Historical Events on February 14
- 1778: The Flag of the United States is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel on this date for the first time. French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a 9-gun salute to the USS Ranger.
- 1779: In Georgia, the Battle of Kettle Creek begins during the American Revolutionary War.
- 1779: On the Island of Hawaii, James Cook is killed by natives.
- 1849:S President James Knox Polk becomes the first serving U.S President to have his photo taken. The picture is taken in New York City.
- 1859: Oregon becomes the Union’s 33rd United States’ State.
- 1876: Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray file for a patent on the telephone.
- 1912: Arizona becomes the 48th United States’ State.
- 1912: The first class of diesel-powered subs are commissioned by the United States Navy.
- 1920: In Chicago, the League of Women Voters is first founded.
- 1924: The name of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company is changed to International Business Machines (IBM).
- 1929: 7 people are killed during the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. 6 of these people were rivals of Al Capone.
- 2000: The first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid – the spacecraft NEAR – begins orbit around asteroid 433 Eros.
Famous Birthdays on February 14
- American actor John Barrymore is born in 1882.
- American aviator Katherine Stinson is born in 1891.
- American actor Stuart Erwin is born in 1903.
- American economist and Nobel Prize laureate Eugene Fama is born in 1939.
- American singer-songwriter Eric Andersen is born in 1943.
- American magician Teller is born in 1948.
- American actress Meg Tilly is born in 1960.
- American singer-songwriter Rob Thomas is born in 1972.
- American baseball player Brad Halsey is born in 1981.
- Canadian curler Emma Miskew is born in 1989.
- English actor Freddie Highmore is born in 1992.
- American singer-songwriter Shane Harper is born in 1993.