February 29 – This day in history
It’s a date that only comes around every four years. Take a look at some memorable occurrences that have taken place on February 29.
1504 – Christopher Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to frighten indigenous people in Jamaica to continue giving his crew supplies and provisions.
1692 – Arrest warrants are issued for the first people accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts – Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba, a West Indian slave.
1712 – Sweden reverts to its old calendar system and observes February 30 after February 29.
1904 – US President Theodore Roosevelt appoints a 7-man Panama Canal Commission to go ahead with completing the Panama Canal.
1940 – Hattie McDaniel becomes the first black woman to win an Oscar.
1956 – Islamic Republic is formed in Pakistan.
1960 – Hugh Hefner opens the first Playboy Club opens in Chicago.
1984 – Canada’s President Pierre Trudeau, father of the current President, announces his resignation after 15 years in office.
1996 – ICC Associate team Kenya trounce the West Indies (all out 93) in Cricket World Cup. It was Kenya’s first win in official ODIs.
2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as President of Haiti and leaves the country.
