February 28

1993. Four FBI agents and more than 20 cult members are killed in an attempt to arrest infamous cult leader David Koresh outside of his Waco, Texas, compound. In an effort to drive Koresh's followers — a religious sect called the Branch Davidians — from their compound, FBI agents injected tear gas into the compound, causing the deadly fire.

1994. The Brady Bill, mandating a five-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns, takes effect. This legislation also requires local law enforcement to run criminal background checks. The U.S. Justice Department invested $200 million in the computerization of gun dealers, enabling them to check criminal records. Only those whose lives are threatened or whose families lives are in danger are exempt from this law, with permission from local law enforcement.

1997. The Dallas Morning News makes public an alleged confession by Timothy McVeigh of his involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing. McVeigh, who was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy and weapons charges, later claimed that his case had been tainted because of the negative publicity surrounding his unverified confession. The court, however, upheld his conviction and sentenced McVeigh to the death penalty. Read more about McVeigh's execution.

February 27

1920. The 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, is unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court. The amendment had first been introduced to Congress in 1878 and then reintroduced every year thereafter. First supported by the House of Representatives, but defeated by the Senate, the amendment was finally made law on August 26, 1920.

1989. The Exxon Corporation is indicted on five criminal counts for the crash of its tanker Exxon Valdez along the Alaskan coast, which created the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Damage was estimated at $3 billion to $15 billion, and thousands of seabirds, fish and otters were killed. Alaskan fishermen filed a $5 billion suit against the company — the highest ever in an environmental pollution case.

1991. "Original Disco Man" James Brown is released from a three-year prison sentence for weapons possession and assault. Brown reportedly threatened a utility worker with a knife and held him against his will. Although most widely recognized for his musical achievements, Brown had several previous run-ins with the law, including a conviction for robbery at age 16 and accusations by his wife of assault and battery. Brown, now in his 60s, released an album in 1998 entitled "I'm Back."

February 26

1993. A terrorist bomb explodes at the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six and injuring more than a thousand. Six men were apprehended for the bombing, which also caused more than half a billion dollars in damage. The six defendants claimed to have committed the bombing to protest U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and to avenge Israeli support from the U.S. Each was convicted and sentenced to 240 years in prison.

1998. Oprah Winfrey is found not liable for negative comments made on her show about beef, mad-cow disease and the cattle industry. A suit was filed against Winfrey by Texas cattlemen who claimed to have lost millions of dollars in revenue after the airing of that episode. In response to the controversy, the talk show host contended, "I maintain my right to hold a public debate on issues that impact the general public and my audience."

February 25

1999. White supremacist John William King is sentenced to death by lethal injection for the Texas hate crime murder of James Byrd Jr. King and two accomplices shackled Byrd behind their truck and then dragged him to his death for more than two miles after picking him up as a hitchhiker. Read more about John William King.

2000. The four NYPD officers accused of killing unarmed street vendor Amadou Diallo are acquitted. Jurors called the prosecution's case "weak" for failing to perform effective cross-examinations and for sidestepping the race factor. "None of [us] are very happy," said Helen Barder, a juror. "But that's the way it worked out." Peaceful protests followed. Read more about Amadou Diallo.

February 24

1868. Andrew Johnson, the nation's 17th president, is impeached for violating the Tenure-of-Office Bill. Johnson, a self-educated native of Raleigh, N.C., who had been a governor, senator and member of the House of Representatives, succeeded Abraham Lincoln as president. In the third year of his presidency, Johnson removed his disloyal secretary of war from office, an act which overstepped the bounds of his authority as mandated by the Tenure-of-Office bill, and which led to his impeachment.

1988. Reverend Jerry Falwell sues Larry Flynt, publisher of "Hustler" magazine, for libel and invasion of privacy in what becomes a landmark case in First Amendment law. Flynt's magazine published a parody of a popular Campari Liqueur ad in which celebrities were featured revealing their "first time" drinking the liqueur. Falwell was depicted in the ad discussing an incestuous outhouse rendezvous with his mother. He sued "Hustler" for $45 million. The U.S. Supreme Court later dismissed the charges, ruling that parodies are protected by the First Amendment.

