1709 British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued by William Dampier after being marooned alone on an island in the South Pacific for four years, inspiring Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe"
1793 France declares war on Great Britain and Netherlands
1842 1st adhesive postage stamps in US isssued, by Alexander Greig's City Despatch Post company, in New York City
1861 Texas secedes from the Union (which precipitates the American Civil War)
1884 First volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, is published
1897 1st auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Company
1914 Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play a 10-inning, 3-3 tie in Cairo, Egypt in an exhibition MLB game; part of special 56-game world tour
1920 1st commercial armored car introduced in St Paul, Minnesota (they could use it today)
1950 Green Bay Packers founder, player and coach Curly Lambeau resigns after 31 seasons and 6 NFL titles to his credit
1951 -50°F in Gavilan, New Mexico (state record)
1972 Reprise Records releases "Harvest", the 4th studio album by Neil Young; becomes best selling album in US, 1972
1982 "Late Night With David Letterman" debuts on NBC-TV; Bill Murray is his first guest
1985 -61°F (-52°C), Maybell, Colorado (state record)
1985 -69°F (-56°C), Peter's Sink, Utah (state record)
2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard
2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII, Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX: New England Patriots beat Carolina Panthers, 32-29; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB
2009 Super Bowl XLIII, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23
2015 Super Bowl XLIX, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ: New England Patriots beat Seattle Seahawks, 28-24; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB
2021 Wisdom the albatross, the world's oldest known bird, hatches a chick at 70 at the Midway Atoll national wildlife refuge, North Pacific( still dropping bombs at Midway)