February 6th What Happened on the day you were born on This day in History
1964 England / France Channel Tunnel
6th February, 1964 : The British and French Governments announce commitment to build a tunnel under the English Channel. In 1984 Euro tunnel was selected to build the tunnel and The Channel Tunnel is finally opened in 1994. When completed The Channel Tunnel consists of three tunnels and is the longest undersea tunnel in the world, measuring 31 miles in total, with 24 miles under the sea.
6th February, 1964 : The British and French Governments announce commitment to build a tunnel under the English Channel. In 1984 Euro tunnel was selected to build the tunnel and The Channel Tunnel is finally opened in 1994. When completed The Channel Tunnel consists of three tunnels and is the longest undersea tunnel in the world, measuring 31 miles in total, with 24 miles under the sea.
1911 Great Britain Rolls-Royce Mascot
6th February, 1911 : On this day and year in history, the official Rolls-Royce Mascot has been chosen. It is a silver-winged animal called “The Spirit of Ecstasy”, and it is used as the Rolls hood ornament to this day.
1926 U.S.A. First Doughnut Making Machine
6th February, 1926 : In Dubuque, Iowa the first doughnut-making machine was launched by a company called Trausch Bakery.
1928 U.S.A. Anastasia Tchaikovsky
6th February, 1928 : Anastasia Tchaikovsky, the young woman who claimed to be the daughter of the late Russian Czar who was murdered had come to the United States. Reporters were skeptical of this claim because there had been about dozen other women who had made the same claim.
1937 U.S.A. “Rattlesnakes
6th February, 1937 : A report was printed on this day about the “Rattlesnake Scare”. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had housed a rattlesnake in a camp located about a half a mile from the rim of the Grand Canyon. During lunch time, a rattlesnake named Cleo had walked in to where some visitors where eating with CCC members.
The rattlesnake was de-fanged, but the visitors did not know this at first. Therefore, they ran out of the room as fast as they could.
1938 Australia Bondi Beach Freak Waves
6th February, 1938 : A series of freak waves strike Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The waves pull people back into the sea causing the death of 5 and a further 250 had to be rescued as they had been dragged hundreds of yards off shore. The day became tragically known as "Black Sunday" in Australia.
1943 U.S.A. Frank Sinatra
6th February, 1943 : Frank Sinatra makes his singing debut on the popular radio show “Your Hit Parade.” His career takes off after that and he eventually becomes one of the most respected vocalists of all time.
1943 World War II Dwight D. Eisenhower
6th February, 1943 : Lt. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the commander-in-chief of all allied forces in North Africa.
1950 West Germany Nazism
6th February, 1950 : West Germans had harshly criticized the allied countries on this day. The allied countries were the forces that fought against the Germans and other pro-Nazi armies during World War II, and the U.S. was one of those countries.
In response to West Germany’s Criticism, U.S. high commissioner John J. McCloy reprimanded the West Germans for their criticism. He also made it clear that Nazism would not rule again in that country.
McCloy also presented a nine-point plan for West Germany to follow. Part of this plan included the strong suggestion that Germans stop involving them selves too much in foreign affairs and take care of the problems in their own country.
1950 U.S.A. Strike
6th February, 1950 : Federal telephone negotiations were being made to postpone and/or end nationwide walkout planned for Wednesday 6 p.m. the same week. Earnest Weaver, president of the installment division of CIO Communications Workers of America, said the organization would consider a walkout postponement if their was something to be gained.
However, Weaver also mentioned that it would be impossible to call off a strike within 24 hours. Therefore, any decision to postpone the workers strike would have to be made before tomorrow (Tuesday).
This did not give federal negotiators much time to reach a decision. However, another meeting was scheduled for 2 p.m. that day. If the strike were to take place, it would involve 300,000 workers.
1951 U.S.A. Train Crash
6th February, 1951 : A commuter train, The Broker, derailed off a temporary trestle and slid down an embankment in Woodbridge, New Jersey, killing 85 and injuring many more.
1952 England King George V1 Dies
6th February, 1952 : King George V1 dies making Elizabeth II the Sovereign of Great Britain, The Future Queen of England heard the news while on a trip to Kenya .
1954 Germany Mercedes 300SL Coupe
6th February, 1954 : Mercedes introduced the 300SL coupe, the car is far advanced of anything else with its gull-wing doors a six-cylinder engine and a top speed of 155mph. Only 1,400 300SL coupes are ever produced but many consider it to be the most impressive sports car of the decade.
1958 Germany Manchester United Football Club Disaster
6th February, 1958 : A British European Airways flight crashes just after takeoff from Munich Airport. Eight players from the Manchester United soccer team together with 15 others died in the crash. The Team manager Matt Busby and striker Bobby Charlton are being treated in hospital.
1964 Cuba Guantanamo Bay
6th February, 1964 : Cuba has shut off the fresh water pipeline to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay until 36 Cuban fishermen jailed in Florida are freed
1971 Space Apollo 14
6th February, 1971 : Alan Shepard became the first man to hit a golf ball on the Moon, using a ball and golf club head he had smuggled on board inside his space suit.
1974 U.S.A. National Health Insurance
6th February, 1974 : President Nixon has urged Congress to approve a comprehensive national health insurance plan
1985 U.S.A. Hertz
6th February, 1985 : Walter L. Jacobs, the founder of the first car rental company, died on this day. He had formed what is now the present-day Hertz Corporation, after Hertz had purchased Jacob’s car rental business.
1995 U.S.A. Pre-employment alcohol testing
6th February, 1995 : Pre-employment alcohol testing for motor carriers was to take place as of the first of this year. However, it was delayed, and as of this date it was determined that May 1 would be the date when the DOT would require trucking companies as well as other transport companies to comply with this new ruling.
The testing was to be completed with some type of unit that would check an employee’s breath, or would include a test of saliva.
1995 England Security Cutbacks
6th February, 1995 : It was revealed via a letter not intended to be made public that airport security cutbacks were to be made. A third of the staff of Transec, the company responsible for airport security in UK and overseas ports are to be let go.
As a result, Brian Mawhinney was questioned regarding this manner. Concerns were expressed as well by people such as Dr. Jim Swire, whose daughter was killed by the airport bombing incident that took place in 1988.
Dr, Swire recounted the promise that was made that airport security would be improved. However, he feared that instead progress in this area would be reversed.
1998 U.S.A. Mary Kay Letourneau
6th February, 1998 : A school teacher was sent to prison for the second time as of this date. Mary Kay Letourneau was sent back to prison for seven years after violating a restraining order that was set between her and a former student. She had been on probation and failed to uphold the agreement set before.
2001 Israel Ariel Sharon
6th February, 2001 : Ariel Sharon wins a landslide victory to become the new prime minister of Israel.
2003 U.S.A. Michael Jackson
6th February, 2003 : The ABC's 20/20 airs the Granada Television documentary Living with Michael Jackson where British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Michael Jackson over a period of 8 months, from the middle of 2002 to January 2003. It was shown first in the UK on ITV on 3 February 2003 and in the US three days later on ABC. The interview was unusual as Jackson allowed access to his personal life and talked freely about his traumatic childhood. The part that caused the most controversy was when Michael Jackson revealed he allowed children to sleep in his bed and when combined with other testimony eventually led to a court case for child molestation where he was found innocent.
2004 Russia Terrorist Attack
6th February, 2004 : An explosion rips through a Moscow subway car during rush hour, killing 41 people in a terrorist attack blamed on Chechen separatists.
2008 U.S.A. Severe Storms
6th February, 2008 : Severe thunderstorms with tornados sweep through Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama leaving at least 50 dead and many more injured.
