt Disney's Pinocchio, the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award, debuted at the Center Theatre in New York City.
• 1904The Great Baltimore Fire begins in Baltimore, Maryland; it destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
• 1898Dreyfus affair: Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J'Accuse...!
• 1842Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
• 1819Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles leaves Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
• 1813Napoleonic Wars: Two evenly matched frigates, the French Aréthuse and the British Amelia, battled to a stalemate at the Îles de Los off the Guinean coast.
• 1812The strongest in a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri.
• 1807Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon finds Bennigsen's Russian forces taking a stand at Eylau. After bitter fighting, the French take the town, but the Russians resume the battle the next day.
• 1783American Revolutionary War: After three years and seven months, Spain and France abandoned their attempt to capture Gibraltar from the British.
• 1497Supporters of the Dominican preacher Girolamo Savonarola collected and publicly burned thousands of vanity items such as cosmetics, art and books in Florence, Italy.

Born on 7 February

• 1979Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1964Ashok Banker, Indian journalist, author, and screenwriterIndia
• 1908Manmath Nath Gupta, Indian journalist and author (died 2000)India
• 1887Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (died 1983)
• 1500João de Castro, viceroy of Portuguese India (died 1548)India
• 1102Empress Matilda, Holy Roman Empress and claimant to the English throne (probable; (died 1167)

Died on 7 February

• 2015Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (born 1931)
• 2015Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and author (born 1934)
• 1937Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1845)
• 1864Vuk Karadžić, Serbian philologist and linguist (born 1787)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 7 February in history?

2013: The U.S. state of Mississippi officially certifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was formally ratified by Mississippi in 1995. 2001: Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-98, carrying the Destiny laboratory module to the International Space Station. 1992: The Maastricht Treaty, which led to the formation of the European Union, was signed by the member states of the European Communities. 1991: The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army shelled 10 Downing Street with mortars in a failed attempt to assassinate British prime minister John Major.

Which famous people were born on 7 February?

Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (1979); Ashok Banker, Indian journalist, author, and screenwriter (1964); Manmath Nath Gupta, Indian journalist and author (died 2000) (1908); Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (died 1983) (1887).

Which day is observed on 7 February?

Independence Day (Grenada), celebrates the independence of Grenada from the United Kingdom in 1974.; National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States).