James Abram Garfield (1831–1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4 to September 19, 1881. Garfield was born into poverty in a log cabin in Northeast Ohio. He was a Union major general during the American Civil War. Elected to Congress in 1862 to represent Ohio's 19th district, he served nine terms, gaining a reputation as a skilled orator. He also wrote a notable proof of the Pythagorean theorem, published in 1876. Selected as a compromise candidate at the 1880 Republican National Convention, Garfield won the general election. As president he oversaw a resurgence of presidential authority against senatorial courtesy in executive appointments, a purge of corruption in the Post Office, and the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. Garfield advocated an educated electorate and civil rights for African Americans. He was shot on July 2, 1881, and died from infections caused by his doctors. ( This article is part of a featured topic: 1880 United States presidential election.)

President's House

• ... that the President's House (pictured) never housed a president?
• ... that Alexandra Tegleva, a nursemaid to Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, helped uncover a woman who impersonated Anastasia after the royal family were executed?
• ... that according to Roald Dahl, the measles vaccine is probably far safer than eating chocolate?
• ... that the Casa Rull in Andorra was said to be occupied by "fat peasants"?
• ... that in 1850, about a quarter of the post offices of the Swiss Post were located in taverns?
• ... that zombie pornography emerged in the 1980s during a rise in the Italian sexploitation film industry?
• ... that Indian Army havildar Naren Chandra Das escorted the 14th Dalai Lama to safety in India after the monk made a 13-day trek across the Himalayas dressed as a soldier to evade Chinese troops?
• ... that a showing of the 1914 film Lord Chumley on the roof of a New York City theatre was canceled with an on-screen announcement due to its 40-minute runtime?

Mudslide in Petrópolis, Brazil

• At least 171 people are killed due to mudslides and floods (aftermath pictured) in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• In American football, the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl.
• Cyclone Batsirai makes landfall in Madagascar, displacing at least 112,000 people and leaving more than 100 others dead.
• In association football, the Africa Cup of Nations concludes with Senegal defeating Egypt in the final.

February 21: Language Movement Day in Bangladesh ( 1952); Family Day in Canada (2022); Washington's Birthday / Presidents' Day in the United States (2022)

Lucy Hobbs Taylor

• 1437 – King James I of Scotland was murdered at Perth in a failed coup by his uncle and former ally Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl.
• 1866 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor (pictured) became the first woman to receive a doctorate from a dental college.
• 1929 – In the first battle of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong against the Nationalist government of China, a 24,000-strong rebel force led by Zhang Zongchang was defeated at Zhifu by 7,000 NRA troops.
• 1952 – A number of student protesters demanding the establishment of Bengali as an official language were killed by police in Dhaka, East Pakistan.