0374 - 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
0600 - Pope Gregory the Great decrees saying "God bless You" is the correct response to a sneeze
1349 - Jews are expelled from Burgsdorf, Switzerland
1512 - Battle at Valeggio - French troops beat Venetianen
1559 - Pope Paul IV calls for deposition of sovereigns supporting heresy
1641 - English king Charles I accept Triennial Act
1659 - 1st known check (£400) (on display at Westminster Abbey)
1666 - Netherlands & Brandenburg sign treaty
1677 - Earl of Shaftesbury arrested/confined in London Tower
1741 - Benjamin Franklin's "General Magazine" (2nd US Magazine) begins publishing
1742 - Earl of Wilmington becomes British premier
1760 - Native American hostages killed in Ft. Prince George, SC
1771 - Messier presents his original list of 45 M-objects to French Academy
1777 - Messier adds M53 to his catalog (globular cluster in Coma Berenice)
1804 - Lieutenant Stephen Decatur raids Tripoli Harbor & burns Navy frigate Philadelphia after pirates seized it
1832 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reaches St-Pauls (1ºN, 29ºW)
1838 - Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions
1840 - American Charles Wilkes discovers Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica
1846 - Battle of Sobraon ends 1st Sikh War in India
1860 - Dutch Rochussen/Van Bosse government resigns
1862 - Ft. Donelson captured by General Grant (1,400 Confederates surrender)
1864 - Battle of Mobile, AL - operations by Union Army
1868 - Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks founded in New York
1878 - Silver dollar becomes US legal tender
1883 - "Ladies Home Journal" begins publication
1887 - 1st newspaper convention (Rochester NY)
1894 - British troops occupy Ilorin, Gold Coast
1900 - 1st Chinese daily newspaper in US publishes 1st issue (Chung Sai Yat Po-San Francisco)
1909 - 1st subway car with side doors goes into service (New York, NY); Serbia mobilizes against Austria-Hungary
1913 - President Taft agrees not to intervene in Mexico
1914 - 1st airplane flight from to Los Angeles from San Francisco
1916 - Russian troops conquer Erzurum, Armenia
1917 - 1st synagogue in 425 years opens in Madrid
1918 - Lithuania declares independence from Russia & Germany (National Day)
1923 - Howard Carter finds Pharoah Tutankhamen; Allies accept Latvia's occupation of Memel territory
1927 - US restores diplomatic relations with Turkey
1931 - Extreme right wing Svinhufvud becomes President of Finland
1932 - 1st patent issued for a tree, to James Markham for a peach tree
1933 - Catholic newspaper Germania warns against Nazis/communists
1936 - 4th Winter Olympics games close at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1936 - Spanish Frente Popular (People's Front) wins elections
1937 - DuPont Corp patents nylon, developed by employee Wallace H. Carothers
1938 - US Federal Crop Insurance program authorized
1940 - British search plane finds German Altmark off Norway
1942 - German submarines attack Aruba oil refinery
1943 - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gets pneumonia; Red Army conquers Kharkov; Sign on Munich facade "Out with Hitler! Long live freedom!" done by "White Rose" student group, caught on 2/18, beheaded on 2/22; Withdrawing Africa Corps reaches Mareth-line in North-Africa
1945 - US forces land on Corregidor, complete conquest on March 3; Venezuela declares war on Nazi-Germany
1946 - 1st commercially designed helicopter tested, Bridgeport, CT
1948 - Miranda, famous moon of Uranus, photographed for 1st time; 1st newsreel telecast, "20th Century Fox-Movietone News" shown on NBC
1950 - Longest-running prime-time game show, "What's My Line" begins on CBS
1951 - NYC passes bill prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing; San Francisco City Hall dome fire
1956 - Britain abolishes the death penalty
1959 - Fidel Castro names himself Cuba's premier after overthrowing Batista
1960 - US nuclear submarine USS Triton sets off on underwater round-world trip
1961 - 1st all-solid-propellant rocket put in orbit, Wallops Island, VA; China uses it's 1st nuclear reactor; US satellite Explorer 9 is launched
1963 - 1st round-trip swim of Strait of Messina, Italy (Mary Revell of US); C & A Building in Amsterdam burns down
1965 - Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors
1968 - Country's 1st 911 phone system goes into service in Haleyville, AL
1972 - German mass murderers "Three of Breda" freed
1978 - 1st Computer Bulletin Board System (Ward & Randy's CBBS, Chicago)
1980 - Continuous traffic jam extends 176 km north of Lyons, France; Eric Heiden skates 5k in 7 02.29 (Olympics Record)
1982 - Agatha Barbara elected as 1st female President of Malta
1984 - Bill Johnson becomes 1st American to win Olympics downhill skiing gold
1986 - Mário Soares (Socialist) elected Portugal's 1st civilian president
1986 - French air force bombs Ouadi Doum airport in Chad
1988 - 1st documented combat action by US military advisors in El Salvador
1989 - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan & North Yemen form common market
1989 - William Hayden becomes governor-General of Australia
1991 - Dutch PPR, Political Party Radicals, disbands
1994 - 6.5 earthquake strikes SE Sumatra, kills 200; Premier Alfonso Bustamente ends government in Peru