2000. Mobster Salvatore Gravano, a.k.a. "Sammy the Bull," is indicted on federal drug charges for his role in an Ecstasy drug ring. No stranger to the crime world, Gravano had previously provided damning testimony in the trial of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti. This testimony scored him a lighter penalty for 19 murders he admitted to, and he relocated to the West. There, he and his son Gerard became involved with a drug ring run by a white supremacist gang called the Devil Dogs. But the former snitch was himself snitched on, and busted for smuggling 40,000 Ecstasy pills through New York's Kennedy Airport to Phoenix. Read more about Gravano at Crime Library.

February 23

1998. White supremacist John William King is convicted of brutally murdering James Byrd Jr. King and two accomplices, Lawrence Russel Brewer and Shawn Allen Berry, picked up the 49-year-old Byrd on a Texas road and took him to a wooded area nearby. There the three men beat Byrd and shackled him to the back of their truck. They then dragged him for two and a half miles along a rural road, killing him. King is sentenced to death by lethal injection two days later.

February 22

2000. Closing arguments begin in the trial of four NYPD officers accused of gunning down Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West Indian street vendor, with a barrage of 41 bullets on Feb. 4, 1999. The defendants claimed that, although the shooting was a horrible accident, it was justified because Diallo, who was holding his wallet in the air, appeared to be armed. The officers were acquitted on all charges.

February 21

1965. Malcolm X is shot to death by three gunmen during a rally at Harlem's Audobon Ballroom. Talmadge Hayer, Norman Butler and Thomas Johnson were later convicted of murdering the 39-year-old black leader. Although prosecutors suggested at trial that the slaying was plotted as "an object lesson for Malcolm's followers," no direct evidence linked the Nation of Islam — from which Malcolm had publicly broken — to the killing.

2000. With two seconds remaining in a hockey game, Boston Bruin Marty McSorley bludgeons opponent Donald Brashear with his stick, sending Brashear to the ground with a serious concussion. Brashear had won a fight in the first period of that game and McSorely was apparently seeking revenge. McSorely was suspended for the remainder of the season and was later charged and found guilty of assault with a weapon. He no longer plays in the NHL.

February 20

1996. Calvin Broadus, or "Snoop Dogg," the famed rapper and former L.A. Crips gang member, was acquitted of first-degree murder in the death of rival gang member Philip Woldermariam. His bodyguard was also acquitted. The trial did nothing to slow the sales of Snoop Dogg's debut album "Doggystyle," which eventually sold more than five million copies, and the rapper was able to capitalize on the controversy surrounding his case when he released the successful single "Murder Was the Case" in 1995. Snoop Dogg's trial came at a tumultuous period in the hip-hop industry. A half year later, Snoop Dogg's Death Row Records labelmate Tupac Shakur was murdered and label head Suge Knight was besieged by legal troubles. But Snoop Dogg managed to avoid further entanglements and continued his successful career.

February 19

1807. Former vice-president Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Alabama but is later tried and acquitted. While he was running for governor of New York, Burr came to believe Alexander Hamilton was making derogatory remarks about him. Burr challenged him to a duel, in which Hamilton was mortally wounded. However the duel was considered legal and Burr returned to the vice-presidency. His next run-in with the law was when he hatched a scheme to build a large empire in the West and coerce the trans-Appalachian states to secede from the union. He was acquitted because Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that treason must be witnessed by at least two people.

