The season of Pre-Lent, once marked by the Roman Catholic Church, developed in the seventh century and included the three Sundays before the beginning of Lent. These Sundays are Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima—roughly 70, 60, and 50 days before Easter. The Ordinary Form of the Mass (Novus Ordo), introduced in 1969, does not officially celebrate Pre-Lent. However, these Pre-Lent Sundays are still included in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (Traditional Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass). These three Sundays are also celebrated by certain other Christian denominations.
Daily Calendar for Sunday, February 8, 2026
Died
- Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great) –
- John Hay Whitney (multimillionaire) –
- Raymond Scott (composer) –
- William Dillard, Sr. (founder of the retail chain Dillard’s) –
- Joe Edwards (cartoonist) –
Born
- Henry Walter Bates (naturalist) –
- Jules Verne (writer) –
- King Vidor (director of film) –
- Jack Lemmon (actor) –
- Thelma Chalifoux (politician) –
- James Dean (actor) –
- John Williams (composer) –
- Ted Koppel (newscaster) –
- Mary Steenburgen (actress) –
- John Grisham (author) –
- Seth Green (actor) –
- Jordan Todosey (actress) –
Events
- French and Indians attacked Schenectady, New York –
- College of William & Mary chartered. –
- Simon Willard granted patent for the banjo clock –
- Sandford Fleming proposed Universal Standard Time, Toronto, Ontario –
- Boy Scouts of America incorporated –
- Stars and Stripes newspaper published for the first time –
- President Harding had the first radio installed in the White House –
- Jay Berwanger became the first player to be drafted by the National Football League –
- JFK administration banned travel of U.S. citizens to Cuba –
- Last issue of Saturday Evening Post until the magazine’s 1971 re-emergence –
- Debi Thomas won Women’s Singles, U.S. National Figure Skating Championship –
- Disney’s California Adventure Park opened –
Weather
- Great Arctic outbreak in the Southeast. 8 degrees F in Jacksonville, Florida—extensive crop damage –
- The Lindsay Storm left 20 inches of snow in New York City, where areas went unplowed for more than a week –
- The beaches of Malibu were hit by a winter snowstorm, which also created traffic jams in the Los Angeles area –
- Snow fell in Los Angeles, California –
