This month in New York Life history—February.

At New York Life

February 2, 2020

A New York Life ad airs during the Big Game in Miami.  The ad which focused on the "Agape" type of love and part of a larger "Love Takes Action" campaign, aired during the game which captured the attention of 102 million tv viewers at home. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31–20.

February 7–8, 1904

Two branch offices were destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire, one of the most destructive fires in American history . New York Life continued business uninterrupted — employees and agents set up temporary offices and used duplicate files from the Home Office to keep track of their business.

February 12, 1892

The board of trustees elected John A. McCall New York Life’s fifth president. McCall would oversee the implementation of the modern managerial model for New York Life’s field force.

February 13, 1935

Former U.S. President Herbert Hoover joined New York Life’s board of directors, the second U.S. President to do so. (The first was Calvin Coolidge, who died in 1933).

February 19, 2013

The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum announced a $5 million donation from the New York Life Foundation to support the museum’s Education Center. Chairman and CEO Ted Mathas noted that the museum’s “mission aligns with the New York Life Foundation’s focus on young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement opportunities and childhood bereavement.”

February 22, 2006

New York Life created the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (originally called the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer). The office was created to bolster the company’s already substantial commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Around the World

February 1, 1960 

In Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American students sat down and ordered coffee at a lunch counter inside a Woolworth's store. They were refused service, but did not leave. Instead, they waited all day. The scene was repeated over the next few days, with protests spreading to other southern states, resulting in the eventual arrest of over 1,600 persons for participating in sit-ins.

February 2, 1848 

The war between the U.S. and Mexico ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $15 million, the U.S. acquired the areas encompassing parts or all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas. The treaty was ratified on March 10, 1848

February 3, 1870

The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing the right of citizens to vote, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

February 3, 1913

The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting Congress the authority to collect income taxes.

February 7, 1795

The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the powers of the Federal Judiciary over the states by prohibiting Federal lawsuits against individual states.

February 10, 1942 

The first Medal of Honor during World War II was awarded to 2nd Lt. Alexander Nininger (posthumously) for heroism during the Battle of Bataan.

February 11, 1990 

In South Africa, Nelson Mandela, at age 71, was released from prison after serving 27 years of a life sentence on charges of attempting to overthrow the apartheid government. In April 1994, he was elected president in the first all-race elections.

February 20, 1962 

Astronaut John Glenn became the first American launched into orbit. Traveling aboard the "Friendship 7" spacecraft, Glenn reached an altitude of 162 miles (260 kilometers) and completed three orbits in a flight lasting just under five hours. Glenn was the third American in space, preceded by Alan Shepard and Virgil “Gus” Grissom who had each completed short sub-orbital flights. All of them had been preceded by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who was the first human in space, completing one orbit on April 12, 1961 — a feat that intensified the already ongoing Space Race between the Russia and America.

February 21, 1972

President Richard Nixon arrived in China for historic meetings with Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai.

February 27, 1950

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the president to two terms or a maximum of ten years in office.

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