Today in history: Feb. 20
1907: Theodore Roosevelt
In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an immigration act which excluded “idiots, imbeciles, feebleminded persons, epileptics, insane persons” from being admitted to the United States.
1938: Anthony Eden
In 1938, Anthony Eden resigned as British foreign secretary following Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s decision to negotiate with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
1962: John Glenn
On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Project Mercury’s Friendship 7 spacecraft, which circled the globe three times in a flight lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds before splashing down safely in the Atlantic Ocean 800 miles southeast of Bermuda.
1998:Tara Lipinski
In 1998, Tara Lipinski of the U.S. won the ladies’ figure skating gold medal at the Nagano (NAH’-guh-noh) Olympics; Michelle Kwan won the silver.
2005: Sandra Dee
In 2005, death claimed actor Sandra Dee at age 62;
2012: Dmitry Medvedev
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held an unprecedented meeting with opposition leaders, who said they were encouraged by his promises to make it easier for anti-Kremlin parties to take part in elections.
2012: John Glenn
Former senator and astronaut John Glenn celebrated the 50th anniversary of his history-making space flight at the Ohio State University by kicking off a forum about NASA’s future.
2021: Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam trophy by pulling away to beat Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open final.
2021: United Airlines
Debris from a United Airlines plane fell onto Denver suburbs during an emergency landing, with one very large piece that appeared to be part of the engine narrowly missing a home; authorities said nobody aboard or on the ground was reported hurt.
2022: Russia Ukraine War
One year ago: Russia extended military drills near Ukraine’s northern borders after two days of sustained shelling along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s president appealed for a cease-fire. (Russia would invade four days later.)
