February 6th

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The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.

The crash of a Boeing 757 aircraft leaves no survivors. Birgenair Flight 301 was the worst accident involving this type of aircraft.

The Round Table Talks start in Poland. The negotiations between the Polish government and the trade union Solidarność, or Solidarity in English, marked the beginning of the end of communism in Eastern Europe.

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard hit a golf ball and Edgar Mitchell threw a "javelin" on the moon. They landed in the same crater and remain on the Moon today.

The first microchip is patented. For his invention of the integrated circuit, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom. She succeeded her father, George VI, who died that day.

The popular board game Monopoly® went on sale for the first time.

The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which set the date for the president's inauguration on Jan. 20, was adopted.

The Spanish-American War ended when a peace treaty between Spain and the United States was signed.

New Zealand becomes a British colony. While the Treaty of Waitangi is generally celebrated as the country's founding document, many Māori claim they were deceived and unwittingly stripped of their right to govern the country.

Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port.

Joseph Priestley, British chemist, died. His work on the isolation of gases led him to discover oxygen in 1774.

Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution, becoming the sixth state to join the Union.

France recognizes USA, signs Treaty of Alliance in Paris the 1st US treaty.

Maximilian I proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor,though 1st Emperor in centuries not to be crowned by the Pope.