February 18

1970. Five of the Chicago Seven are found guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The trial of the seven, Tom Hayden, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines and Lee Weiner, came to represent turbulent anti-Vietnam and anti-establishment counterculture of the 1960s. Many people spoke out on their behalf, including musician Arlo Guthrie. Later the convictions were overturned and all seven were acquitted of conspiracy charges. Hayden returned to Chicago in 1996 as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

1859. A temporary insanity plea is used for the first time in the case of Congressman Daniel Sickles accused of killing U.S. Attorney Phillip Barton Key. Key had been sleeping with Sickles' wife. One day, when Key came to visit her, Sickles shot him in broad daylight in front of several witnesses. Later that year he was tried for first-degree murder but acquitted of all charges. To read more about the insanity defense go to Crime Library.

February 17

1995. Colin Ferguson is convicted after killing six and wounding 19 when he opened fire on a Long Island Railroad train. During the trial Ferguson used the insanity defense and served as his own counsel. He claimed that he didn't commit the crime. Instead he said he was being set up by the police and compared himself to John the Baptist. Because his theories were so bizarre and his courtroom manner so unconventional, many wondered whether Ferguson was sane enough to make the decision to defend himself. In the end, he was sentenced to life in prison.

1932. "Baby Face" Nelson escapes while being transferred from prison after serving one year for bank robbery in Illinois. Nelson, who was born Joseph Gillis, was one of the most vicious gangsters to come out of Chicago's South Side. He committed a series of bank robberies in and around Chicago during the Great Depression. The FBI finally caught up with him in 1934 as he, his partner, John Paul Chase, and wife were driving on Highway 14, just outside of Chicago. While trying to escape, Nelson shot two FBI agents but was severely wounded in the shootout. He died a few hours later. Read more about "Baby Face" Nelson at Crime Library.

February 16

1968. The 911 emergency service was first implemented in Haleyville, Ala. Rankin Fite, speaker of Alabama's House of Representatives made the first call to 911 and spoke to Tom Bevill, a U.S. representative. After the two exchanged greetings and ended the conversation, they treated themselves to coffee and doughnuts.

February 15

1879. President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Successful lawyer Belva A. Lockwood, denied admission to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, lobbied for the bill for three years before it was passed. She became the first female lawyer admitted to the federal bar and the first to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Her most notable victory at the federal level was a $5 million settlement for the Cherokee nation against the U.S. government. While the 1879 act was an important first step, it did not throw open the courtroom doors for women. Despite the success it allowed Lockwood and other early female lawyers, discrimination against women in law persevered.

February 14

1929. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago. Seven members of Al Capone's rival, the North Side gang, are gunned down. The event marked the beginning of the end of Capone's violent career. The blatant violence of the attack forced authorities to step up their efforts to end his bootlegging cartel and the public, who at one time adored him, began to tire of the carnage. Capone was eventually convicted of income tax evasion. Read more about Al Capone at Crime Library.

February 13

1935. Bruno Richard Hauptmann is convicted and sentenced to death for kidnapping and murdering the Lindbergh baby. A career criminal, German-born Hauptmann had served time previously for robbery. In 1925, Hauptmann moved to the United States and became a carpenter. Police suspected Hauptmann was the murderer after a $10 gold certificate from the Lindbergh ransom was found with his license plate number on it. He maintained his innocence up until his execution in 1936. To read more about the Lindbergh kidnapping go to Crime Library.

February 12

2001. A federal appeals court rules that Internet music service Napster must stop the free exchange of copyrighted materials on its Web site. Napster came under fire from record companies who claimed the site violated copyright laws by enabling users to freely exchange songs. Napster countered by comparing its site to the VCR. In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled Sony could sell machines that could record copyrighted television shows. Eventually Napster took steps to take all copyrighted material off of its site.

February 11

1990. Nelson Mandela is released from prison in South Africa after serving 27 years. Mandela, a lawyer, was the leader of the the African National Congress, an illegal organization that fought for equality for black citizens in South Africa. After being acquitted of treason in 1962, he was convicted of sabotage two years later and sentenced to life in prison. After his release, Mandela was elected president in South Africa's first integrated elections.

