1797-Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeats larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal. Captain Horatio Nelson distinguishes himself.
1876-Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray apply separately for telephone patents, the Supreme Court eventually rules Bell the rightful inventor
1929-Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, seven gangsters are killed, allegedly on Al Capone's orders
1971-President Richard Nixon installs a secret taping system in the White House
1989-Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa calling for the death of Salman Rushdie and his publishers due to his novel "Satanic Verses." A bounty is also placed on his head
1993-Fire in Linxi department store in Tangshan China, kills 79