By Day: Historical Events on February 14th

Pope John XII crowns Otto I as Holy Roman Emperor.

Pope Benedict VII dies after a reign marked by the struggle between the papacy and the Roman nobility.

999 CE, February 14 - Gerbert of Aurillac becomes Pope Sylvester II.

First known mention of the city of Gundelfingen, Germany.

Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy.

Pope Urban II preaches the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont.

First known reference to the village of Potten End, England.

Death of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, and troubadour poet.

Roger II is crowned King of Sicily.

Battle of Stirling Bridge: William Wallace defeats the English forces under John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey.

Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, is executed for adultery and treason.

Oregon is admitted as the 33rd state of the United States.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre occurs in Chicago, involving a gang-related shooting that left seven dead.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini calls for the execution of British author Salman Rushdie over his novel "The Satanic Verses."

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri is assassinated in Beirut, sparking the Cedar Revolution.