1998. Disabled golfer Casey Martin wins his suit against the PGA allowing him to use a cart during golf tournaments. Until that time, it was against PGA rules for players to use golf carts. At first, Martin was able to compete despite being afflicted with Klippel-Trenauny-Weber Syndrome, a rare circulatory condition. However, the disease grew worse in his right leg and he was unable to walk from hole to hole. The Supreme Court ruled Martin was protected under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

February 10

1967. The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, dealing with presidential disability and succession, takes effect. Passed soon after the death of President John F. Kennedy, the amendment was meant to clear up the ambiguity of Article II Section 1 of the constitution, which states that if the president leaves his office "the Vice President shall become President." The amendment also governs the rules for replacing the vice president if he or she is incapacitated. It has only been used once when President Richard Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford became president.

1992. Mike Tyson is found guilty of rape and deviate sexual conduct involving a former Miss Black America contestant, Desiree Washington. The two met at a rehearsal for the pageant in Indianapolis. Washington claimed that Tyson raped her in a hotel room on the night of July 22, 1991. Tyson was convicted and served three years in jail.

1997. The U.S. Army suspends Army Sgt. Major Gene McKinney, its top-ranked enlisted soldier. He was later convicted of obstruction of justice but acquitted of 18 counts of sexual harassment brought by six servicewomen. He was convicted of obstruction for coaching one of the women on how to respond to military investigators. That conviction caused him to be demoted from the top rank of sergeant major. Many women's groups claimed the Army intimidated the women into not testifying by threatening to bring up their personal lives.

February 9

1997. Matthew Eappen dies in the hospital. His nanny, Louise Woodward, was found guilty of second-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced to involuntary manslaughter and she was sentenced to time served. The case brought controversy from both sides of the Atlantic. Many in England said the girl's sentence was too harsh, while some in America thought it was too light. Woodward's case also marked one of the first times "shaken baby syndrome" got widespread media coverage. Read more about Louise Woodward.

February 8

1994. Actor Jack Nicholson is charged with assault and vandalism after he allegedly battered a car with his golf club after a dispute with another motorist. The case was later settled out of court. Nicholson allegedly jumped out of his car at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Moorpark Street in Studio City and smashed the roof and window of Robert Blank's Mercedes-Benz after Blank cut him off. Nicholson defended himself by saying a friend had recently died and he had been up all night playing a maniac in a movie. The actor is best known for his work in "As Good As It Gets," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Chinatown."

1994. Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is charged with possession of a loaded firearm. Motley Crue was one of the most popular heavy metal bands, but since the band broke up, Lee's personal life has taken centerstage. He was married to Heather Locklear, then to Pamela Anderson. His relationship with the latter was stormy and the two have broken up and reconciled several times.

February 7

1995. Tupac Shakur is sentenced to four and a half years for sexually assaulting a female fan in a New York City hotel. Shakur, whose parents had both been Black Panther members, led the gangsta rap movement and released two number one albums, "Me Against the World" and "All Eyez on Me." He also starred in films, including "Poetic Justice" and "Above the Rim." On Sept. 8, 1996, Shakur was killed in a shooting many believe was motivated by East-West Coast rap rivalries. Learn more about Tupac Shakur.

1988. The television series "America's Most Wanted" debuts. The program is hosted by John Walsh, whose son was kidnapped and murdered. Briefly taken off the air in 1996, the show received thousands of fan letters. Fox decided to renew it a few months later. As of Jan. 26, 2002, the show had prompted 694 captures.

2001. Accountant Robert Picket is shot in the knee by a secret service officer after firing a handgun near The White House. The 47-year-old has a history of mental illness. Picket was at one time an accountant for the IRS, but was fired several years before. The Secret Service later said President George W. Bush was in no real danger during the shooting.

