February 24, 1981 (Tuesday)
- The element Bohrium (Bh), with 107 protons, was confirmed for the first time, by a team of scientists in Darmstadt, led by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenberg. The isotope Bh-262 was the fusion of Bismuth-209 and Chromium-54.
- For the first time, the seat of a member of the United States Congress was declared vacant by reason of disability. Gladys Noon Spellman, U.S. Representative from Maryland, had been comatose since suffering a stroke shortly before her re-election in November. By voice vote, with no objection, the House of Representatives passed a resolution noting that "Mrs. Spellman has been unable to take the oath of office due to a decapacitating illness" and that her position should be declared vacant. Steny Hoyer was elected on May 19 to succeed Spellman, who never recovered and lived until 1988.
- At Buckingham Palace, Britain's Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer confirmed that they were engaged and that they would be married in late July.
- An earthquake in Greece, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, struck at 10:53 pm local time, killing 16 people and injured more than 400.
- Born: Lleyton Hewitt, Australian professional tennis player, ATP #1 in the world 2001-2003; in Adelaide
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Famous quotes containing the word february:
“In my experience, if you have to keep the lavatory door shut by extending your left leg, it’s modern architecture.”
—Nancy Banks-Smith, British columnist. Guardian (London, February 20, 1979)