April 20 » U.S. President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
June 13 » Yukon Territory is formed, with Dawson chosen as its capital.
July 4 » En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks off the coast of Sable Island, with the loss of 549 lives.
August 12 » The Hawaiian flag is lowered from ʻIolani Palace in an elaborate annexation ceremony and replaced with the flag of the United States to signify the transfer of sovereignty from the Republic of Hawaii to the United States.
September 2 » Battle of Omdurman: British and Egyptian troops defeat Sudanese tribesmen and establish British dominance in Sudan.
September 21 » Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China.
Day of death February 20, 1973
The temperature on February 20, 1973 was between 5.2 °C and 8.6 °C and averaged 7.0 °C. There was -0.1 mm of rain. The almost completely overcast was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the west-southwest. Source: KNMI
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.
In The Netherlands , there was from Friday, May 11, 1973 to Monday, December 19, 1977 the cabinet Den Uyl, with Drs. J.M. den Uyl (PvdA) as prime minister.
January 8 » Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.
April 19 » The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel.
May 3 » The 108-story Sears Tower in Chicago is topped out at 1,451 feet as the world's tallest building.
December 6 » The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States House of Representatives votes 387–35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States. (On November 27, the Senate confirmed him 92–3.)
December 9 » British and Irish authorities sign the Sunningdale Agreement in an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland.
December 15 » John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: F. van Dijk, "Family tree Van Dijk", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom_van_dijk/R21329.php : accessed March 14, 2026), "Henricus Cornelius Melis (1898-1973)".
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