What Happened On
America's Most Wanted
February 7, 1988
The crime show that asked citizens to call a crime hotline to help capture fugitives debuts on Fox television. It was hosted by John Walsh, whose son Adam Walsh was kidnapped and murdered. The show helped capture over 1,200 fugitives, including the kidnappers of Elizabeth Smart who was kidnapped in 2002.
The Beatles Invade the U.S.
February 7, 1964
The Beatles arrive for their first trip to the U.S. and are greeted by screaming mobs at the airport. When asked about the Detroit movement to stamp out the Beatles, they responded, "We're starting a movement to stamp out Detroit." Chet Huntley didn't consider their arrival important enough to show on the NBC evening news.
First Woman Executed in the Electric Chair
February 7, 1898
Martha M. Place murders her 17-year-old stepdaughter, for which she was executed the following year. Martha had attacked her stepdaughter with an axe, threw acid in her face, and then killed her by asphyxiation.
She pleaded not guilty at her trial, but with her husband as a witness against her, she was convicted of the murder.
Martha Place was struck in the head by a sleigh at age 23. Her brother said that the accident left her mentally unstable.
Although Place was the first woman to die in the electric chair, she was the third sentenced to die by electric chair, the first two being serial killer Lizzie Halliday (1894 conviction commuted and sent to an asylum) and Maria Barbella (sentenced in 1895 and acquitted the next year).
Sullivan (left) vs. Ryan
Sullivan (left) vs. Ryan
Last Bareknuckle World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
February 7, 1882
John L. Sullivan wins the title by knocking out Paddy Ryan in the 9th round. He successfully defended his title until his retirement in 1892.
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Mississippi Finally Abolishes Slavery (in 2013)
February 7, 2013
Mississippi had finally ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in 1995. However, they never officially notified the U.S. Archivist, therefore, the ratification was not official. This was corrected in 2013.
The 13th Amendment received the necessary ¾ of U.S. state ratifications needed to pass in 1865, with the remaining states going on to ratify the amendment, except for Mississippi, which didn't do so until 1995.
Iraq War
February 7, 2003
At an appearance at Aviano Air Base in Italy, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld projected that the Iraq war "could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."
Dick Tracy Gets Divorced
February 7, 1994
Tess Trueheart serves the cartoon detective with divorce papers.
First Human to Fly Free of a Spacecraft
February 7, 1984
Captain Bruce McCandless from the space shuttle Challenger.
11th Amendment Ratified
February 7, 1795
Judicial power of the U.S. does not extend to suits against one of the states by citizens of another state.
Daniel Boone Captured by Indians
February 7, 1778
Daniel Boone is again captured by Indians. He manages to escape by traveling 160 miles through woods.
Birthdays
Taco Bell Chihuahua (Gidget)
Born February 7, 1994 d. 2009
American mascot. She was the mascot for Taco Bell (1997-2000, voiced by Carlos Alazraqui). She was originally cast as the girlfriend of the Taco Bell Chihuahua, but was chosen at the last minute for the lead. She also appeared in the 2003 movie Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde as Bruiser's Mom.
Roy C. Sullivan
Born February 7, 1912 d. 1983
American park ranger, "Human Lightning Rod." He was struck by lightning and survived a record seven times.
Buster Crabbe (Clarence Linden Crabbe)
Born February 7, 1908 d. 1983
American athlete, actor. He played Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Tarzan in the movies. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for the 400-meter-freestyle swim and won bronze at the 1928 Summer Olympics for the 1,500 meters freestyle.
Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Born February 7, 1867 d. 1957
American author. Her Little House on the Prairie books (1932-43) about her life on the frontier were the basis for the TV series.
James Murray
Born February 7, 1837 d. 1915
Scottish-born lexicographer. Chief editor (1879-1915) of the original Oxford English Dictionary, a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. It is considered to be one of the greatest literary achievements of all time.
Frederick Douglass
Born February 7, 1817 d. 1895
American orator and journalist. Born into slavery, he escaped to Great Britain where he raised the money to buy his freedom. Abolitionists used him to counter arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.
Charles Dickens
Born February 7, 1812 d. 1870
English author. Writings: Oliver Twist (1837-39), A Christmas Carol (1843), David Copperfield (1849-50), and A Tale of Two Cities (1859).
John Deere
Born February 7, 1804 d. 1886
American blacksmith. He created the first commercially-successful cast-steel plow (1837). After noticing that cast-iron plows did not work well in the tough prairie soils of Illinois, he had the idea to make a polished steel plow. With the success of his plow, he founded Deere & Company.
Garth Brooks
Born February 7, 1962
American Grammy-winning country singer, Country Music Association's Male Vocalist of the Year (1991) and one of the best-selling solo artists of all time. Albums: Garth Brooks (1989), Ropin' the Wind (1991), and Double Live (1998).
David Bryan (David Rashbaum)
Born February 7, 1962
American keyboardist, with Bon Jovi. Music: Livin' on a Prayer (1986, #1) and Bad Medicine (1988, #1).
Bill Hoest
Born February 7, 1926 d. 1988
American cartoonist. Creator of The Lockhorns (1968), Agatha Crumm (1977), Laugh Parade (1980), Howard Huge (1981), and What a Guy! (1986).
