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On This Day: Lee Petty wins first Daytona 500

On Feb. 22, 1959, the Daytona 500 was run for the first time. Lee Petty won the race.

By UPI Staff
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a fly-by prior to the 2019 Daytona 500 on February 17 in Daytona, Fla. On February 22, 1959, the Daytona 500 was run for the first time. Lee Petty won the race. Photo by Edwin Locke/UPI
1 of 5 | U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform a fly-by prior to the 2019 Daytona 500 on February 17 in Daytona, Fla. On February 22, 1959, the Daytona 500 was run for the first time. Lee Petty won the race. Photo by Edwin Locke/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1819, a treaty with Spain ceded Florida to the United States.

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In 1855, Pennsylvania State University was founded in State College, Pa. It was originally called the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania.

In 1862, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the Confederate States of America.

In 1879, Woolworth, the first chain store, opened in Utica, N.Y.

In 1959, the Daytona 500 was run for the first time. Lee Petty won the race.

In 1973, Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan commercial airliner, killing 108 of the 113 people aboard. The military apparently believed the airliner was a security threat in Israeli-controlled airspace. Israel's defense minister later said there was an "error in judgment" by the military. Israel paid reparations to the families of the victims.

In 1980, in one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympics history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of collegians and second-tier professional players, defeated the defending champion Soviet team, regarded as the world's finest, 4-3, at the Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

In 1987, artist Andy Warhol died of heart failure at age 58.

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File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

In 1998, a series of tornadoes raked central Florida, killing 42 people and injuring more than 200 others.

In 2005, a powerful earthquake struck Iran, killing more than 500 people.

In 2006, robbers took more than $43 million in cash from the Securitas bank depot in Kent, England, Britain's largest ever theft.

In 2011, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake severely damaged Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city, killing 185 people and injuring up to 2,000.

In 2012, a commuter train plowed into a barrier at a Buenos Aires station, killing 49 people and injuring hundreds more.

In 2014, Ukraine's Parliament ousted President Viktor Yanukovych following a period of violence that killed scores of people.

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

In 2014, Matteo Renzi, 39, was sworn in as the youngest prime minister in the Italy's history

In 2018, the U.S. women's ice hockey team won the Olympic gold medal for the first time in 20 years with a 4-3 victory over Canada in the Pyeongchang, South Korea, Games.

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File Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI

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