Birthdays
1519 - Gaspard de Coligny, Huguenot leader/French Admiral
1620 - Frederick William, Great Elector, founder of Brandenburg-Prussia
1807 - Lysander Cutler, Union Brevet Major General
1812 - Henry Wilson, 18th Vice-President (1873-75)
1813 - Joseph Reid Anderson, Confederate Brigadier General
1822 - James Patton Anderson, Confederate Major General
1823 - Brigadier General John D. Imboden, organized 1st Virginia Partisan Rangers
1832 - Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac, Confederate Major General
1834 - Ernst Heinrich Haeckel, biologist (Causes of Evolution)
1848 - Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist (How species emerge)
1852 - Charles Taze Russell, founded Jehovah's Witnesses
1866 - Johann Strauss, composer (Waltz King)
1904 - George F. Kennan, US ambassador (to Moscow)
1905 - Lord Franks British ambassador (to US)
1909 - Hugh Beaumont, actor (Ward Cleaver - "Leave it to Beaver")
1912 - Machito "Frank Grillo", bandleader (created salsa music); Maitland Mackie, Lord Lieutenant (Aberdeenshire)
1918 - Károly earl Khuen-Héderváry, Hungarian Governor/premier (1910-12)
1924 - Peter Webster, British High Court Judge
1931 - George E. Sangmeister (Representative-IL)
1937 - Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko, cosmonaut
1942 - Kim Jong-Il (Yura), President of North-Korea (1994- )
1943 - James Beaton British GC
1950 - Peter Hain, British MP
1998 - Mr. Jefferson, 1st cloned calf

Passings
0309 - Pamphilus van Caesarea, Palestinian scholar/martyr, beheaded
0923 - Abu Dja'far Mohammed Djarir al-Tabari, Islamic historian, dies at 83
1247 - Hendrik Raspe (Papenking), count of Thüringen
1279 - Afonso III, King of Portugal (1248-79)
1391 - Johannes V. Palaeologus, Emperor of Byzantium (1341-91)
1538 - Everhard/Erardus van de Mark, prince-bishop of Liege, dies at 65
1600 - Giordano Bruno, burned at stake
1791 - Richard earl d'Alton, General of S. Netherlands, commits suicide at 58
1834 - Lionel Lukin, life boat pioneer
1899 - François Félix Faure, President of France (1895-99), dies at 57
1900 - George Labram, US mine engineer in South Africa, dies in battle
1912 - Edgar Evans, British explorer (Antarctica)
1951 - Henri Velge, 1st chairman (Belgian Council of State), dies at 65
1957 - Leslie Hore-Belisha (Lord Halifax), British Minister of Transport, dies at 63
1966 - Hendrik W. Tilanus, artillery officer/leader (CHU 1939-63), dies at 81
1979 - Nematullah Nassiri, Iranian General/head of Savak, executed
1986 - Howard Da Silva Cleveland OH, actor (Ben Franklin-"1776"), dies at 76
1991 - Enrique B. Varela, commandant, Nicaragua Contras
1992 - Abbas Musawi, leader of Hezbollah, assassinated; Janio Quadros, President of Brazil (1961)
1993 - Richard Salant, news president (CBS-60 Minutes), dies at 78
1996 - Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, politician, dies at 90; MacLean Stevenson actor (MASH), dies of heart attack at 66; Roger Bowen, actor (MASH, Main Event, What about Bob), dies at 62
1998 - Martha Gellhorn, war reporter (Reuters), dies at 89

Reported Missing in Action
1968
Vollmer, Valentine Bernard, US Army (WI); KIA, remains recovered August, 1974

1969
Moore, Jerry L., US Army (NC); disappeared during mortar attack on observation post

Wogan, William M., US Army (NY); disappeared after evacuating wounded at a landing strip, when a bomb exploded at his location

1971
Hoskins, Charles L., USAF (KS); F4D shot down (weapons/systems officer, w/Pattilo)

Pattillo, Ralph N., USAF (AL); F4D shot down (pilot, w/Hoskins)

