On this day: February 10
Mysterious Rooftop Footprints Follow 1855 Snowfall
After an overnight snowfall on February 10, 1855, residents reported unexplained footprints crossing several rooftops. Contemporary accounts describe prints in fresh snow with no visible tracks to or from the ground.
Pentagon Acknowledges 1986 Chemical Dumping in U.S. Rivers
On Feb. 10, 1986, the Pentagon publicly acknowledged that military facilities had disposed of chemical wastes into U.S. rivers. The admission prompted environmental and public-health concerns and renewed calls for oversight and remediation.
The 1978 Brownsville Clinic Shootings and the Birth of 'Copycat' Crime Panic
On February 10, 1978, a series of shootings at a Texas clinic and subsequent media coverage helped crystallize public fears about imitation crimes—an early, widely cited instance of what became known as copycat crime hysteria.
Publication of the First Documented Serial Killer Profile, February 10, 1957
On February 10, 1957, the first widely cited criminal profile of a serial offender was published, marking an early use of behavioral analysis in law enforcement and criminology.
CIA Releases Details of Secret Detention Sites
In February 2009 the CIA declassified information about its network of secret detention sites used in the post-9/11 era, revealing locations, interrogation practices and the agency's role in the program. The disclosures prompted renewed legal and political debate over detention, rendition and torture.
Ted Bundy Sentenced to Death in Florida
On February 10, 1980, Ted Bundy was formally sentenced to death in Florida for the 1978 murders of Kimberly Leach and other crimes, marking the culmination of one of the most publicized criminal cases in U.S. history.
Titanic Officially Declared Lost
On February 10, 1913, authorities formally declared the RMS Titanic lost, more than a year after her sinking on April 15, 1912, closing legal and administrative uncertainties while leaving many questions for victims' families and maritime insurers.
Ted Bundy Sentenced to Death in 1980 Florida Trial
On February 10, 1980, Theodore Robert Bundy was formally sentenced to death for the 1978 murders of two Florida State University students in Tallahassee, concluding one of the most widely publicized capital trials of the era.
Titanic Officially Declared Lost
On 10 February 1913 authorities formally declared the RMS Titanic lost, nearly a year after her sinking on 15 April 1912, closing a period of recovery and inquiry while leaving many legal and financial matters unresolved.