What happened on February 15 ?

399 BC - The philosopher Socrates is sentenced to death.

590 - Khosrau II crowned as king of Persia

1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.

1764 - The city of St. Louis, Missouri is established.

1805 - Harmony Society is officially formed.

1852 - Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits its first patient.

1862 - American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee.

1879 - Women's rights: American President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

1898 - Spanish-American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.

1903 - Morris Michtom and his wife Rose introduce the first teddy bear in America.

1906 - The British Labour Party is organized.

1933 - In Miami, Florida, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago, Illinois Mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.

1942 - World War II: The Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. The Sook Ching massacre begins.

1944 - World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins.

1950 - The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sign a mutual defense treaty.

1952 - King George VI is buried at St George's Chapel on his Windsor Castle estate.

1953 - Seventeen-year-old Tenley Albright becomes the first American to win the world figure skating championship.

1961 - Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team and several coaches.

1965 - A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.

1970 - A Dominican DC-9 crashes into the sea during takeoff from Santo Domingo, killing 102.

1971 - Decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.

1971 - Decimalisation of Irish coinage is completed on Decimal Day.

1980 - Television One and Television Two (formerly South Pacific Television) under the newly formed Television New Zealand goes to air for the first time.

1982 - The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 rig workers.

1989 - Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops had left Afghanistan.

1991 - The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.

1995 - Hacking: Kevin Mitnick is arrested by the FBI and charged with breaking into some of the United States' most "secure" computer systems.

1999 - Abdullah ÿcalan, leader of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers Party, is arrested in Kenya by Turkish agents.

2000 - Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails.

2002 - At the Tri-State Crematory in La Fayette, Georgia, investigators find uncremated bodies disposed of in the woods and buildings on the crematorium's property. The discovery reveals one of the worst incidents of abuse in the funeral service industry.

2003 - protests against the Iraq war occur in over 600 cities worldwide. Estimates from 8,000,000-30,000,000 make this the largest day of protest in history.

2004 - John Daly the PGA golfer, wins his first PGA TOUR event in 9 years by winning the Buick Invitational golf tournament on the first hole of a playoff in San Diego, California.