1972
Galati, Ralph W., USAF (PA); F4D shot down (w/Schwertfeger) - released by DRV March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Lee, Albert Eugene, USN (OH)

Schwertfeger, William R., USAF (OK); F4D shot down (pilot, w/Galati)released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Convoy training
FORT DIX, N.J. (AFPN) -- Airmen respond to an "ambush" during a convoy training session here. The training is part of the Air Force Integrated Contingency Skills Training Course. More than 80 Airmen are in the course, which is taught by the Air Mobility Warfare Center's 421st Combat Training Squadron. Instruction also includes combat tactics and first aid. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol)

Sixty-five sixth graders from Chicago International Charter School's Bucktown campus joined Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn Jan. 31 for the kickoff of the 2006 Valentines for Vets and Soldiers" program. Quinn, back center, and the students' teacher, Robert Lane, back right, joined the students for a group photo. Debi Rickert, founder of Operation Support Our Troops Illinois chapter, bottom left, lent her support to the project as well. Courtesy photo

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2006 – Leading up to Valentine's Day, a group of sixth graders from Chicago crafted valentines for veterans and servicemembers as a part of a longstanding tradition.

Sixty-five sixth graders from Chicago International Charter School's Bucktown campus joined Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn Jan. 31 for the kickoff of the 2006 Valentines for Vets and Soldiers" program. Quinn, back center, and the students' teacher, Robert Lane, back right, joined the students for a group photo. Debi Rickert, founder of Operation Support Our Troops Illinois chapter, bottom left, lent her support to the project as well. Courtesy photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Beginning in mid-January, 65 students from Chicago International Charter Schools' Bucktown campus each hand-made a greeting as part of the "Valentines for Vets and Soldiers" program headed by the Illinois lieutenant governor's office.

The program's tradition began decades ago with late Chicago advice columnist Ann Landers, who encouraged readers to remember America's servicemembers for Valentine's Day. The student portion of the governor's program started last year with third graders from Central Elementary School in Wilmette, Ill.

"This is an excellent opportunity for all of us to let our veterans and soldiers overseas know that the people of Illinois appreciate their brave efforts ... and that we care," Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said at this year's Jan. 31 kickoff. "Let's show our appreciation by sending hospitalized veterans and (servicemembers) a card or a letter letting them know they are in our thoughts this Valentine's Day."

The appeal has worked, said Eric Schuller, Quinn's senior policy adviser. "I think we're up to about 1,500 (valentines) now," he said today.

Schuller encouraged the public to keep sending valentines greetings. Last year valentines were received well into March, he said.

Operation Support Our Troops Illinois, a troop-support organization started by military mom Debi Rickert, has collected the students' valentines and is accepting greetings from the public to forward to servicemembers around the world, Schuller said. He said the address to send greetings is on the operation's Web site.

Individuals also may send greetings directly to veterans medical facilities for distribution to the troops, Schuller said. Quinn's Operation Home Front Web site contains a list of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics in Illinois.

Sixth graders from Chicago International Charter Schools' Bucktown Campus created their handiwork in support of the "Valentines for Vets and Soldiers" program headed by the Illinois lieutenant governor's office. The program is still accepting greetings past Valentine's Day. Courtesy photo

Related Sites:
Operation Support Our Troops
Operation Home Front

AERIAL VIEW — U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Keith F. Diehl, an aerial observer assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (Reinforced), keeps watch over the Euphrates River during a flight near Hit, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2006. The squadron is the aviation combat element for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Richard D. Stephens

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq Probes Claims of Death Squad Targetting Sunnis
Two car bombs kill 7 Iraqis in Baghdad
Saddam Trial Becoming Like a TV Sitcom
Saddam Reportedly Warned U.S. of Terrorism

Operation Enduring Freedom
Karzai Presses Musharraf on Militants

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Feingold Drops Filibuster Against Patriot Act

Troops on Trial
Abu Ghraib abuse violates international law: ICRC
New Photos of Abu Ghraib Abuse Surface

Cartooning Muhammad
Pakistani Cartoon Protests in Fourth Day

Hamas Rising
US House urges halt of direct aid to Palestinians
Hamas receives official invitation to Russia
Hamas Win Threatens Palestinian Prosperity

Worldwide Wackos
Iran has secret military nuclear program: France
Russia Puts Condition on Iran Enrichment

Cheney Shooting Incident
'One of the Worst Days of My Life'
Video: Dick Cheney on Brit Hume
Raw Data: Official Report (Findlaw pdf)
Transcript: Cheney on FOX News
Cheney: I'm Authorized to Declassify Government Information
Video: Terry McAuliffe Reacts
Video: Victim's Condition

