On Feb. 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, was born in Tampico, Ill.
In 1931 Elmore Rual Torn Jr., later known as actor Rip Torn, was born in Temple, Texas.
In 1933 the Constitution’s 20th Amendment took effect, setting Jan. 20 for presidential inaugurations and moving the start of congressional terms to January from March.
In 1943 Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was named commander in chief of Allied forces in North Africa during World War II.
In 1952 Britain’s King George VI died; he was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.
In 1959 the U.S. test-fired a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
In 1971 the Apollo 14 astronauts prepared to head back to Earth after 33 hours on the moon.
In 1978 Muriel Humphrey, widow of former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, was sworn in to fill the remainder of her late husband’s term in the Senate.
In 1991 comedian Danny Thomas, best-known for the TV series “Make Room For Daddy,” died at 79 in Los Angeles.
In 1992, 16 people were killed when a C-130 military transport plane crashed in Evansville, Ind.
In 1993 tennis legend Arthur Ashe died at 49 in New York.
In 1994 actor Joseph Cotten died at 88 in Los Angeles.
In 1998 President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In 2001 Ariel Sharon was elected Israeli prime minister in a landslide win over Ehud Barak.
In 2003 ABC’s “20/20” aired a British documentary on Michael Jackson in which the King of Pop revealed he sometimes let children sleep in his bed.
In 2006 Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada’s 22nd prime minister.
