San Francisco sunrise: 7:04 a.m. Sunset 5:45 p.m.
Day Length: 10 hours, 41 minutes
Moonrise: 7:34 am. Moonset: 7:45 p.m.
On this date in history ...
1752 - The Pennsylvania Hospital opened as the very first hospital in America.
1808 - Judge Jesse Fell experimented by burning anthracite coal to keep his house warm. He successfully showed how clean the coal burned and how cheaply it could be used as a heating fuel.
1812 - The term "gerrymandering" had its beginning when the governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry, signed a redistricting law that favored his party.
1878 - The first U.S. bicycle club, Boston Bicycle Club, was formed.
1936 - Pumping began the process to build San Francisco's Treasure Island.
1937 - General Motors agreed to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union, ending a sit-down strike.
1943 - General Dwight David Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe during World War 2
1958 - Ruth Carol Taylor was the first black woman to become a stewardess by making her initial flight.
1960 - Jack Paar walked off while live on the air on the "Tonight Show" with four minutes left. He did this in response to censors cutting out a joke from the show the night before.
1968 - The new 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden officially opened in New York. This was the fourth Garden.
1972 - McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Life magazine canceled plans to publish an autobiography of Howard Hughes. The work turned out to be fake.
1975 - Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to head a major party in Britain when she was elected leader of the Conservative Party.
1979 - Nine days after the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran (after 15 years in exile) power was seized by his followers.
1982 - ABC-TV’s presentation of "The Winds of War" concluded. The 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most-watched television program in history at the time.
1982 - France nationalized five groups of major industries and 39 banks.
1984 - The tenth Space Shuttle mission returned to Earth safely.
1989 - Rev. Barbara C. Harris became the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church.
1990 - Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.
1990 - In Tokyo, Japan, James "Buster" Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson in the tenth round to win the heavyweight championship.
1993 - Janet Reno was appointed to the position of attorney general by U.S. President Clinton. She was the first female to hold the position.
2000 - The space shuttle Endeavor took off. The mission was to gather information for the most detailed map of the earth ever made.
2000 - Great Britain suspended self-rule in Northern Ireland after the Irish Republican Army (IRA) failed to begin decommissioning (disarming) by a February deadline.
2002 - The six stars on NBC's "Friends" signed a deal for $24 million each for the ninth and final season of the series.
2006 - In Texas, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a quail hunt.
And a few items in music history. On Feb. 11 in ...
1916 - The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presented its first concert. The symphony was the first by a municipal orchestra to be supported by taxes.
1963 - The Beatles recorded "Twist & Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There."
John Lennon Merchandise - Today in Beatles History - Beatles apparel and gear
1964 - The Beatles played their first U.S. concert at the Collisseum in Washington, DC.
John Lennon Merchandise - Today in Beatles History - Beatles apparel and gear
1967 - The Monkees announced that they would be playing all the instruments on all future recordings.
Birthdays: (if today’s your special day, you share it with:)
Lydia Child 1802
Thomas Alva Edison 1847 - Inventor and businessman. His inventions included the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb
John Mills (The Mills Brothers) 1889
Josh White 1908
Joseph Mankiewicz 1909
Matt Dennis 1914
Sidney Sheldon 1917
Eva Gabor 1921 - Actress
Lloyd Bentsen 1921
Kim Stanley 1925
Dr. Virginia Johnson 1925
Leslie Nielson 1926 - Actor
Conrad Janis 1928 - Actor ("Mork and Mindy")
Larry Merchant 1931
Mary Quant 1934
Tina Louise 1934 - Actress ("Gilligan's Island")
Gerry Goffin 1935 - Songwriter
Gene Vincent 1935
Sergio Mendes 1935 - Bandleader
Burt Reynolds 1936 - Actor ("Smokey and the Bandit")
Bobby "Boris" Pickett 1938
Otis Clay 1942
Jeb Bush 1953 - Governor of Florida, brother of U.S. President George W. Bush
Phillip Anglim 1953
Catherin Hickland 1956
Carey Lowell 1961 - Actress ("Law and Order")
Sheryl Crow 1962 - Singer, musician
Sarah Palin 1964 - Governor of Alaska
Jennifer Aniston 1969 - Actress ("Friends")