This week in history

February 2, 1892 – Patent of the bottle cap

William Painter, the Irish mechanical engineer file for the patent of his crown bottle cap on this day. He patented over 80 items in his lifetime. Some of his other inventions include bottle opener, paper folding machine and machine to detect counterfeit currency.

February 2, 1990 – Ban on ANC lifted

The 30-year-old ban on the African National Congress (ANC) was lifted by the then South African President F.W. de Klerk. He also announced that the famous South African leader, Nelson Mandela would be released soon.

February 4, 1985 – Launch of Facebook

Now known as Facebook, the social networking site was first introduced on this day as TheFacebook by the Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook currently has over 2.5 billion users.

February 6, 1952 – Death of King George VI

 Upon the death of King George VI of England, his daughter Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. Her coronation took place on June 2, 1953.