February 19, 1674 - New York City becomes the property of England in a transaction called the Peace of Westminster.

February 19, 1807 - Aaron Burr, once the U.S. vice president, is arrested for treason. He allegedly planned to establish an independent republic west of the Mississippi.

February 19, 1831 - The first coal-burning locomotive in the United States makes its trial run in Pennsylvania.

February 19, 1847 - The Donner party, stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains since the previous fall, are reached by rescuers.

February 19, 1856 - Professor Hamilton Smith receives a patent for the tintype photographic process.
 

-----  Thank you for visiting Today in American History from the www.AmericanPatriotWeb.com!   -----

 

February 19, 1878 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for the phonograph.

February 19, 1806 - The Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company is founded by cereal makers W. K. Kellogg and Charles Bolin.

February 19, 1942 - Executive Order 9066 is signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, used to relocate Japanese Americans living on the West Coast to internment camps.

February 19, 1970 - The Chicago Seven are convicted of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in protest of the Vietnam War. They were also found guilty of 175 counts of contempt of court by the time the trial was over. An appeal overturned their convictions.
 

"Liberty doesn't work as well in practice as it does in speeches." - Will Rogers