Today is Friday, February 21, the 52nd day of 2014. There are 313 days left in the year.
1431 ― England begins trial against Joan of Arc
1795 ― Freedom of worship established in France under constitution
1842 ― First known sewing machine patented in U.S., John Greenough, Washington, D.C.
1878 ― First telephone directory (with 50 names) issued (New Haven, Conn.
1922 ― Great Britain grants Egypt independence
1925 ― First issue of “New Yorker” magazine published
1972 ― Richard Nixon becomes first U.S. President to visit China
1983 ― Donald Davis runs 1 mile backwards in 6 minutes 7.1 seconds
1989 ― U.S. bust Chinese heroin ring, capture record 820 lbs heroin ($1 billion street value)
1995 ― RAF-pilot Jo Salter is first woman to fly in a tornado