FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Today is Friday, February 7, the 38th day of 2014. There are 327 days left in the year.

1639 ― Academie Francaise begins the Dictionary of the French Language

1812 ― Lord Byron makes his maiden speech in House of Lords

1940 ― British railroads nationalized

1949 ― Joe DiMaggio becomes first $100,000/year baseball player (New York Yankees)

1960 ― Old handwriting found in at Qumran, near the Dead Sea

1962 ― President Kennedy begins blockade of Cuba

1976 ― World’s largest telescope (600 cm) begins operation (USSR)

1979 ― Pink Floyd premiered their live version of “The Wall” in Los Angeles

1986 ― Philippine Corazon Aquino defeats incumbent dictator Ferdinand Marcos but fraudulent returns gave the election to Marcos

1997 ― U.S. and Russia announce summit set for Helsinki, March 20-21