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Today in History, February 6th

On February 6, 1952, Elizabeth II became queen on her father's death. Plus the U.S.-French alliance, the Treaty of Waitangi and Babe Ruth's birth.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published February 6, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

February 6 is best known for 1952, when King George VI died and his 25-year-old daughter became Queen Elizabeth II, beginning a reign of more than 70 years. The date also saw the U.S. and France sign their Revolutionary War alliance in 1778 and Britain and Māori chiefs sign the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand in 1840.

The big story: Elizabeth II Becomes Queen (1952)

Princess Elizabeth left Britain as a princess and came home as queen. In early 1952, she and Prince Philip set out on a tour meant to take them to Australia and New Zealand, standing in for her ailing father, King George VI. They were at Sagana, in Kenya, when word came that the king had died in his sleep at Sandringham on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth was 25. Under British law, she became queen the moment her father died, so in a real sense she acceded to the throne in Africa, far from home. She flew back to London, and her coronation at Westminster Abbey followed on June 2, 1953. Nobody then guessed how long the new reign would last. Elizabeth II served for 70 years, seven months and two days, until her death at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022, the longest reign in British history.

More events on February 6

Year	What happened
1778	The United States and France signed treaties of alliance and commerce in Paris, bringing France into the Revolutionary War on the American side.
1820	The first organized group of formerly enslaved African Americans sailed from New York for Sierra Leone in West Africa.
1840	British official William Hobson and many Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document.
1937	John Steinbeck published Of Mice and Men, his novella about two migrant ranch workers.
1958	A British European Airways plane crashed on takeoff in Munich, killing 23 people, including eight Manchester United players.
1971	Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard hit golf balls on the Moon using a club he had improvised from his equipment.
1985	President Ronald Reagan used his State of the Union address to lay out what became known as the Reagan Doctrine of backing anti-Communist movements.
1993	Tennis great Arthur Ashe died in New York City at 49 of AIDS-related complications.
2023	A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck south-central Turkey near the Syrian border before dawn, followed hours later by a magnitude 7.5 quake. The quakes caused enormous loss of life in both countries.

Born on February 6

1895: Babe Ruth, the slugger who hit 714 home runs and changed how baseball was played.
1911: Ronald Reagan, actor, California governor and 40th U.S. president.
1945: Bob Marley, Jamaican singer and songwriter who carried reggae around the world.