Births on February 20

Joshua Slocum

Born on February 20, 1844

Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor and adventurer (d. 1909)

Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 – on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wrote a book about his journey, Sailing Alone Around the World, which became an international best-seller. He disappeared in November 1909 while aboard his boat, the Spray.

References

Joshua Slocum

Choose Another Date

Events on 1844

8 Mar

Union between Sweden and Norway
King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
23 May

Bahá'í Faith
Declaration of the Báb the evening before the 23rd: A merchant of Shiraz announces that he is a Prophet and founds a religious movement that would later be brutally crushed by the Persian government. He is considered to be a forerunner of the Bahá'í Faith; Bahá'ís celebrate the day as a holy day.
24 May

Old Supreme Court Chamber
Samuel Morse sends the message "What hath God wrought" (a biblical quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate a commercial telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.
27 Jun

Death of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are killed by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail.
22 Oct

Great Disappointment
The Great Anticipation: Millerites, followers of William Miller, anticipate the end of the world in conjunction with the Second Advent of Christ. The following day became known as the Great Disappointment.

Births on February 20

Joshua Slocum

Born on February 20, 1844

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1844

Union between Sweden and Norway

Bahá'í Faith

Old Supreme Court Chamber

Death of Joseph Smith

Great Disappointment