On this day: February 28
The Earliest Recorded Poison-Gas Assassination Attempt: February 28, 1916
On 28 February 1916 a covert attempt to kill a political figure using poison gas was documented—one of the earliest reported uses of chemical agents for targeted assassination rather than battlefield warfare.
House Collapses Into Sinkhole, Swallowing Bedroom
On February 28, 2013, a sinkhole opened beneath a Georgia home, causing part of the house — including a bedroom — to collapse. Emergency crews responded; no fatalities were reported but the residence was rendered uninhabitable.
February 28, 1943: First Documented Raid on a Cult Compound in U.S. History
On February 28, 1943, federal agents and local authorities carried out what is widely regarded as the first documented raid on a U.S. cult compound—an operation prompted by allegations of child neglect, unlicensed medical practices, and threats to public order that had drawn growing local concern.
CIA Acknowledges Funding Foreign Propaganda Films
On Feb. 28, 1997, U.S. government documents and agency officials confirmed that the CIA had secretly funded or supported the production of foreign-language films and cultural projects during the Cold War and afterward as part of psychological operations and public diplomacy efforts.
Police Raid on Ohio Religious Compound Marks Earliest Recorded U.S. Cult Compound Intervention
On February 28, 1943, local and state authorities entered a religious communal compound in northeastern Ohio following complaints about health and welfare; the action is widely cited as the first documented raid on a U.S. religious sect’s compound that received formal law-enforcement intervention.
Watson and Crick Reveal Structure of DNA: The Double Helix
On Feb. 28, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick announced they had determined the double-helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a discovery that explained how genetic information is stored and replicated.
CIA Releases Declassified Cold War Psychological Warfare Reports
In February 2004 the CIA made public a trove of declassified Cold War-era psychological operations and propaganda studies, shedding light on methods used to influence foreign publics and assess adversary vulnerabilities during the 1950s–1970s.
Announcement of the Double Helix: DNA’s Structure Revealed
On 28 February 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick publicly announced that they had determined DNA’s double helix structure, a breakthrough that explained how genetic information is stored and replicated.