1542 - Catharine Howard, queen of England/5th wife of Henry VIII, beheaded
Catherine Howard was Henry VIII's "rose without a thorn", becoming the fifth wife of Henry VIII she took the motto of "no other will but his". After less then two years of marriage, Catherine was found guilty of adultery and therefore charged with treason. She was taken to the Tower of London on February 10th and executed three days later.
1867 - Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" waltz premieres in Vienna
The first few bars of "The Blue Danube" waltz, signed by Johann Strauss
The Blue Danube waltz was first played for a concert of the Wiener Männergesangsverein (Vienna Men's Choral Association). Even though this song is a loved and widely popular classical piece, it attracted only a lukewarm debut. After its apparent failure, Johann was quoted saying "The devil take the waltz, my only regret is for the coda—I wish that had been a success!"
