The temperature on February 21, 1909 was between -4.4 °C and 8.9 °C and averaged 1.5 °C. There was 9.2 hours of sunshine (89%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east. Source: KNMI
January 9 » Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180km; 112mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
January 28 » United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish–American War.
February 12 » New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SSPenguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
February 22 » The sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by USSConnecticut, return to the United States after a voyage around the world.
February 23 » The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
March 23 » Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.
Day of death November 18, 1972
The temperature on November 18, 1972 was between -2.7 °C and 7.2 °C and averaged 2.4 °C. There was 0.9 mm of rain during 0.5 hours. There was 5.8 hours of sunshine (67%). The partly clouded was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the northwest. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from April 5, 1967 to Tuesday, July 6, 1971 the cabinet Biesheuvel I, with Mr. B.W. Biesheuvel (ARP) as prime minister.
In The Netherlands , there was from Thursday, July 20, 1972 to Friday, May 11, 1973 the cabinet Biesheuvel II, with Mr. B.W. Biesheuvel (ARP) as prime minister.
February 10 » Ras Al Khaimah joins the United Arab Emirates, now making up seven emirates.
March 1 » The Thai province of Yasothon is created after being split off from the Ubon Ratchathani Province.
April 13 » The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
May 8 » Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
November 10 » Southern Airways Flight 49 from Birmingham, Alabama is hijacked and, at one point, is threatened with crashing into the nuclear installation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After two days, the plane lands in Havana, Cuba, where the hijackers are jailed by Fidel Castro.
December 14 » Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Hendrik Dreyer, "Dreyer Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/dreyer-tree/I15507.php : accessed January 29, 2026), "Francina Elizabeth van der Merwe ? (1909-1972)".
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