February 6

1943. Actor Errol Flynn is acquitted of two counts of having sex with adolescents. He was accused of seducing two 15-year-old girls on his yacht. This was not the first or the last scandal for Flynn. Rumors were rampant that he was homosexual and that he had an affair with Howard Hughes. He was also accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. The FBI once investigated him for having communist ties and for allegedly bringing a woman to the United States to become a prostitute. Flynn, who was famous during the 1940s, was primarily known for his action films.

February 5

1994. Byron De La Beckwith is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Medger Evers in Jackson, Miss., three decades after the crime. As the first NAACP field secretary in Mississippi, Evers rarely shied away from a fight. He organized protests, brought lynchings to the attention of the courts and the press and worked for higher rates of black voter registration. Unfortunately, all of this came to the attention of white supremacists and bigots, who stood in his way every step of the way. The violence against him culminated in his fatal 1963 shooting. De La Beckwith was brought to trial twice a year later but, despite overwhelming evidence, both juries refused to either acquit or convict.

February 4

1997. O.J. Simpson is found liable on all counts in his civil trial for the deaths of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman. The Goldman family was awarded $8.5 million. Simpson had previously been found not guilty in a criminal case for the double murder, but the rules for evidence and proof of guilt are different in a civil suit. For example in the civil trial, Simpson could not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights and the plaintiffs had only to prove it was more likely than not that Simpson had committed the murders. After winning the civil suits, both families of the victims said they felt justice had finally been served, but neither actually saw the money. Instead Simpson declared he had no assets and moved to Florida, where rules regarding bankruptcy laws are more lenient. He now lives off of a $4 million pension fund from his pro football days, and that income is immune from the civil suit. Read more about O.J. Simpson at Crime Library.

1999. Amadou Diallo is killed by New York City police officers outside his Bronx apartment. The officers claimed they thought Diallo was pulling a gun and fired, but he was actually reaching for a cellphone. The shooting sparked debate and protest over police relations with the black community. Leaders like Al Sharpton were vocal in their criticism of police, but Giuliani defended the force. Four of the officers involved were acquitted of all state criminal charges in February of 2000. Read more about the Diallo case.

February 3

1998. Karla Faye Tucker is executed by lethal injection after she was denied clemency by Texas Governor George W. Bush. She had been convicted of murdering a couple with a pick ax. While on death row, she became a born-again Christian and that fact, combined with her gender, became a focal point for protests by anti-death penalty groups around the country.

2001. Former Green Bay Packer Mark Chmura is acquitted of sexually assaulting his sons' babysitter. The charges sprang from an after-prom party for Catholic Memorial High School juniors and seniors that Chmura attended. The alleged victim, known only as Allison, told police Chmura asked her into a bathroom and then fondled and raped her. Chmura's acquittal was based in part on the testimony of high school football player Michael Kleber, who said he saw Allison before and after she went into the bathroom and didn't believe an assault had taken place. Read more about Mark Chmura.

February 2

1935. The polygraph machine is tested in Wisconsin, marking the first use of the lie detector. A polygraph measures a person's heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and electro-dermal activity (for example, sweat on the fingertips) and compares them to normal levels. If one or more indicators are high, the person may be lying, but results are open to interpretation. Polygraph results are rarely admissible in court. Except for New Mexico, which has open admission, every other state requires stipulations, such as agreement from both sides, before polygraphs can be introduced into evidence.

1790. The U.S. Supreme Court meets for the first time, presided over by Chief Justice John Jay in New York City. Jay's most famous ruling was Chrisholm v. Georgia. It led to the passing of the Eleventh Amendment, which prohibits an individual from suing a state in federal courts. When tensions with Britain began to rise, Jay left the Supreme Court and served as an English diplomat. He later became governor of New York before retiring in 1801.

February 1

1994. Tonya Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly pleads guilty for his role in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. Gillooly and his friend, Shawn Eckardt, hit Kerrigan's knee to lessen her chances at that year's Olympics. Harding, a rival skater, denied having previous knowledge of the attack but admitted she knew afterward. She pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution. She did not go to jail but was forced to resign from the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

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