This Day in History: February 08, 2024
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1587
Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded.
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1693
College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., received its charter, becoming the second institution of higher learning in the United States.
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1870
The National Weather Service was established under the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
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1904
The Russo-Japanese war began when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur in northeast China.
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1915
D. W. Griffith's controversial epic, The Birth of a Nation premiered in Los Angeles.
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1924
The gas chamber was used for the first time as a method of execution in the United States. Gangster Gee Jon was put to death at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.
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1960
The payola (pay for broadcast airplay) hearings opened in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dick Clark would testify in April.
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1980
President Jimmy Carter revealed his plan to reinstate selective service draft registration.
