February 20 in History: John Glenn Orbits Earth, and Notable Birthdays”
Today is Tuesday, February 20, marking the 51st day of 2024, with 315 days remaining in the year.On February 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Project Mercury’s Friendship 7 spacecraft. His mission circled the globe three times, lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds before safely splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean 800 miles southeast of Bermuda.
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February 20
In 1792, President George Washington signed an act creating the United States Post Office Department.
In 1862, William Wallace Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, passed away at the White House from typhoid fever.
In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, upheld compulsory vaccination laws aimed at protecting public health.
In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an immigration act excluding certain individuals from admission to the United States.
In 1933, Congress proposed the 21st Amendment to repeal Prohibition.
In 1938, Anthony Eden resigned as British foreign secretary.
In 1965, America’s Ranger 8 spacecraft intentionally crashed on the moon after sending back images of the lunar surface.
In 1987, a bomb by Unabomber Ted Kaczynski exploded in Salt Lake City, injuring store owner Gary Wright.
In 1998, Tara Lipinski won the ladies’ figure skating gold medal at the Nagano Olympics.
In 2003, a fire during a concert by Great White at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island killed 100 people.
In 2020, a poll found more Americans expressing concern about the flu than the coronavirus.
In 2021, Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.
