This Day in History - February 06

History Geek

On this day, February 6th, various important instances that have shaped human history took place. We start our journey in the year 1952, recalling the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. King George VI of the United Kingdom passed away, setting the stage for his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to ascend the throne and become the queen.

Rewinding to the late 18th century, in 1778, France acknowledged the new, independent kid on the block - the United States. By signing the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, France officially recognized the US as an independent entity.

Moving forward to 1814, in New Zealand, a significant agreement was reached between the British rulers and the original inhabitants, the Māori. This accord, known as the Treaty of Waitangi, acted as a legal framework for the British settlers and protected the land rights of the Māori.

In 1918, sweeping societal changes were afoot in Britain. The Representation of the People's Act was passed, granting voting rights to women over 30 and expanding suffrage to all men over 21.

Now, let's delve into the realm of electronics with our next event. In 1959, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit, an instrumental development in electronics.

On the same day in 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard made history by becoming the first person to play golf on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission.

The year 1987 saw a remarkable achievement for women in law when Justice Marie Gaudron became the first woman appointed to the High Court of Australia.

Our historical recap of February 6th would be incomplete without mentioning the space exploration success in 2018. SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy, arguably the most potent operational rocket of that time, sending Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster into space.

Turning back the clock to 1899, we recall the Treaty of Paris's signing, marking the end of the Spanish-American War and transferring control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.

Finally, in 1945, the Battle of Manila took place during the Second World War, marking the start of the liberation process of the Philippines from Japanese occupation.