History of the Day for:
February 7
- 1795: The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It affirmed the power of the states by prohibiting suits against them.
- 1812: Author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England.
- 1827: Ballet was introduced to the U.S. at Bowery Theatre in New York City.
- 1914: Charlie Chaplin debuted his character "The Tramp" in "Kid Auto Races at Venice."
- 1915: The first wireless message sent from a moving train to a station was received.
- 1935: Monopoly was first marketed by Charles Darrow.
- 1943: The government announced that shoe rationing would go into effect in two days, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person for the remainder of the year.
- 1943: Imperial Japanese naval forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
- 1944: Bing Crosby and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded "Swinging on a Star" for Decca Records.
- 1944: World War II: In Anzio, Italy, German forces launch a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle.
- 1948: General Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff and was succeeded by General Omar Bradley.
- 1949: Joe DiMaggio signed with the Yankees for $100,000, the first six-figure contract in the major leagues.
- 1961: Jane Fonda made her acting debut in the NBC drama "A String of Beads."
- 1962: The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
- 1964: 10,000 screaming fans welcomed the Beatles upon their arrival at New York's JFK International Airport as the "Fab Four" began their first U.S. tour and for their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
- 1965: Prizefighter Cassius Clay became a Muslim and adopted the name Muhammad Ali.
- 1979: Pink Floyd premiered their live version of "The Wall" in Los Angeles.
- 1983: Elizabeth H. Dole was sworn in as the first female secretary of transportation.
- 1984: Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk.
- 1985: "New York, New York" became the official anthem of The Big Apple.
- 1986: Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of his family's rule.
- 1990: Lisa Leslie of Morningside High School in Inglewood, Calif., scored 101 points in the first half against South Torrance High School. The final score was 102-24, as the South Torrance coach decided not to bring his team out for the second half.
- 1991: The Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti's first democratically elected president.
- 1991: The IRA launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
- 1992: The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
- 1995: Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
- 1999: Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
- 2009: Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia's history.