February 23, 1981 (Monday)
- 23-F: At 6:25 pm, the Congress of Deputies of Spain was taken over by 200 members of the Guardia Civil, led by Lt. Col. Antonio Tejero Molina, who seized control of the Cortes building and took 347 legislators hostage. The Deputies were voting on whether to approve Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo as the new Prime Minister. The attempted coup failed seven hours later after King Juan Carlos refused to cooperate with the plotters, and then received the support of the rest of the military. The King appeared on television at 1:24 the next morning and announced the end of the crisis. Lt. Col. Tejero, Lt. Gen. Jaime Milans del Bosch, and the King's aide, General Alfonso Armada, were later arrested.
- Died: Shep Fields, 70, American band leader
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