Today is Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 — the 37th day of the year. There are 328 days left in 2026.
Today in history:
Feb. 6, 1998 — Washington National Airport was officially renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, honoring the former president on his 87th birthday.
Also on this date:
1778 — During the American Revolutionary War, the United States won formal recognition and military support from France with the signing of the Treaty of Alliance in Paris.
1862 — In the Civil War, Fort Henry in Tennessee fell to Union forces.
1899 — The U.S. Senate ratified a peace treaty with Spain that ended the Spanish-American War and ceded the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States.
1921 — Charlie Chaplin’s first feature film, ‘The Kid,’ was released nationwide.
1952 — Britain’s King George VI, 56, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk; he was succeeded by his 25-year-old daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II.
2013 — Hasbro announced that Monopoly fans had voted online to add a cat token to the board game, replacing the iron.
2022 — Queen Elizabeth II marked the 70th anniversary of her accession to the British throne, an unprecedented milestone in modern monarchy.
2023 — A powerful 7.8‑magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, toppling thousands of buildings; the death toll eventually surpassed 50,000.
Today’s birthdays:
Actor Mike Farrell, 87; former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, 86; singer Fabian, 83; filmmaker Jim Sheridan, 77; tennis Hall of Famer Manuel Orantes, 77; actor Kathy Najimy, 69; actor-director Robert Townsend, 69; rock singer Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses), 64; singer Rick Astley, 60; actor Charlie Heaton, 32; actor Shelby Simmons, 24.