Other Political News
Cheney says he may be witness in CIA leak case

XX Winter Olympics
Hedrick Won't Win 5 Golds
'Crash' Skier Hits Slopes
FULL OLYMPIC COVERAGE (Fox News)

Oddities
Okay, tell me once more how this happened?
Forgive me, Father, for I have guns...
Inmates become amateur TV journalists in Italy jail

Fox News
Entwistle Arrives in U.S.
Preval to be Haiti's Next Prez After Agreement
Calif. to Use Doctor to Assure Painless Execution
China Plans New Nuke Plants
Dog Missing After Westminster Dog Show
EPA Lifts Gas Requirements
Chertoff Grilled on Katrina- Video: Scathing Report
Stocks to Watch: HP
Agent: Sosa Likely to Retire
FULL SPORTS COVERAGE

Reuters: Top News
Bird flu pandemic would spark global downturn: report - Video
Entwistle arrives in US over wife, baby killing
White House requests extra $4.2 bln for Louisiana
Cane toads in Australia develop longer legs: study
Rare dolphin heading for extinction in Cambodia
Microsoft eyes multiple versions of new Office 2007
Telecoms world looks to China for 3G boost
Foreigners live in fear of Russian skinheads
Post-Katrina stress still weighs on New Orleans
Alzheimer's progresses quicker in highly educated: study
3GSM Barcelona blog
GPS gets small, Barcelona traffic and more
Daimler profits beat forecast; outlook seen vague
Amazon, 4 music firms discuss digital service: report
Cerberus group takes lead in GMAC talks: report
Samsung sees sharper NAND price dip, H2 shortage
Eircom's earnings fall, but revenues rise
Publicis, Dentsu expand tie-up in Germany, France
Trends and Innovation
Edgewater buys National Decision Systems
Saker sweetens offer for Foodarama
Expedia quarterly profit falls 43 pct, shares slide
AQuantive quarterly results disappoint Wall Street
Foxhollow shares get boost from medical evaluation
Expedia shrs slide; Priceline.com follows
US stocks rise on cheaper oil, Bernanke's rate view - Video

AP World News
Preval Declared Winner in Haiti Election
Australia Shifts Control of Abortion Drug
Colombian Rebels Kill Six Police Guards
Europe Going on Guard Against Bird Flu
Vatican Calls Turkey Trip a Critical Test
U.S. Envoy Says Standoff Aids Nepal Rebels

Military.com
Army Says Goodbye to Last MASH
Army Modernizing to Win Long War
Pentagon Demotes Airborne Laser Program

Department of Defense
Program Yields Counterterrorism Tools - Story
More Images Could Harm U.S. Troops - Story
Precision Air Strike Destroys Terrorist Bunker - Story
Four Insurgents Killed, 16 Detained in Iraq
U.S. Army Modernizing to Win Long War - Story
Insurance Program Benefits Wounded Troops
Returning Troops to Get More Health Screening

ON THE GROUND
Iraqi Police Hand Out Donated School Supplies - Story
Cadets First Graduates of Year-Long Training - Story
USS Theodore Roosevelt Wraps Up Mission - Story

IN IRAQ
Troops in Iraq Renew Vows on Valentines Day
Central-South Division Helps Flood Victims

IN AFGHANISTAN
Bagram’s New Hospital Nears Completion
Pacemaker Engineers Train Afghan Army

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
UAV Flies Home After 4,000 Combat Hours

FACE OF DEFENSE
Marine Proud to Serve in Iraq - Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Cooks Sizzle Up Steaks for Troops - Story

Rockie Lynne's ASY Musical Tribute
Kids Craft Valentines for Vets, Troops

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
Ambassador Welcomes Certification
Terrorists Kill Iraqi Officer, Son
Iraqi Navy Protects Oil Platforms
Forces Capture, Kill Insurgents
Iraqi Army Leads Operation
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (pdf)
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Engineers Attend Workshop
IED Kills 4 U.S. Troops
Afghans Evacuated for Treatment
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
'Gitmo' Detainees Being Held Legally
Rice Topic: Spreading Democracy
U.N. Inspectors Declined Gitmo Visit
Rumsfeld Thanks Morocco
Low Possibility Al Qaeda in N. Africa
Rumsfeld Tours Africa
Nations Oppose Iran Nuke Program
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Reimbursement Policy Updated
Reservists Support Customs Mission
New Mail Contract to Save Millions
Army's Top NCO Visits South Africa
Budget Reflects Hard Choices
Senate Confirms Edelman to Post
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Marine Casualty - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo