On This Day: February 21st

Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.

John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.

Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah.

Without a previous declaration of war, Russian troops cross the border to Sweden at Abborfors in eastern Finland, thus beginning the Finnish War, in which Sweden will lose the eastern half of the country (i.e. Finland) to Russia.

The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales.

A force of 1,400 French soldiers invade Britain at Fishguard in support of the Society of United Irishmen. They were defeated by 500 British reservists.

Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.

The Prussian Confederation is formed.

Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.