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Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky, he was self-educated and became a lawyer, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. representative. An anti-slavery advocate, he joined the new Republican Party and won the 1860 presidential election, prompting a majority of slave states in the South to secede and form the Confederate States. As he led the country during civil war, Lincoln supervised the Union army, implemented a naval blockade of Southern ports, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the Confederate states. On November 19, 1863, he delivered the now famous Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was re-elected in 1864, and on April 14, 1865, five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, he was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth. For his role in preserving the Union and ending slavery, Lincoln is ranked as the greatest US president. ( Full article... )

William Bloomfield

• ... that William Bloomfield (pictured) is recognized as the first known Māori architect?
• ... that rock wrens build pavements made of flat stones to keep their nests dry?
• ... that the developers of Arlington Forest followed the U.S. government's recommendations for both residential architecture and racially restrictive covenants?
• ... that David Barsum Perley used his writings to explore what he considered the British betrayal of the Assyrian people?
• ... that an NFL team shared City Stadium with a local high school for over thirty years?
• ... that although An Ordinary Youth is based on the author's real-life experience, it begins with an epigraph saying "All details completely made up"?
• ... that the American Civil War inspired the design of the British Amazon-class sloops ?
• ... that all Aboriginal languages in mainland Australia may have descended from a common ancestor spoken around 6,000 years ago?
• ... that powerlifter Stefi Cohen went down a weight class to bring her world record total to 25?

Tarique Rahman

• The Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman (pictured), wins the Bangladeshi general election .
• In the Barbadian general election , the Labour Party wins a third term and every seat in the House of Assembly.
• Shootings at a residence and a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, leave nine people dead.
• In American football, the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl .

February 16 : J'ouvert morning, Carnival begins in Trinidad and Tobago; Chinese New Year's Eve (2026); Day of the Shining Star in North Korea; Presidents' Day in the United States (2026); Elizabeth Peratrovich Day in Alaska; Daisy Gatson Bates Day in Arkansas (2026)

Carsten Borchgrevink

• 1270 – Livonian Crusade: In the Battle of Karuse , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania achieved a decisive victory over the Livonian Order on the frozen surface of the Baltic Sea.
• 1900 – The Southern Cross Expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink (pictured) achieved a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the Great Ice Barrier.
• 1936 – The Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing parties, came to power in the Spanish general election , a factor in the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War five months later.
• 1961 – The DuSable Museum , the first museum dedicated to the study and conservation of African American history, culture, and art, was chartered.
• 2013 – At least 91 people were killed and 190 others injured after a bomb hidden in a water tank exploded at a market in Hazara Town, Pakistan.