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Year
1725
Month Day
February 08

Peter the Great dies

On February 8, 1725, Peter the Great, emperor of Russia, dies and is succeeded by his wife, Catherine I.

The reign of Peter, who became sole czar in 1696, was characterized by a series of sweeping military, political, economic, and cultural reforms based on Western European models. Russian victories in major conflicts with Persia and the Ottoman Empire greatly expanded Peter’s empire, and the defeat of Sweden in the Great Northern War won Russia direct access to the Baltic Sea. Here, Peter founded the new Russian capital of St. Petersburg, and Russia became a major European power–politically, culturally, and geographically. In 1721, Peter abandoned the traditional Russian title of czar in favor of the European-influenced title of emperor. Four years later, he died.

READ MORE: Why Peter the Great Tortured and Killed His Own Son

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Russian RulersRussian History

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ALSO ON THIS DAY

Sports
1936

Jay Berwanger picked No. 1 in first NFL draft

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Civil Rights Movement
1968

Three protestors die in the Orangeburg Massacre

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Art, Literature, and Film History
1915

“The Birth of A Nation” opens, glorifying the KKK

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Crime
1924

First execution by lethal gas

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Russia
1904

The Russo-Japanese War begins

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Great Britain
1587

Mary, Queen of Scots beheaded

After 19 years of imprisonment, Mary, Queen of Scots is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England for her complicity in a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth I. In 1542, while just six days old, Mary ascended to the Scottish throne upon the death of her father, King James V. Her ...read more

World War II
1943

Americans secure Guadalcanal

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Sports
1986

Spud Webb wins dunk contest

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Native American History
1887

Cleveland signs the Dawes Severalty Act

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Art, Literature, and Film History
1990

Del Shannon, a ‘60s songwriter, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound

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Art, Literature, and Film History
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Natural Disasters & Environment
1978

New England digs out after blizzard

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Crime
1983

Irish race horse stolen

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Cold War
1949

Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary sentenced

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Civil War
1862

Battle of Roanoke Island

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