Historical events of February 14

Certain dates in history become associated with a particular holiday or a special event, which outshines other occurrences that may have happened on the same day. February 14 is widely known as Valentine's Day around the world. However, there are many other events that took place on this day throughout history that may make the fourteenth of February memorable for other reasons. Here is a number of events that occurred around the world on February 14 in various years.

1014: Henry of Bavaria, the German king, recognizes Benedict VIII as the rightful pope.

1610: Polish king Sigismund III, Forges Dimitri II and the Romanov family sign a covenant against Czar Vasili Shushki.

1630: A Dutch fleet of 69 ships reaches Pernambucu, Brazil.

1711: The opera "Rinaldo" by Handel premieres.

1794: The first textile machinery patent in the United States is granted to James Davenport of Philadelphia.

1803: Chief Justice John Marshall declares that any act of U.S. Congress that conflicts with the Constitution is void.

1849: James Polk becomes the first U.S. president to have his photo taken.

1896: The Winnipeg Victorias beat Montreal Victorias to win the Stanley Cup.

1912: Arizona becomes the 48th state.

1919: The Polish-Soviet War begins.

1936: Maribel Vinson and Robin Lee win the U.S. female and male figure skating championship, respectively.

1945: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans during World War II.

1951: Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Jake LaMotta for the middleweight title.

1966: Australia introduces the first decimal currency postage stamps.

1968: The Pennsylvania Railroad and the NYC Central merge to form Penn Central.

1982: "Night of 100 Stars" takes place at Radio City Music Hall.

1992: A ceasefire begins in Somalia.

2000: The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker becomes the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.