Today in {Disney} History...2/16

 Oooops...in yesterday's post I forgot to add the [sometimes fun] "National Days" so I will do that first in todays post! You can read about them here

February 16th is National:

• Caregivers Day (3rd Friday of Feb)
• No one eats alone Day
• Do a grouch a favor Day
• Almond Day
• TARTAR SAUCE DAY!!! (Day after Lent begins. We are not religious, but I LOVE me some Tartar Sauce so yay!)
• Day of Restoration of the State of Lithuania
• Elizabeth Peratrovich Day
• Friday Fish Fry Day
• Innovation Day
• Janani Luwum Day
• Kyoto Protocol Day
• Tim Tam Day
• Girl Scout Cookie Weekend

Okay, now we can proceed with our regularly scheduled programming....

• 1659: First known check written ($400) Now on display at Westminster Abbey.
• 1778: John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams prepare to sail for France to replace Silas Deane in Congress' commission to negotiate a treaty of alliance with France.
• 1741: Benjamin Franklin published America's second magazine, "The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle".
• 1883: Ladies Home Journal begins publication.
• 1862: During the U.S. Civil War, about 14,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the capture of Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in TN. This victory gives the union control of northern Tennessee and paves the way for the occupation of Nashville. The battle earns Grant the nickname "Unconditional Surrender".
• 1857: The National Deaf Mute College was incorporated in Washington, DC. It was the first school in the world for advanced education for the deaf. The school was later renamed Gallaudet College and is not without it's own troubled history as I learned in my recent Disability History, Disability Justice class.
• 1852: Texas State passes a bill that gives the governor the ability to negotiate with federal government to create territory for Indian Reservations in TX.
• 1840: American Charles Wilkes discovers the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Antarctica (hey...didn't we read something about Shackleton yesterday...?)
• 1838: Henry Adams is born.
• 1804: A raid was led by Lt. Stephen Decatur to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia as the ship had been taken by pirates.
• 1903: Ventriloquist, actor and radio performer Edgar Bergen is born. He has several Disney credits to his name.
• 1904: James Baskett is born. He appeared on Broadway with Louis Armstrong. After auditioning for a bit part dubbing one of the animals for a new Disney feature based on the Uncle Remus stories, Disney was so impressed with his talent he hired him on the spot for the lead role of Uncle Remus in the upcoming Song of the South. This makes Baskett the first live actor ever hired by Disney to play in a feature film. The crowning achievement of his career, Baskett won an honorary Academy Award in 1948 for his role of Uncle Remus (after much lobbying). This made Baskett not only the first black male to ever win an Oscar, but also the first actor to win an Academy Award (albeit in honorary one) for a performance in a Walt Disney film.
  
  
  
• 1914: The first airplane flight between Los Angeles and San Francisco takes place.
• 1918: Lithuania proclaims its independence.
• 1923: English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. He originally found the tomb on November 4, 1922. The current permanent home to the exhibition of the tombs treasures is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
• 1935: Sonny Bono is born.
• 1945: During WWII, U.S. troops land on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines.
• 1948: NBC-TV begins airing its first nightly newscast, "The Camel Newsreel Theatre" which consists of Fox Movietone newsreels.
• 1953: Newsweek features an article on the Disney Studios and their latest hit, Peter Pan. At the end of the article they also mention the after the next animated feature, Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast is a possibility.
• 1957: LeVar Burton is born.
• 1958: Ice-T is born.
• 1959: John McEnroe is born.
• 1958: The first ironing board is patented.
• 1959: Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba after overthrowing President Batista.
• 1960: The U.S.S. Triton begins the first underwater circumnavigation of the globe.
• 1964: The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show after making their initial appearance only a week before.
• 1968: The first 911 emergency telephone system is inaugurated in Haleyville, AL.
• 1970: Disney's It's Tough to be a Bird is nominated for an Academy Award in Shorts, Cartoon.
• 1970: Joe Frazier begins his reign as undefeated heavyweight world champion when he knocked out Jimmy Ellis in five rounds. He loses this title in 1973, when he loses for the first time in his career to George Foreman.
  
• 1977: The Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Janani Luwum is killed in a car accident.
• 1984: Disney's Mickey's Christmas Carol is nominated for an Academy Award, Short film, Animated.
• 1987: John Demjanjuk goes on trial in Jerusalem. He is accused of being "Ivan the Terrible", one of the most notorious guards at the Treblinka concentration camp during the Holocaust. He was convicted, but the Israeli Supreme Court overturns the ruling. He is later convicted again in Germany and dies there.
• 1989: Elizabeth Olsen is born.
• 1990: Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison on cocaine charges.
• 1993: Sharon M. Disney Lund, the second daughter of the late Walt Disney, dies from complications of cancer at the age of 56.
• 1996: Muppet Treasure Island, a musical action adventure comedy is released in theaters. 
• 1999: Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard is arrested in Hollywood, CA for wearing body armor
• 1999: Testimony begins in the Jasper, TX trial of John William King. He was charged with the murder in the gruesome dragging death of James Byrd Jr. King is convicted and sentenced to death.
• 2000: Disneyland begins its 45th Anniversary celebration.
• 2002: The operator of a crematory in Noble, GA is arrested after dozens of corpses are found stacked inside storage sheds and scattered around the surrounding woods.
• 2005: The Kyoto global warming pact goes into effect in 140 nations.
• 2005: The NHL announces the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to a labor dispute. 
• 2007: Britney Spears shaves her head. 
• 2018: Black Panther is released, starring an amazing cast that includes Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.