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Almanac for Feb. 6, 2026

Today is Friday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2026. There are 328 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1952, Britain's King George VI, 56, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; he was succeeded as monarch by his 25-year-old eldest daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II. Also on this date: In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of the Treaty of Alliance in Paris. In 1862, during the Civil War, Fort Henry in Tennessee fell to Union forces. In 1899, a peace treaty ...

Don’t abuse the word ‘protest’

Alex Pretti wasn't killed while "protesting." This is a common description of what he was doing on a Minneapolis street the fateful morning when a confrontation with federal immigration agents ended in his tragic shooting. But if Pretti had been a mere protester, he'd very likely be alive ...

Washington Post cuts staff by a third, ends sports section

The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, ...

Almanac for Feb. 5, 2026

Today is Thursday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2026. There are 329 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial. Most senators expressed unease with Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine that prompted the impeachment, but just one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, broke party ranks and voted to convict. In 2021, the Senate acquitted Trump in a second trial for allegedly inciting the violent Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol. Also on this date: In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 ...

Classy trees

All forestry schools teach tree classification as a basic course. Lots of Latin names. Groups of similar trees, in at least some ways. It’s kinda fun but not for everybody. When Carolus Linnaeus (nee Carl von Linné) began naming living things with Latin terms, there needed to be a method ...

Tax the dog (walker)

At first it seemed like something from the satirical website Babylon Bee. The new governor of Virginia, the “moderate” Democrat Abigail Spanberger, has proposed a tax hike on services such as dog walking and grooming. Additional proposed tax hikes include levies on guns and ammunition, ...