Shocking February 17 Facts

Do you know what happened on February 17? From famous birthdays to historic events, we'll share some shocking facts about this date in history. Get ready to be amazed by some lesser known but fascinating information!
1621 Myles Standish is elected as the first commander of the Plymouth Colony
1691 Thomas Neale granted English patent for American postal service
1776 1st volume of Edward Gibbon's seminal work "The Decline and Fall of Roman Empire" published
1801 US House of Representatives breaks electoral college tie by electing Thomas Jefferson as President over Aaron Burr
1815 Treaty of Ghent ratified by the US Senate and signed by President James Madison ending War of 1812, over a month after it was signed in Europe
1864 Confederate submarine CSS H.L. Hunley sinks Union ship USS Housatonic at Charleston, South Carolina in the world's first successful submarine attack; crews of both vessels were killed
1880 Alexander II of Russia survives an assassination attempt
1913 US State of Oregon becomes second to enact minimum wage law
1933 First issue of American news magazine "Newsweek" is published
1933 US Senate accepts Blaine Act: ending prohibition
1936 The world's first superhero, The Phantom, a cartoon strip by Lee Falk, makes his first appearance in comics
1938 1st public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV (London)
1964 US House of Representatives accept Law on the civil rights
1964 US Supreme Court rules - 1 man 1 vote (Westberry v Sanders)
1972 Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model T
1972 US President Richard Nixon leaves Washington, D.C. for a groundbreaking trip to China
1986 Howard Stern radio show returns to NYC morning radio (WXRK 92.3 FM)
1995 Federal judge allows lawsuit claiming US tobacco makers knew nicotine was addictive & manipulated its levels to keep customers hooked
1998 NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft overtakes Pioneer 10 to become the farthest object from earth in space
2014 "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" premieres on NBC

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