Tuesday, February 9th

1870

Metis establish a provisional government at Red River; Louis Riel elected President.

1895

Influenced by Naismith and basketball, William Morgan invented "Mintonette" a less vigorous team sport more suitable for older members of the YMCA but one that still required athletic skill.

1950

Second Red Scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists.

Achieving little, besides launching the successful political careers of McCarthy and Richard Nixon, and ruining the reputations of many.

1966

National Hockey League announces it is doubling in size with a new West Division and six new teams - the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. The original teams - Toronto, Montreal, New York, Detroit, Chicago and Boston - will make up the NHL East Division.

1967

High school students in Oliver, British Columbia, were threatened with arrest if they continued their boycott of school classes. The students were protesting the temporary suspension of three girls, who were sent home to lengthen their mini-skirts. The principal of the school defended his actions, noting that the skirts were as much as eight inches above the knee.

1978

Ottawa orders 11 Soviet embassy officials deported for allegedly trying to infiltrate the RCMP Security Service.

1987

Officials for the World Wrestling Federation testify before the New Jersey Senate that their matches are actually rigged.

1996

Canada's Donovan Bailey sets world record for the 50-meter dash with a time of 5.56 seconds at the Reno Air Games

National news headlines this morning: The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history

Super Bowl sets record with 48 minutes of ads

Undercover boss got great ratings too. Crazy show!?

Birthdays

Travis Tritt –47- The soul-tinged singer mixes southern rock and country influences in becoming one of the most consistent acts of the 1990s and early 2000s. He also joins the Grand Ole Opry and takes on several acting roles

Joe Pesci –67- Pesci has starred in a number of high-profile films such as Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, Moonwalker, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, and Lethal Weapon 4.

Link of the day: http://time.is/