International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: This day aims to raise awareness about the harmful practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to promote its eradication worldwide.
Safer Internet Day: This day is celebrated to promote the safe and responsible use of online technology and to raise awareness about online safety issues.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (U.S.): This day is observed in the United States to raise awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the Black community and to encourage testing, treatment, and prevention efforts.
Send a Card to a Friend Day: This unofficial holiday encourages people to reach out to their friends and loved ones by sending them a greeting card and letting them know how much they are appreciated.
Rose Day (India): This day marks the beginning of Valentine’s Week in India and is celebrated by exchanging roses with loved ones as a symbol of affection.
1497 – Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci sets sail from Cadiz, Spain on his first voyage to the New World.
1812 – The largest earthquake ever recorded in the continental United States, with a magnitude of 7.8, strikes the Mississippi River valley.
1904 – The Russo-Japanese War begins with a surprise attack by the Japanese on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur in Manchuria.
1964 – The Beatles arrive in the United States for their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which is watched by a record-breaking audience of 73 million viewers.
1971 – Women in Switzerland gain the right to vote in local elections after a referendum on the issue is narrowly approved.
1984 – Space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered spacewalk, using jet-propelled backpacks to move freely in space.
2009 – The largest oil spill in Australian history occurs when the tanker MV Pacific Adventurer loses 31 containers of oil during a severe storm off the coast of Queensland.
