February 14 (A Double)

1803 - Marbury v. Madison: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall ruled any act of Congress which conflicts with the Constitution is null and void. This decision established the Court as the ultimate interpreter of the U.S. Constitution.

This ruling was nothing short of an ‘invisible revolution’ within the great document...It is nowhere to be found in the Constitution, but has long been the absolute rule, for better or worse.

"[T]he germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal judiciary: an irresponsible body, working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little to-day and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction until all shall be usurped from the States, and the government of all be consolidated into one. To this I am opposed." - Thomas Jefferson

Like I said, an invisible revolution.  One which has been going on from the beginning of the nation's founding...For better and worse.

1928 - Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered the mold penicillin has an antibiotic effect.

This is one of the greatest discoveries of all time - medical or otherwise, and the results of this event have been awesome...It's impossible to calculate, but it can easily be assumed millions (billions??) of people have been saved by this discovery?

Try to imagine how many times you’ve taken penicillin, then multiply that by the billions of people on the planet over the past 90-years...That is awesome, and is why Fleming’s discovery belongs with the greatest of all time.

44 B.C. - Julius Caesar was honored with the title of ‘Dictator of Rome for Life.’

An impressive title, but one he only had for 29-days...The 'life' part got in the way of his grand plans.

1496 - Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

"There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it 'From Your Valentine.' Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him." - Original author unknown

1349 - 2,000 Jews were burned at the stake in Strasbourg, Germany.

I bet you thought the Nazi’s were the first Germans to toast Jews...Nah, it’s been a national pastime for centuries.

1918 - Warsaw demonstrators protested the transfer of Polish territory to the Ukraine.

I bet the Poles were really happy when Ukraine entered the Soviet Union...Then when the Nazi’s came in to 'liberate' them from the Ruskies; and vice verse.

1949 - The United States charged the U.S.S.R. with interning up to 14-million in labor camps.

14-million is probably a low estimate.

I recommend you read 'The Gulag Archipelago,' by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (the most important book of the 20th Century, but terribly difficult to read)...Or 'Gulag: A History,' by Anna Applebaum (the best English history of the Gulag, and much easier to read.)

1956 - The 20th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party opened, and Nikita Khruschev denounced the policies of Joseph Stalin.

This would have been much more impressive had he done it while Uncle Joe was alive...Nikki would’ve had his neck snapped had he done so, but it would have been brave.

1991 - Two San Francisco men became the first couple to register as 'domestic partners' under a new city ordinance.

Lovely.