Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.

Christopher ColumbusMarch 1504 lunar eclipseNative Americans (Americas)

Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage began.

Abel Tasman

Queen Anne's War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.

Queen Anne's WarNative American (U.S.)Raid on Deerfield

February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.

February 30Swedish calendarJulian calendar

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on 24 March.

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of SwedenFrederick I of Sweden

King Alaungpaya founds Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty of Burmese monarchy.

AlaungpayaKonbaung Dynasty

Polish nobles formed Bar Confederation.

Bar Confederation

The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.

Jay Treaty

American Civil War: Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid fails: Plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.

American Civil WarKilpatrick-Dahlgren RaidUnited StatesRichmond, Virginia

St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.

St. Petersburg, Florida

The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.

Piedra MovedizaTandil

Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.

Tokelau

Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.

Child laborSouth CarolinaWorking age

Czechoslovak National assembly adopted the Constitution.

CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovak Constitution of 1920

February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.

February 26 Incident

For her performance as "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.

Gone with the Wind (film)Hattie McDanielAfrican AmericanAcademy Award

Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.

Winter War

In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, because of the war, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's Consul General in San Francisco.

Berkeley, CaliforniaWorld War IIErnest LawrenceNobel Prize in PhysicsConsul General

World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.

Admiralty IslandsOperation BrewerDouglas MacArthur

The island of Heligoland is restored to West German authority.

Heligoland

The 5.7 Mw Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.

1960 Agadir earthquakeMoroccoMercalli intensity scale

In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).

Dawn Fraser

Vietnam War: Vietnamization: South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.

Vietnam WarVietnamizationVietnam

Gordie Howe of the then Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.

Gordie HoweCarolina HurricanesNational Hockey League

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.

Desmond TutuApartheidCape Town

Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the Canadian House of Commons to come out as gay.

Svend RobinsonCanadian House of CommonsComing outGay

First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.

Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum, 1992

Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, all 123 passengers and crew died.

Faucett Flight 251

Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.

Siege of Sarajevo

Second Chechen War: Eighty-four Russian paratroopers are killed in a rebel attack on a guard post near Ulus Kert.

Second Chechen War