Happenings in the US and world during February 1969.
Yasser Arafat was elected chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) at the Palestinian National Congress in Cairo, Egypt, on February 3. On the same day, Eastern Airlines Flight 7 (Newark-Miami) became the latest airliner to be hijacked and diverted to Havana. Among the passengers were Allen Funt, host of Candid Camera, and members of the show’s film crew. Their presence led some passengers to believe initially it all was part of a show.
A Boeing 747 was flown for the first time on February 9 at Boeing’s airfield in Everett, Washington.
Jennifer Aniston, perhaps best-known as a star of Friends, was born February 11 in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
The final stage of the Tet Offensive, coordinated attacks by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces, began on February 22 in multiple provinces.
Hey, it’s a short month.