Today in History: 6th February

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On this day, in 337, Saint Julius I had begun his reign as the new Catholic Pope. His reign has been eventful in more than one way, as many changes had taken place in the catholic world during that time. He was also instrumental in trying to bridge the gap between the various other religions and Christianity. In 1685, James II was crowned the next King of England, on this day, after the death of his brother Charles II.

The year 1716 saw the renewed friendship of England and the Netherlands. On this day, in 1716, both the countries had signed a treaty whereby trade in order to boost up the trade and commerce between the two countries. England declared war on France on this day in 1778. And on the very same day and very same year, France gave recognition to the United States and also signed the first treaty in the history of the United States. The treaty was called the Treat of Aid and was signed in Paris.

Cholera first appeared in Edinburgh, Scotland on this day, in 1832. Till then this disease was unknown to Great Britain. But with the increase in immigration, many foreign diseases also entered Great Britain, cholera being one of them. Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle reached the Diemen's Island in Tasmania on February 6, 1836.

February 6 is also remembered for the first great train robbery that took place in the year 1891. The robbery was carried out by the infamous Dalton Gang in the Southern Pacific region. In 1899, the Spanish- American war came to an end by the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty was ratified by the United State Senate by one vote, on this day. In 1911, on February 6, the first Old Age Home was opened in Prescott, Arizona.

1958 was a very unfortunate year, especially for the football fraternity. On this day, in 1958 a plane carrying the Manchester United football team crashed at the Munich Airport. In that accident 7 members of the football team were killed and many more sustained severe injuries. In 1959, Indira Gandhi was elected as the leader of the Indian National Congress on February 6. She went on to become the first woman Prime Minister of India.

In 1991, the Soviet Space Station named Salyut 7 was destroyed in an accident. The debris of the space station started falling into the Atlantic Ocean on February 6, as the space station disintegrated.

This day is also important in history for the birth of Ronal Reagan in 1911. He was a well known actor and went on to become the 40th President of the United States. February 6 is also the birthday of Christopher Marlowe, a famous English poet and playwright. He was born in the year 1461. Famous Indian cricketer S Sreenath was also born on this day in 1983.