February 20, 2026

Friday, February 20, 2026

Today's name is: Vivienne. Congratulations on your name day!

This is week: 8

Day of the year is: 51 of total 365 days.

Historical events this day: (from Wikipedia)

• 1472 - The Danish-Norwegian king Christian I pledges Orkney- and Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland to the Scottish king James III. The island groups have belonged to Norway since the 8th century, but when Kristian is short of money, he hands over the islands as security for his daughter Margaret's dowry, since she married Jakob in 1469. The islands are to remain in Scottish possession until the dowry is paid, but as the money will never be paid, the islands will therefore remain Scottish, ending the last vestiges of the Viking Age Norwegian possessions in the British Isles.
• 1513 - By the Danish-Norwegian king His dead, he is succeeded as king in both countries by his son Christian II. Since Hans was deposed as Swedish king in 1501, he has tried to regain the Swedish throne and Kristian takes over the claims to it. Only in 1520, however, does he manage to make himself king of Sweden as well.^[3]
• 1636 - The Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna issues the regulations About Post-Bådhen, Order for Postmaster Anders Wechell and Order for Oluff Jönsson to travel around the country and appoint Posterne, which become the basis of Swedish The Post Office. As early as 1620, a postal line was established on the route Stockholm–Markaryd–Hamburg, but now some farmers are required (against tax exemption) to let their servants deliver mail between the major cities in the Swedish empire. As early as 1685, the Swedish postal organization was expanded with postmasters and postmen, so that there are postal lines all over Sweden, up to Torneå in the north, Nyen (now Saint Petersburg) in the east, Stettin in Swedish Pomerania in the south and Hamburg in the west.^[4]
• 1878 - Then Pius IX has died on February 7, Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci is elected Pope and takes the name Leo XIII.
• 1920 - Fraudster Karl Vesterberg deposits one contact ad in Stockholms-Tidningen, which gives rise to the concept sun-and-spring.
• 1928 - A telephone line between Sweden and the USA is officially opened. However, the first conversation between Stockholm and New York had already been exchanged on November 29 of the previous year.
• 1935 – Danish-Norwegian Caroline Mikkelsen becomes the first woman to land in Antarctica. This is over 100 years after the first landing on the continent (1821).
• 1962 – John Glenn becomes the first American to fly in orbit around the Earth when he in the capsule Friendship 7 travels three revolutions around the earth. This comes almost a year after the rival Soviet Union has sent up Yuri Gagarin, who on April 12 of the previous year became the first man in space.
• 1990 - Barely three and a half months after The Berlin Wall has been opened (November 9 the year before) is the entire stretch of wall between Berlin's old Riksdag House and the border crossing Checkpoint Charlie torn down.
• 2002 - During a quarter final in ice hockey during the year winter Olympics in American Salt Lake City between Sweden and Belarus, Belarusian player Tommy Salos shoots the shoulder and then slides into the goal. With this, the score becomes 4–3 to Belarus and during the few remaining minutes of the match the situation does not change, which is why Sweden loses the group stage and is thus out of the ice hockey competition.
• 2009 - The American presenter Conan O'Brien hosts his final episode of the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien on the NBC television channel, which he has taken over from David Letterman 1993. After a period of rest, he takes over the legendary talk show on June 1 of the same year The Tonight Show from Jay Leno. After conflicts with NBC, O'Brien left the series already on January 22 of the following year, after only seven months as host. Jay Leno again takes over the program leadership on March 1 of the same year.