Mary, Queen of Scots, rival of Queen Elizabeth I of England, was beheaded this day in 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle, her execution a chilling scene redeemed by the great personal dignity with which she met her fate.
| 2002: | | The XIX Winter Olympic Games opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
|
| 1974: | | | The use of Skylab, a U.S. space station, came to an end after 171 days. |
|
| 1920/21: | | American actress Lana Turner, a sultry Hollywood glamour queen with a tumultuous private life, was born. |
|
| 1915: | | The landmark film The Birth of a Nation, by D.W. Griffith, made its premiere at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles. |
|
| 1887: | | The United States passed the Dawes General Allotment Act, providing for the distribution of American Indian reservation land among individual tribesmen. |
|
| 1867: | | The Ausgleich (“Compromise”) established the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. |
|