Important Events From This day in History February 15

 

1942 World War II Singapore Surrenders

1942 : The Japanese experienced a major victory in the Pacific as Singapore Surrenders. Japanese had captured Singapore troops and caused them to surrender. In the process, over 60,000 British, Australian, and Indian soldiers were taken captive, along with 70,000 other soldiers fighting on the site of the Allied troops during World War II. This took place a little a year after the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. The day after the Pearl Harbor bombing, the Japanese had already been striving for another victory. They moved in on Malay, which was controlled by the British at this time. At this time the Allied Forces of World War II (including Americans) had retreated in the opposite direction, as they were outnumbered. By January of this year (1942) the Allied troops were grossly outnumbered and only held control of the lower half of the Peninsula. The British had dynamited the bridge in this area, but were unable to destroy it in its entirety. As mentioned earlier, Allied troops, were then forces to surrender-including the Singapore troops controlled by the British.

15 Feb, 1927 It Released Starring Clara Bow

1927 : The Silent Movie "It" is released starring Clara Bow, the movie was a success with critics and the public turning the very young Clara Bow from a Movie Star into a legend and known from then on as the "It girl". The Movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

1933 U.S.A. Chicago Mayor Shot

1933 : The Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak had been shot. He was shot by Giuseppe Zangara, who was attempting to assassin President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt at the time. Cermak was seriously injured and had died on March 6th. Zangara was arrested shortly after and then charged of murder. He was sent to the electric chair on March 20, which was about two weeks after Cermak died.

1937 U.S.A. Strike Ends

1937 : Both Union and non-union workers of Guide Lamp and Deco-Remy factories had returned to work on this day. This decision was made in complete peace after a short period of violent protest that had caused military troops and law enforcement to be sent to this area (Anderson, Indiana).

1971 England Introduces Decimal Currency

1971 : The UK banks will reopen today as the British Government launches the changeover to the new decimal currency system across the country.

The familiar pound (£), shilling (s) and pence (d) coins are to be phased out over the next 18 months. The new currency has been in circulation since 1968 but prices have still been marked in shillings and pence.

The new system will divide the pound into units of ten, including half, one, two, five, ten and 50 pence denominations. The 20 pence piece was not introduced until 1982

Below is Rough Conversion Guide

The New 1 Pound Coin = 1 Old Pound = 20 Shillings = 240 old pence

The New 50 Pence Coin = 10 shillings = 120 old pence

The New 20 Pence Coin = 4 shillings = 48 old pence

The New 10 Pence Coin = 2 shillings = 24 old pence

The new 5 Pence = One Shilling or 12 old pence

The old tanner 6 old pence will not be replaced

The old Half Crown = 2 shillings and 6 pence will not be replaced

1938 Japan Invades China

1938 : An attempt to conquer China was made by the Japanese was started on this day when a total of 60,000 soldiers entered Northern China by way of planes and tanks. They were attempting to complete the same type of conquest that was lead by Kubia Kahn, the Mongol emperor. The Japanese had threatened to bottle up 400,000 Chinese people on China's central front. The location of this attack covered approximately 20 miles, from the Yellow River to the Henan Capital provincial (Kaifeng).

1941 U.S.A. Take the A Train

1941 : Duke Ellington and is orchestra record the song "Take the A Train." This was the first of several times that they record this big band favorite.

1950 Soviet Union China Treaty

1950 : The Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) had signed a treaty on this day, which pertained to mutual defense and assistance. This treaty was signed possible after the completion of negotiations between PRC leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou En-Lai, along with Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinsky. Terms of this treaty included the mandatory provision of $300 million credit to the PRC and the return of a major railroad to the Chinese. Furthermore, Port Arthur and Dairen (Dalian) in Manchuria were to be returned, as they were seized by the Russians towards the end of World War II.

15 Feb, 1951 US Asked To Help Defend Europe From Soviets

1951 : As of this date, the plan was to involve the U.S. in defense of Western Europe. The reason for this defense was to prevent the fall of Western Europe to the Russians. If the Russians were to conquer this area, then the chance of an attack on the United States would be greatly increased. It was thought that troops could be kept in Western Europe for up to 10 years. It was largely a matter of precaution, and protection.

1952 England King George VI Buried

1952 : More than a million people gathered in London today to mourn the death of George VI, he was buried in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

1961 Belgium Plane Crash

1961 : At least 73 people are killed including The U.S. figure skating team dies in a plane crash on a Sabena Belgian Airlines jet.

1965 Canada Maple Leaf Adopted

1965 : It was proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II of England that the Maple leaf would become Canada's new national flag symbol. This new Canadian national flag had been raised on this day above Parliament Hill in Ottawa, which is the Capital of Canada.

1967 U.S.A. J. Frank Duryea

1967 : J. Frank Duryea had died on this day at the age of 97. He had established the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, which had created a total of 13 Duryea Wagons to this date. The founding of this company was the information introduction to the auto production line in the United States-which happened 74 years before the death of Duryea.

1974 England Trawler Lost

1974 : The air and sea search for survivors from the British Fishing trawler Gaul has now been called off with no hope of finding any of the 36 crew alive.

1982 Scotland The Ocean Ranger

1982 : The world's largest oil rig ( The Ocean Ranger ) sank in the storm-tossed north Atlantic with the loss of 84 crew members.

1986 England Wapping Strikes

1986 : Following the move of News International to Wapping where print unions would not be able to wield the power over the newspaper industry, they strike and picket the Wapping plant and 58 people arrested in the worst outbreak of violence yet outside the News International printing plant in Wapping, east London.

15 Feb, 1989 Afghanistan Soviet Withdrawal

1989 : Soviet troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan, nine years after they went into the country to support the struggling communist government.

1996 Wales Sea Empress

1996 : The supertanker, the Sea Empress, runs aground on the welsh coast, spilling 70,000 tons of crude oil causing widespread environmental damage including severe effects to several local bird sanctuaries.

1996 England Arms To Iraq

1996 : The long-awaited report into the sale of arms to Iraq in the 1980s is published criticizing the ministers involved.

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