February 6th

On this day in 1872, The American Woman Suffrage Association petitioned Congress.

Born this day in 1913, Mary Douglas Leakey,archaeologist . Mary's father was a landscape artist and the family lived throughout England,Italy and France. At age 11, while living in Dordogne,France,the area was peppered with prehistoric sites, and after seeing the Caves of Dordogne(oldest cave paintings of animals) she was inspired and knew her future calling. She wasn't bookish, but she began sitting in on lectures about archaeology and geology at University of London. She never earned a degree. But,through contacts and her ability to draw; she was able to work on many excavations. She married Louis Leakey in 1933. They lived mostly in Africa working a long string of excavations. Her first important discovery was the first fossil skull of the extinct Miocene primate Proconsul. In 1959, Mary found the "Zinjanthropus" (Australopithecus boisei) fossil which brought world fame to the Leakey family. But, 1978 Mary Leakey made her greatest discovery, adjacent footprint tracks that had been left by two bipedal hominids. Even though Mary Leakey never earned a degree. Mary Leakey was a giant in the field of archaeology.

On this day in 1952, Elizabeth II succeeded her father, King George VI, upon his death February, 6th.