On This Date In History
February 2, 1962 -- Eight of the nine planets aligned on this day, supposedly for the first time in 400 years. Various predicted
disasters failed to occur.
February 4, 1866 -- Mary Baker Eddy supposedly healed her injuries by opening a Bible. This eventually led her to
found Christian Science.
February 5, 1962 -- According to a prediction by psychic Jean Dixon, the Antichrist would be born on this day.
February 10, 1964 -- The Outer Limits episode "The Bellero Shield" aired. Some researchers think an alien portrayed in
this episode was the archetype for the modern notion of what aliens are supposed to look like. At the time, Betty and Barney
Hill were claiming that they had been abducted by aliens. Ultimately, the Hills claimed the aliens had large, dark, wraparound eyes,
which is the stereotype today. However, this was not their original description of the aliens. The large, wraparound eyes were first
described during a hypnosis session involving Barney Hill dated February 22, 1964. Not only did "The Bellero Shield" precede
Barney's first mention of wraparound eyes, it did by only 12 days!
February 11, 1858 -- Bernadette Soubiros saw a vision at Lourdes.
February 12, 1809 -- The birthday of Charles Darwin, who developed of the theory of evolution.
February 13, 1633 -- The Inquisition detains Galileo in Rome
February 14, 1948 -- The birthday of Raymond Teller, who would later drop his first name and become the shorter, quieter half of
Penn & Teller. In addition to being a magician and a comedian, Teller is also a member of the editorial board of Skeptic magazine.
February 15, 1564 -- The birthday of Galileo Galilei, the Italian mathematician, astronomer and physicist.
He turned the recently invented telescope skyward and discovered the satellites of Jupiter, providing evidence of the truth of the
heliocentric theory. This led him into conflict with the church.
February 17, 1600 -- Giordano Bruno, the philosopher and mathematician, was burned as a heretic by the Inquisition in
Rome.
February 19, 1473 -- The birthday of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who developed the heliocentric theory that the earth orbits the
sun.
February 20, 1524 -- Astrologer Johannes Stoeffler predicted there would be a great flood.
February 23, 1455 (approx) -- Johannes Gutenberg printed the first book, a Bible, using movable type.
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