Sinclair Lewis
Born February 7, 1885 d. 1951
American author. He was the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1930 for his 1922 book Babbitt, a satirical novel about American culture).
Alfred Adler
Born February 7, 1870 d. 1937
Austrian psychiatrist. He was the chief proponent of the "inferiority complex" as the source of psychological problems.
Deaths
Frank Robinson
Died February 7, 2019 b. 1935
American baseball Hall of Famer. He was the first to win the Most Valuable Player award in both major leagues (1961 National, 1966 American), the first black major-league manager (1974, Cleveland Indians), and the only player to hit a home run completely out of Memorial Stadium.
Dale Evans (Lucille Wood Smith)
Died February 7, 2001 b. 1912
American actress, cowgirl. Movie partner and wife of Roy Rogers. She also wrote the song Happy Trails. In 1995, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Outspoken about her Christianity, she wrote a number of religious and inspirational books and she and Roy Rogers performed with the Billy Graham Crusades, singing gospel songs.
When she was 14, she eloped and had a son when she was 15. Early in her career, after leaving her husband, she claimed that her son was her brother, whom she was caring for.
TV: The Roy Rogers Show (1951-57).
Jewish twins used in Mengele's deadly experiments
Jewish twins used in Mengele's deadly experiments
Josef Mengele
Died February 7, 1979 b. 1911
German SS officer and physician in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. When prisoners arrived at Auschwitz, Mengele was one those responsible for selecting who would be killed in the gas chambers and who would live to work. He also performed deadly experiments on the prisoners, focusing primarily on twins, dwarfs, and people with eyes of two different colors. He would befriend the children, bringing them candy and having them call him "Uncle Mengele," and then sometimes execute them the following day. Witnesses say he sewed two Romani twins together back to back in an attempt to create conjoined twins. The children died of gangrene after several days of suffering.
When the war ended, he escaped to South America and evaded capture for the rest of his life. He died in Brazil in 1979 and was buried under his fake name. His remains weren't correctly identified until 1985.
Photo Credit: Musik- och teatermuseet
Photo Credit: Musik- och teatermuseet
Adolphe Sax
Died February 7, 1894 b. 1814
Belgian instrument maker. He patented the saxophone (1846). He spent much of life in legal battles over his musical patents and died in poverty.
Orson Bean (Dallas Frederick Burrows)
Died February 7, 2020 b. 1928
American comic, quiz-show panelist. TV: To Tell the Truth (1963-68) and appeared on The Tonight Show over 200 times.
Albert Finney
Died February 7, 2019 b. 1936
English Emmy-winning actor. Film: Tom Jones (1963), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Erin Brockovich (2000), Big Fish (2003), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), and the James Bond film Skyfall (2012).
Richard Hatch
Died February 7, 2017 b. 1945
American actor. TV: Battlestar Galactica (1978-80, Captain Apollo) and in Battlestar Galactica (2004 reboot series, Tom Zarek).
Doug Henning
Died February 7, 2000 b. 1947
Canadian Emmy-winning magician. He helped to revive the art of magic in the 1970s, updating the image of the stage magician from that of top hat and suit, to tie dye and jeans. At the height of his career, he quit what he now called "fake magic" in order to pursue "real magic" through Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the attempt to learn to actually levitate as the founder of TM, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, claimed he could do. In 1986, he sold his act to David Copperfield in order to devote his time to TM.
He was known for his seven Doug Henning's World of Magic (1975-82) TV specials and his Zig-Zag Girl illusion. He ended his TV specials with the message, "Anything the mind can conceive is possible. Nothing is impossible. All you have to do is look within, and you can realize your fondest dreams. I would like to wish each one of you all of life's wonders and a joyful age of enlightenment."
He also created special effects for Michael Jackson tours.
In 1999, Henning was diagnosed with liver cancer. According to James Randi, Henning forewent traditional treatment in favor of TM and a diet of nuts and berries. He died five months later at the age of 52.
Hussein I
Died February 7, 1999 b. 1935
King of Jordan (1952-99). He was the second Arab head of state to recognize Israel (1994, after Anwar Sadat in 1978).
Adams as Johnny Yuma
Adams as Johnny Yuma
Nick Adams (Nicholas Aloysius Adamshock)
Died February 7, 1968 b. 1931
American actor. Film: Twilight of Honor (1963, Oscar nomination). TV: The Rebel (1959-61, Johnny Yuma).
Betty MacDonald
Died February 7, 1958 b. 1907
American author. Writings: The Egg and I (1945), which was made into the 1947 film featuring Ma and Pa Kettle.
Harvey Samuel Firestone
Died February 7, 1938 b. 1868
American rubber manufacturer, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. (1900).
Pius IX
Died February 7, 1878 b. 1792
Italian religious leader, 255th Pope (1846-78). Proclaimed the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary as dogma (1854), and the infallibility of the Pope (1870).
Henry Engelhard Steinway
Died February 7, 1871 b. 1797
German piano maker, founder of Steinway and Sons (1853).
Pelagius II
Died February 7, 590 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 63rd Pope (579-590).