1575: Indian Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Bengali army at the Battle of Tukaroi
1857: Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China
1861: Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs and granting them the full rights of free citizens [O.S. Feb 19]
1887: Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6-year-old blind-deaf Helen Keller
1917: First major strike of the Russian “February Revolution” starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [OS=Feb 18]
1939: Mahatma Gandhi begins a fast in Mumbai (Bombay) to protest against autocratic rule in India
1943: Battle of the Bismarck Sea: Australian and American air forces devastate Japanese navy convoy
1991: Los Angeles police officers severely beat motorist Rodney King, the beating is famously captured on amateur video and later leads to riots when the police officers are acquitted
Source: Onthisday.com
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