On This Day Archive for February 2009

February 25, 1990: Nicaraguan voters oust Sandinistas after 11 years by electing Violeta Chamorro

for February 25, 2009

From the February  27, 1990 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
Voters oust Sandinistas
Chamorro emphasizes national reconciliation to unite a divided, war-weary people.
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
THIRTEEN years after the murder of newspaper editor Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Cardenal helped usher the Sandinista rebels into power, Nicaraguan voters have abruptly ended their 11-year-old revolutionary experiment by electing his widow, Violeta Barrios [...]

February 23, 1945: American flag raised over Iwo Jima as U.S. Marines capture Mt. Suribachi during World War II

for February 23, 2009

From the February  23, 1945 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
IWO JIMA: Reinforced Marines win Mountain Key
Iwo Jima Bombardments Set High Mark in Pacific
ADVANCE PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS, Guam, Via Navy Radio, Feb. 23 - With Mt. Suribachi now in the possession of United States Marines at a cost of 5,372 casualties, the invaders at last have [...]

February 22, 1980: ‘Miracle on Ice:’ US Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union team 4-3

for February 22, 2009

From the February  25, 1980 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
The golden boys and the come-from-behind Olympics
 
 
It was alchemy on ice. Everything the US hockey team touched turned ulitmately to gold. Their trademark was simple: come-from-behind. And that approach seemed, in fact, to characterize the whole American effort in this year’s Winter Olympics.
 
An almost unimaginable victory [...]

February 19, 2008: Fidel Castro resigns as Cuban president after nearly 50 years in power

for February 19, 2009

From the February 20, 2008 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
Fidel Castro resigns as president of Cuba
After nearly 50 years in power, Fidel effectively hands the reins to his younger brother, Raul Castro
 
MEXICO CITY - After nearly half a century in power, Fidel Castro has stepped down from the helm of Cuba – a pivotal moment [...]

February 17, 2003: London begins charging motorists to enter the city in an effort to combat congestion

for February 17, 2009

From the February 18, 2003 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
Britain battles clogged streets
In London Monday, motorists began paying an $8-a-day fee to drive downtown
LONDON – It has been called the most radical highway experiment since the introduction of traffic lights.
 
Monday, as London launched an effort to unclog its streets, motorists began paying for the privilege [...]

February 14, 2005: The National Hockey League becomes the first major sports league to cancel its entire season and playoffs over a labor dispute

for February 16, 2009

From the February 14, 2005 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
For hockey’s next ‘Great One,’ season may be put on ice
An announcement officially scrapping the 2004-05 NHL campaign could come as early as Monday
TORONTO – Sidney Crosby is a fresh-faced hockey wunderkind who has drawn comparisons to legend Wayne Gretzky, including from the Great One himself. In [...]

February 13, 2000: The last original ‘Peanuts’ comic strip appears in newspapers

for February 13, 2009

From the February 9, 2000 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
‘Excuse me, uh, Mr. Schulz?’
 
Each year, when we visit relatives in northern California, my wife, son, and I swing by the Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa. It’s a chalet-like facility built by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The son of a Minnesota barber, Mr. Schulz [...]

February 12, 2002: Yucca Mountain is endorsed as the nuclear waste repository for the U.S. by President Bush

for February 12, 2009

From the February 19, 2002 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
Nevada ups battle against nuclear-waste site
LAS VEGAS - When it came to defending alleged mobsters, lawyer Oscar Goodman used to pursue every trick in his briefcase to keep clients from a jail cell.
 
Now, as mayor of Las Vegas, he is vowing to do everything he can [...]

February 11, 1990: Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years as a political prisoner

for February 11, 2009

From the February 12, 1990 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
Mandela release: watershed for South Africa
 
Long-awaited step seen as boosting the prospects for a negotiated political settlement and a new constitution
PAARL, SOUTH AFRICA - 
Nelson Mandela, the embodiment of black South African’s hopes for a future beyond apartheid, walked through the gates of Victor Verster Prison yesterday, [...]

February 10, 1996: ‘Deep Blue,’ the IBM chess supercomputer, defeats champion Garry Kasparov in a game

for February 10, 2009

From the February 15, 1996 issue of The Christian Science Monitor
Chess Challenge Highlights Man-Machine Differences
PITTSBURGH—
 
Man and computer live mostly in peaceful coexistence. But in a Philadelphia convention hall this week, it’s all-out war. Garry Kasparov, the world’s best chess player, is playing the world’s best chess computer, ”Deep Blue.”
 
So intense is the focus on this event [...]