Jen and Jon Johnson

On Feb. 27, 1827, a group of masked and costumed students paraded down the
streets of New Orleans, marking the beginning of the city’s famous Mardi
Gras celebration that is held annually.

On Feb. 26, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson learns of the Zimmermann
Telegram, a message from Germany to Mexico proposing a Mexican-German
alliance in case of war between the U.S. & Germany

On Feb. 23, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived at the Willard
Hotel in Washington DC – avoiding the assassination attempt that was planned
at the Baltimore Hotel he was scheduled to stay at.

On Feb. 22, 1819, Spain and the US sign the Florida Purchase Treaty, in
which Spain agrees to cede the remainder of its old province of Florida to
the US. Florida would become a state in 1845.

On Feb. 21, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon arrives in Beijing, the capital
of the People’s Republic of China, on the first presidential visit to the
world’s most populous nation since their communist revolution.

On Feb. 20, 1792 Pres. Washington signs the Postal Service Act, creating the
US Post Office. It promised the inexpensive delivery of mail in the US & to
expand the post office with the country.

On Feb. 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor,
killing 260 crew members & leading to the Spanish American War. In 1976 it
was discovered the explosion was internal.

On February 14, 1929, Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by
accident when he noticed that a mold that had fallen onto a bacteria culture
had killed many of the bacteria.

On February 13, 1945, the US & British begin the firebombing of Dresden by
dropping incendiaries and high-explosive bombs on the German city. After 3
days of bombing up to 135,000 were dead.

On February 12, 1912, the last Chinese emperor was forced to abdicate the
throne – ending 2000 years of emperor rule in China. Emperor Pu Yi was only
6 years old when China set up a provisional government