Facing extreme hyperinflation, Zimbabwe officially abandoned the Zimbabwean dollar and adopted a multi-currency system, including the U.S. dollar and South African rand.
📍 Harare, Zimbabwe
The Nasdaq stock exchange began operations as the world’s first electronic stock market, revolutionizing global finance and becoming a hub for technology stocks.
📍 New York City, United States
The Magnuson Act was passed, officially repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and allowing limited immigration from China during World War II as the two nations became allies.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
The Japanese Army launched an invasion of Singapore, beginning one of the most significant Allied defeats in World War II, which led to British surrender and occupation of the city.
📍 Singapore
Claude Shannon submitted his groundbreaking master's thesis applying Boolean algebra to electrical circuits, laying the foundation for modern digital computing and information theory.
📍 MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Amendments to the Indian Reorganization Act were passed to improve tribal self-governance and economic development, marking a shift in U.S. Native American policy.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
John Williams, one of the most iconic film composers in history, was born. His scores for *Star Wars*, *Jaws*, *Indiana Jones*, and *Harry Potter* transformed cinematic music.
📍 Floral Park, New York, United States
The 1924 Winter Olympics concluded in Chamonix, France, marking the first official international winter sporting event to include both male and female athletes.
📍 Chamonix, France
President Warren G. Harding established the Bureau of the Budget, now the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), streamlining federal spending and financial oversight in the U.S. government.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Lord Baden-Powell declared February 8 the World Scout Day to commemorate the growth of the international Boy Scouts movement, emphasizing global brotherhood and outdoor education.
📍 London, United Kingdom
The Bolshevik government forcibly dissolved the Russian Constituent Assembly, marking the consolidation of communist power and the beginning of one-party rule in Soviet Russia.
📍 Petrograd, Russia
The U.S. Army formally created the 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed 'The Big Red One,' which would play major roles in both World Wars and subsequent conflicts worldwide.
📍 Fort Jay, New York, United States
The Boy Scouts of America was officially incorporated, becoming one of the largest youth organizations in the U.S., promoting outdoor education, citizenship, and leadership.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
William Kemmler became the first person executed by electric chair in the United States at Auburn Prison, New York, initiating a new and controversial method of capital punishment.
📍 Auburn, New York, United States
Martin Buber, a leading 20th-century Jewish philosopher known for his work *I and Thou*, was born. His existential and theological ideas influenced religious thought worldwide.
📍 Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Alfred P. Sloan, who transformed General Motors into an industrial powerhouse through decentralization and marketing innovation, was born. His legacy shaped modern corporate management.
📍 New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev began organizing the elements into what would become the Periodic Table, revolutionizing the field of chemistry with his predictive classification system.
📍 St. Petersburg, Russian Empire
French and Russian forces clashed in the Battle of Eylau, one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars. Though inconclusive, it temporarily halted Napoleon’s eastern advance.
📍 Eylau, East Prussia (now Bagrationovsk, Russia)
Louis Daguerre, inventor of the daguerreotype photography process, was born. His work was crucial to the development of photography and visual documentation worldwide.
📍 Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France
Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed after being implicated in plots to assassinate her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. Her death fueled tensions between Catholic and Protestant powers in Europe.
📍 Fotheringhay Castle, England