North Korea publicly admitted for the first time that it possessed nuclear weapons
MajorThe reclusive regime shocked the world by announcing it had built nuclear bombs for self-defense against U.S. aggression. This admission ended years o...
February 10 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2005
1996
IBM's Deep Blue computer defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a single game for the first time
MajorThough Kasparov won the overall match, this single victory marked a watershed moment in artificial intelligence. Kasparov was so shaken by the compute...
1967
The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, establishing presidential succession rules
Following JFK's assassination, it became clear America needed formal procedures for replacing a president or handling presidential disability. The ame...
1962
The Soviet Union exchanged captured U-2 pilot Gary Powers for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel
MajorIn a scene straight from a Cold War thriller, the swap happened on Berlin's Glienicker Bridge in freezing weather. Powers had been shot down over Sovi...
1947
Italy officially abolished its monarchy and the royal family was exiled after a referendum
MajorFollowing World War II and the king's collaboration with Mussolini, Italians voted to become a republic by a narrow margin. King Umberto II reigned fo...
1942
The first gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
RCA Victor created a special gold-painted master disc and presented it to Miller after the song sold 1.2 million copies. This publicity stunt invented...
1933
The singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegram Company as a publicity stunt
A deliveryman arrived at a New York restaurant and sang a birthday greeting to columnist Walter Winchell, creating an instant sensation. What started...
1930
A Chicago theater was raided and shut down for showing newsreel footage of a woman giving birth
The film, titled "The Birth of a Baby," was deemed obscene despite its educational intent, sparking a fierce debate about censorship. Theater owners w...
1897
The New York Times published "All the news that's fit to print" on its front page for the first time
Publisher Adolph Ochs introduced this slogan to distinguish his paper from the sensationalist yellow journalism dominating the era. The phrase became...
1893
Jimmy Durante was born in New York City and went on to become a legendary entertainer known for his enormous nose
Durante turned what could have been a source of shame into his trademark, calling himself "The Schnozzola" and making his nose central to his comedy....
1870
The YWCA was founded in New York City to help young women find housing and employment
At a time when single women moving to cities faced tremendous challenges, the Young Women's Christian Association offered safe housing and job trainin...
1840
Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in a ceremony that popularized white wedding dresses
MajorVictoria broke tradition by wearing white instead of royal silver, sparking a trend that would dominate Western weddings for the next two centuries. S...
1828
Simon Bolivar became the first dictator of the nation of Gran Colombia
The great liberator who freed much of South America from Spanish rule reluctantly assumed dictatorial powers to prevent the region from fragmenting. W...
1763
France ceded Canada to Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris, ending the Seven Years' War
MajorAfter years of global conflict, France signed away its North American territories to Britain, fundamentally reshaping the continent's future. The trea...
1720
Edmund Halley was appointed the second Astronomer Royal of England at age 64
The comet predictor finally achieved his dream position but faced an unusual challenge: the previous Astronomer Royal's widow refused to hand over the...