February 14th Major News Events

1939 German Battleship Bismarck

1939 : The German Reich launches the battleship Bismarck, which was the largest battleship ever commissioned up to that date. The Bismarck sunk the pride of the British fleet the battlecruiser HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941, but in September after spending months trying to gain revenge The Bismarck was sunk by the British Royal Navy.

1942 U.S.A. Anti Fascist TV Broadcast

1942 : In the midst of World War II, a new anti-fascist broadcast was aired on four major U.S. television stations. This series had lasted for 13 weeks and featured actors such as James Stewart, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Tyrone Power. The purpose of the This is War broadcast was to promote the Allied armies of the war, and branches of the military-particularly the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The United States was among one of the Allied countries that fought against the rising Nazi regime.

1943 World War II Kasserine Pass

1943 : One of the most significant World War II American defeats occurred during the battle of the Kasserine Pass. German General Erwin Rommel and African troops headed an attack against American and other allied forces in Tunisia, North Africa. The Battle of the Kasserine Pass resulted in the death of over 1,000 American soldiers. Hundreds of others were taken prisoner. This defeat that the Americans had experienced during was one of the worst of the entire World War.

1948 U.S.A. NASCAR

1948 : NASCAR holds its first race for modified stock cars on a 3.2 mile-course at Daytona Beach.

14 Feb, 1951 U.S.A. Teachers Strike

1951 : Schools that were closed since a strike that took place since January 23rd were re-opened. The teachers had picketed up until a day before this date, demanding a pay raise higher than the $100.00 a year offered by the school board once a year. An agreement was made by Governor Luther W. Youngdahl to intervene with Minnesota legislators in an effort to gain more financial support for city's schools. This strike had originally started with the Janitors, but then eventually teachers were included in it as well.

1974 Soviet Union Alexander Solzhenitsyn

1974 : Soviet authorities have formally charged Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn with treason one day after expelling him from the country and revoking his Russian citizenship.

1984 Yugoslavia Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

1984 : Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean win the Olympic ice skating championship with the free dance performance of Ravel's Bolero.

1989 Nicaragua Sandinistas

1989 : Sandinistas, the leftist Nicaraguan government that ruled during this time, had on this date agreed to free elections. Additionally, the Sandinistas had agreed to release a certain number of political prisoners within a year. In return, the country of Honduras agreed to shut down bases used to fight against the Sandinista regime. Within a year, communist leaders were voted out by the people, as they had the chance to vote for who they would want in power.

1989 Iran Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

1989 : Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a ( FATWA ) death sentence on British writer Salman Rushdie for his authorship of the book Satanic Verses.

2000 U.S.A. Tornadoes

2000 : A series of tornadoes had swept through Georgia during a more unusual time of the year-in the winter. Most tornadoes usually occur in the spring when cold air collides with warm air. Five tornadoes in all had swept through Colquitt, Tift, Mitchell and Grady counties. These counties were/are located about 200 miles south of Atlanta. The most powerful of all the twisters that moved through this area was the F3, which had torn down 200 mobile homes in Camilla (a small town). Most people were sleeping at the time this tornado had occurred, so of course it had caught them by surprise.

14 Feb, 2005 Lebanon Terrorist Bomb

2005 : A terrorist bomb in West Beirut kills 9 including the Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in an apparent assassination.

2006 Iran Uranium Enrichment

2006 : Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment; Russia and France immediately called on Iran to halt its work.

2006 UK Public Smoking Ban

2006 : MPs (Member's of Parliament) have voted to ban smoking from all pubs and private members' clubs in England. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has said that the change will take effect in summer 2007. Ministers gave a free vote, despite fears of Labour M.P's rebelling against plans to exempt clubs and pubs not serving food. The House of Commons decided by a margin of two hundred votes to impose a ban on smoking in all enclosed public spaces. The implementation dates will vary in other parts of the United Kingdom.

2008 Shooting At Northern Illinois University

2008 : A former student of Northern Illinois University Steven Kazmierczak opens fire at a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University killing 7 and injuring 14 more, The school placed the campus on lock down, and students and teachers were advised to head to a secure location or take cover. The perpetrator died at the scene, and this was the fourth-deadliest university shooting in the United States.

2010 Chinese New Year or Spring Festival

2010 : 2010 is the year of the Tiger and the start of the Chinese New Year. It is the first day of the Chinese calendar (lunar calendar). It is celebrated with Dragon dances/Lion dances, fireworks, family gathering, family meal, visiting friends and relatives , giving red envelopes, decorating with duilian . The festival ends on the 15th day of the lunar year in the Chinese calendar with the Lantern Festival.

2011 Colombia Announces Plans for New Trade Canal

2011 : Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos announced that Colombia was working with China on a proposal to build a new canal as an alternative to the Panama Canal. The canal would be used to promote further trade between South American and Asia. The Colombian president also stated that he hoped a development like this could help improve wealth and opportunities in the country.

2012 Mexican Police Arrest Cartel Boss Jaime Herrera

2012 : Police in Mexico have announced that they captured Jaime Herrera in Culiacan with an accomplice. Herrera is thought to be a high-ranking member of a drug cartel that is one of the main producers of methamphetamine in the country. Herrera is also thought to have close ties to the Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin Guzman.

2013 Olympic and Paralympic Athlete Faces Murder Charges

2013 : Oscar Pistorius, who had recently competed in both the Olympics and Paralympics as a runner, was arrested over shooting and killing his model/actress girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The double amputee was known as a hero in South Africa.

2014 Same-Sex Marriage Ban Overturned in Virginia

2014 : A federal judge in Virginia overturned the state's ban on gay marriage. The decision could still be appealed and changed. This decision did mark the first time that a gay marriage ban had been overturned in a Southern state.